We have an extended weekend planned in the Flagstaff area and it starts today with a stop at Kachina Village Wetlands. We plan to look for birds in the wetlands area and then hike to a cache a bit further away. We have been here before so we know the parking but we always like to take a look at the map to get a feeling about where we are going.
We start exploring the wetlands but in the area close to the entrance there is little water and it looks more like a prairie than as a wetland. However we really enjoy the moon, it is rising beautifully over the forest.
We also see quite a few birds, and likely there are quite a few we didn’t see. One example is a killdeer that is lost between all the grass. Even though we know it is there we can barely catch a glimpse of it from time to time, as it searches for food through the vegetation.
We follow a trail that soon enters the forest. We have been on it before but only for a short while, today we want to explore it for a longer stretch. But first it is time for a short snack break below the pines, soooo beautiful.
Flowers and birds are everywhere, we stop multiple times just to enjoy the color of the flowers or search for the fast moving birds.
On the ground we see quite a few lizards scurrying around but few stay in one place long enough to catch a good glimpse.
We also see some interesting rocks and even after investigating them closely we cannot decide if they are natural or not, the pattern looks man made but it might be natural, who knows?
The trail passes at some point a dry creek and climbs towards a few minor but fun cliffs. It then re-enters the forest as we approach the cache we are looking for.
On the way we stop multiple times to look for interesting birds like a very bold Grace’s Warbler and a very vocal…squirrel? Yep, an Abert’s Squirrel really makes us believe for a short while that we are looking for a very special bird.
We then arrive at the cache location. Nearby is a grave but investigating more closely we find out that it is for a pet, phew. And the cache is an easy find and then it is time to return back towards the car.
The trail, right at the end, passes through a number of houses, we are happy we made it here during the day as otherwise the barking dogs would have been quite stressful.
As we arrive back at the wetlands area we explore a bit more but there is relatively limited water. As we wander around we almost step on a killdeer nest, it was so hidden that we barely noticed it, luckily the mother bird was quite vocal so we were careful.
We are hungry at this point so we drive to our AirBnB, which is quite nice. The only problem is that not all windows have shades and the ones that don’t look directly into the hallway between the bathroom and bedroom, quite weird.
Still it is looking quite new, with all new kitchen utensils and refrigerator. The decor is also quite interesting so besides the window and the almost completely missing Wifi there is nothing to complain about.
We then leave for one of two nearby restaurants that are open. And it is closed….so we go to the other one which luckily is open. We enter and order and then enjoy the atmosphere and the cooler weather as well as the birds coming to the small stream nearby.
When we receive our food we tear into it as we are really hungry at this point. Luckily it is good and filling and then it is time to return to our AirBnB to retire for the night as we have a long and difficult hike planned for tomorrow.
