Having missed the winter months at a good birding spot north of Cave Creek in Maricopa County, Lois Lorenz joined me for an exploration of the Seven Springs Recreation Area on Thursday, April 29, 2021. It was too late in the year to see many of the birds I enjoy finding there (Townsend’s Solitaire, Western Bluebirds, and Cedar Waxwings). Not even an American Robin around to greet us!
At an elevation 1700’ higher than the Phoenix Valley, it felt cool to be among junipers as we rose from Hackensack Canyon, curve by curve, off and on by dirt or paved road.
Amazingly, we located only one GILA WOODPECKER, but did much better with flycatchers as we continued upward.
Empidomax flycatchers, GRAY, HAMMOND’S, and DUSKY thrilled me since I’ve learned their diagnostics.
ASH-THROATED and BROWN-CRESTED Tyrant Flycatchers were present as were CASSIN’S and WESTERN KINGBIRDs.
A few WOODHOUSE’S SCRUB JAY showed up along the road as we stopped to listen here and there.
Although I missed a photo of the COOPER’S HAWK, I managed to catch one of the RED-TAILED HAWK overhead and a COMMON BLACK HAWK after it perched.
We joke about stopping for birds so often but there was little traffic early in the morning. So when I saw a mammal, I stopped immediately. A MULE DEER (doe) was looking superb as she looked at us and we looked back.
A small band of five wild horses surprised me. I didn't recall ever having seen them there before. They looked good and healthy and may belong to someone up that way. But they were foraging by a small stream and were not at all interested in us. Just off the road, I took a photo of the horse I liked the best! Perhaps a pinto.
Fire(s) of previous years have marked this area, but greenery keeps popping up here and there.
After reaching the farthest point, the picnic area just prior to the Seven Springs Road becoming a wilderness road, we found a spot to eat lunch (that comes anytime we're hungry) in the shade of a tree.
Having saved the Lower Camp Creek hot spot for our trip down the rolling hills, we found another GILA WOODPECKER, CANYON TOWHEE, BEWICK'S WREN, LUCY'S WARBLER, and COOPER'S HAWK at that location.
Best of all was an empidomax (empid) flycatcher that managed to convince me that it was a PACIFIC- SLOPE FLYCATCHER. So many of these birds look so similar, I think I was swayed by the amount of green it was showing. Color is a no-no in ID, but it didn't seem gray enough to be a Hammond's and I was fairly certain it wasn't a Dusky because of its long wings. It's rare for me to come up with one of these flycatchers, but from what I was looking at as the bird gave me ample time to view it, it seemed to best fit the PACIFIC-SLOPE FLYCATCHER.
We wrapped up our time at Lower Camp Creek at almost noontime, having spent a good five hours on the roads, walking a trail here or there, and just stopping for birds. Another good day in the field!
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View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S86669614
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S86673743
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