Wednesday, March 18, 2020
Wednesday, March 11, 2020
Gila County San Carlos Reservation
San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation south
Description
Birds
Directions and Access: At the eastern side of Globe, permits for the San Carlos Reservation can be purchased for $10 at the Circle K at: 2011 E Ash Street, Globe, AZ 85501. Circle K is 1.3 miles west of the Highway 70/77 intersection.
Locations:
-Ranch Creek Area: From the Highway 70 and Highway 77 intersection just east of Globe, head east on Highway 70 for 5.2 miles, where there will be a turnoff to a road heading off in the southeast direction (this is just past the small San Carlos Airport). Turn south on this road (labeled as Coolidge Dam Road) and follow it south a short distance for 0.2 miles, and then take the first right turn in the southwest direction. The road, labeled as Ranch Creek and Road 700, parallels Ranch Creek for most of it's length. This road can be followed for about 9 miles, but it gets extremely rough after the first few miles when the road crosses Ranch Creek. Do not attempt to drive on this road without a jeep or truck with plenty of high clearance. This is a location that is worth exploring if one can drive the route or hike in for a distance. Ranch Creek is surrounded by upper Sonoran desert scrub in it's lower elevations and followed by juniper and chaparral slopes with increasing elevations. The creek itself has a good riparian system and is composed highly of sycamore, but it also has stands of cottonwood and willow trees. There are sections along the creek that are in midst of scenic, rocky canyons. This area was explored in summer of 2018 (Caleb Strand and Tommy DeBardeleben) in search of Buff-collared Nightjar. While this rare bird has been found fairly close to this area in Pinal County, the habitat along Ranch Creek was suitable for the bird. In the search, no Buff-collared Nightjars were detected, but a variety of bird life included Black-chinned and Costa's Hummingbirds, Common Black-Hawk, Zone-tailed and Cooper's Hawks, Western Screech, Elf, and Barn Owls; Common Poorwill, Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet, Brown-crested and Ash-throated Flycatchers, Bell's Vireo, Juniper and Bridled Titmouse, Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay, Verdin, Rock, Canyon, Cactus, and Bewick's Wrens; Crissal Thrasher, Black-throated and Rufous-crowned Sparrows, Canyon Towhee, Hooded Oriole, Lucy's Warbler, and Summer Tanager.
-Peridot Mesa: From the Highway 70 and Highway 77 intersection just east of Globe, head east on Highway 70 for 14.3 miles and turn off onto a dirt road that has a wide parking area at the base of it's entrance. This dirt road is also 2.7 miles west of Peridot via Highway 70. Head north on this dirt road toward Peridot Mesa through open desert for 0.6 miles, take a right turn at the fork, and then take this right fork for a mile or over up and onto the Peridot Mesa. From here, several different roads can be taken throughout the Mesa. The best approach is to park and walk around to explore, as the habitat on the Mesa is an interesting one to bird. While it has desert surroundings, Peridot Mesa is flat and full of weeds, wildflowers, and scattered desert-scrub. This area has a grassland look and feel to it, even though it is not a true grassland. Raptors will utilize the habitat, and Gila County's first known White-tailed Kite was found here (Caleb Strand). Look for species like meadowlarks, Lark Bunting, a variety of sparrows, and Sage Thrasher.
Tufa Stone Tank and San Carlos River to Talkalai Lake
For the next few locations, a specific intersection in the town of San Carlos will be the base point for directions. From the Highway 70 and Highway 77 intersection just east of Globe, head east on Highway 70 for 17 miles to the turnoff on the north side (left) of Highway 70 at Peridot, which is signed off as "San Carlos Lake Recreation Area". After the left turn, head north on AZ-170 N for 3.9 miles to Pinal Street (which is also AZ-170 N when turning west on Pinal St). The intersection of AZ-170 N and Pinal Street will be the base point for the directions. On another note: on the way to the base point while traveling north on AZ-170, access to the San Carlos River is possible 1.9 miles north of Highway 70. Turn east on Peridot Siding Road to find a few pull offs before and just west of the San Carlos River. The San Carlos River is hard to navigate in almost all of it's access points due to tremendous undergrowth below dense cottonwood and willow forest that line the river. There is great birding potential along the river despite the difficulty in access. Also, the western side of the San Carlos River is Gila County and the eastern side of the river is Graham County.
-Tufa Stone Tank: When it has water, Tufa Stone Tank is one of the best birding locations in all of Gila County. In fact, it may just be the best (time will tell.) From where AZ-170 meets Pinal Street, head west on Pinal Street for 0.1 mile to Apache Avenue. Turn right and north onto Apache Avenue for 0.3 miles to Tonto Street. Turn west/left onto Tonto Street for 0.9 miles in the northwest direction to BIA Road 903. Turn left/west onto BIA Road 903, still heading in the northwest direction. Follow BIA Road 903 (which starts out paved and quickly turns to dirt) for 1.1 miles until there is a dirt road that branches off to the left. Take this left road for 0.2 miles to the southwestern direction and park before and just east of Tufa Stone Tank. Several washes flow into Tufa Stone Tank, and the tank also has a dam that streches across it's southern perimeter. The road also extends over the dam and there is also a parking area on the west side of the tank. Tufa Stone Tank is surrounded by open desert that is highly populated by creosote. The surroundings make the area seem dull until the tank is accessed. There are times when the tank has water, and times when it is dry. When there is water present, the location may be a mecca of a birding spot. There are a few patches of willow and cottonwood trees on the north side of the tank, weedy and grassy sections on the west and east sides of the tank, and also neighboring the immediate area of the tank are dense mesquite woodlands. There is also a path that starts at the west side of the tank and travels south of the dam through mesquite bosque toward a small stand of cottonwood and willow riparian woodland. When water is present at the tank, bring an old pair of shoes to get wet to get the best results out of an exploration. Also when there is water at the tank, spring, fall, and winter hold very high potential. In the early stages of fall 2018, Tufa Stone Tank was knowingly birded for the first time and there was water. In the early expeditions by several observers, there were 70 or more different species here during each visit. This included a variety of migrants (passerines and non-passerines, including more than 10 species of shorebirds) and resident birds. Between fall and early winter of 2018 and spring of 2019, highlights that have been discovered here so far have included Greater White-fronted Goose, Red-breasted Merganser, 15 species of shorebirds, Common Tern, Golden Eagle, Long-eared Owl, Lawrence's Goldfinch, Cassin's, Grasshopper, and Clay-colored Sparrows; Sagebrush Sparrow (very few records for Gila County), Northern Waterthrush, Black-and-white Warbler, American Redstart, and Dickcissel. For birders who are visiting the much more popular San Carlos Lake, Tufa Stone Tank is a good to great place to stop and check before or after a lengthy scan of the large reservoir.
-Talkalai Lake: Talkalai Lake is a smaller and pleasant reservoir northeast of the town of San Carlos, and it is in both Gila and Graham Counties. From the AZ 170-N and Pinal Street intersection, head east on Pinal Street for a very short distance where it turns into White Mountain Avenue. Stay on White Mountain Avenue for 1.9 miles. At 1.9 miles, turn right and to the northeast on an un-signed paved road. Follow this road to the north for 0.6 miles to a dirt road on the right, and take the road east and northeast. This dirt road is Road 1110, and it goes for 2.5 miles to Talkalai Lake. Once turning onto Road 1110 from the un-signed paved road, there will be several side roads that veer off from Road 1110. The route is generally easy to follow, but keep left at 0.5 miles, keep left at 1.1 miles, stay right at 1.6 miles, and after climbing in elevation for a short distance, the road will drop back down to the elevation and will parallel Talkalai Lake. Continue past the first road fork, followed by passing the picnic tables and stay headed down in the southeast direction to where the road is close to the lakeside habitat and ends at the lake. Another road bends to the southwest and goes closer to the dam. Talkalai Lake is surrounded by desert habitat that is dominated by cresote, but the lake has great marsh and cattail habitat, as well as stands of cottonwood and willow trees along it's perimeters. The route that Road 1110 goes along and ends at the northern side of Talkalai Lake is in Gila County. Graham County has the south side of the lake, and the open water is divided between the two counties. The northern two thirds of the lower and wider arm of the lake are in Gila County, as well as the extreme western line of the upper arm. Most of the entire upper arm and lower third of the lake are in Graham County. San Carlos Lake flows into Talkalai Lake north of the lake and of course, south of the dam. The lake will attract a variety of waterbirds, Bald Eagles, and passerine migrants. It is a good spot in Gila County to get Sora, Virginia Rail, Common Gallinule, and perhaps the only spot to detect Least Bittern. The area also seems to have Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet quite regularly.
-San Carlos River below Talkalai Lake Dam: Trace back to the starting point with the directions to Talkalai Lake. Once turning onto Road 1110, take 1110 for 1.1 miles and turn right (south) toward the San Carlos River. Go left/east at the intersection of two dirt roads and park where the road shortly ends. The riparian stands of willow and cottonwood with surrounding mesquite bosque can be birded here along the river. At this point, the west side of the river is Gila County and the east is Graham. Migrations may be very productive. Go east of the parking spot along a trail that goes close to Talkalai Lake Dam. This is a good spot along riparian habitat, and Northern Waterthrush has been found here before. Go back to the parking area and intersection of the two dirt roads. Head slightly southwest through a mesquite bosque and to various points along the river. Several roads go further west and cross the river to give better access to the densely vegetated habitat of the San Carlos River that is extremely hard to navigate. Brown Thrasher and Swamp Sparrow have been found near the river, and Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet has been found in the mesquite bosque.
San Carlos Lake Area
From the Highway 70 and Highway 77 intersection on the east side of Globe, travel east on Highway 70 for 17 miles. Turn left at Peridot onto AZ 170-N/Coolidge Dam Road, where there is a sign that is signed off for 'San Carlos Recreation Area'. Turn right and south on Coolidge Dam Road (which is also known as Indian Route 3) and proceed to San Carlos Lake. More specific directions will be given in reference to this specific point in the following birding locations. Also, if coming on Highway 70 from the east and heading west toward San Carlos, this intersection is 57.5 miles west from the town of Safford.
-San Carlos Sewage Ponds and agricultural fields: Head south on Coolidge Dam Road for 2.1 miles past Highway 70. On the east side of the Coolidge Dam Road, look for the fenced off sewage ponds on the east side of the road. Park and look and listen for birds in the wetlands from the road, do not enter this location beyond the fence. This is a good location to hear both Virginia Rail and Sora, Common Gallinule, and other marsh birds. On the west side of the road, tall mesquite and other desert vegetation harbor a variety of birds. This would be a good spot to look for migrants. Pyrrhuloxia, a bird that is rare in Gila County and is of uncertain status, is seen here occasionally. Just south of the sewage ponds are circular agricultural fields on both sides of the road that can't be accessed, that are worth scanning from the road. These fields attract a variety of raptors, such as Swainson's and Ferruginous Hawks.
-San Carlos Lake: San Carlos Lake is one of the best birding locations in Gila County, Graham County, and Pinal County. For those who enjoy county birding, this lake is a fun one because the three mentioned counties each have significant enough portions of the lake where one can see a variety of waterbirds in each county. Out of the three, Gila County has the highest percentage of the reservoir. San Carlos Lake has a variety of water levels and a lot of inviting shoreline habitat for birds. It is a place to go to not only enjoy a lot of waterbirds of variety, but to discover rare and unusual bird species that find the lake annually. The lake is surrounded by a variety of desert scrub and canyons, and some willow and cottonwood riparian habitat along the San Carlos River at the east side of the lake. Western and Clark's Grebes breed here, as does Bald Eagle, and the lake often has high numbers of American White Pelican. When full, the lake has astounding numbers of wintering waterfowl. Sometimes counts of species exceed into thousands, and species like Canvasback may have numbers that go near or even over a thousand. Rarities that have been discovered at the lake have included Pomarine and Parasitic Jaegers, Arctic and Least Terns, Laughing, Heerman's, and Iceland Gulls; White-winged and Surf Scoters, Tundra Swan, Roseate Spoonbill, Whimbrel, Red Phalarope, and Rough-legged Hawk (not all of these records have been from the Gila County side of the lake). Doug Jenness and Keith Kamper are two birders who have spent a great amount of time birding this lake and gathering knowledge up about it's bird life. They have found a lot of rare birds at the lake, including some of the meintioned ones.
Directions: From Highway 70, take Coolidge Dam Road (Indian Route 3) south and toward San Carlos Lake. There are several places along the route that have dirt roads leading to the north side of San Carlos Lake, found on the east side of Coolidge Dam Road. One of them is at 2.7 miles, and that eventually travels to the San Carlos Monument. On this guide, access points on the south side of San Carlos Lake from Pinal County (but looking north into Gila County) will be described in detail, and the northern ones will be put on hold. The northern ones have much rougher roads and are difficult to access without a vehicle that has great clearance. A link to a more-in-depth article of the lake, written by Doug Jenness, will be included at the end of the San Carlos Lake description (scroll down). Indian Road 510, which is accessed from the east side of Coolidge Dam Rd/Indian Route 3 at 6.6 and 7.2 miles south of Highway 70, accesses several roads that branch off to the south of 510 within a five mile stretch and travel south to the north shoreline of San Carlos Lake for about two miles.
From Highway 70, take Coolidge Dam Road 9.4 miles south to Soda Canyon Road. Head south on Soda Canyon Road for about a mile to it's ending point. This road ends at a boat launch and picnic area. It overlooks the northwestern side of San Carlos Lake, and this is an easy access point to a location that is on the north side of the lake and in Gila County. This section of the lake often has lower water levels near the shore and birds will congregate on small islands out on the lake or along the shoreline. About halfway out on the water is the county line of Gila and Pinal, with Pinal being the southern half of the lake.
The main reference point to birding San Carlos Lake will be from Coolidge Dam, which is at the westernmost side of the lake. To reach Coolidge Dam, take Coolidge Dam Road (Indian Route 3) for 11.8 miles south of Highway 70 in Peridot. The waters are deep near the dam, and harbor diving species like Western and Clark's Grebe. Surf Scoter has been seen here before. From here, San Carlos Lake extends to the east for a considerable distance. As a rule of thumb for county listing, most of the northern half of the lake is in Gila County for the lake's entire length, the southern half is Pinal County up until going east of County Line Road, and the southern half of the lake east of County Line Road is Graham County to the very eastern side of the lake, with Gila County still averaging to be the northern half of the lake adjacent to Graham County.
*Birding San Carlos Lake from Coolidge Dam
Directions will now be described in accordance to distance of driving east of Coolidge Dam on Coolidge Dam Road/Indian Route 3. This road will be the base to accessing San Carlos Lake and will be ground based in Pinal and Graham Counties. Many roads that branch off to the north of Indian Route 3 give access to San Carlos Lake. Most of them aren't labeled in the field, and some names can be found on Google Maps. Even though the lake will be scanned from these other counties, Gila County is still accurately viewable to the north with a scope. A high clearance vehicle is strongly recommended for driving on these dirt roads toward the lake. Use extreme caution, as there is a lot of loose soil in portions along some of the branch off roads from the main road, where it doesn't take much to get stuck. It would take a lot to describe directions to all the forks of these north-branching roads. When at the lake, cell phone reception comes in in areas and is very helpful for additional navigation.
-The first stretch of going east past the dam on Indian Route 3 has plenty of roadside pull offs where the lake can easily be scanned from. One productive road that goes north of Indian Route 3 is at 2.9 miles east of the dam, which is Road 571. Follow it to several lookout areas that a selection of different forks provide that give great views of the lake. Some streches and forks from Road 571 can go for about two miles north of Indian Route 3.
-Road 572 branches north of Indian Route 3 at 3.2 miles. It has a few forks that lead to different viewpoints for up to a mile north of Indian Route 3.
-At 4.1 miles, 4.4 miles, and 4.5 miles are three more roads that branch off north of Indian Route 3 toward San Carlos Lake from one to two miles.
-At the road that is at 4.5 miles, take it north for 0.6 miles and take another road to the right. This road that is taken right from the fork is County Line Road. Travel it for 0.2 miles, keeping right at another fork, and then proceeding another 1.2 miles or so northward. This road straddles the Pinal and Graham County line, and it leads to a very productive section of San Carlos Lake that often has shallower waters and a high variety of species. The junction of Gila, Pinal, and Graham Counties are close to this location, and going further east one will be in Graham County.
-At 7.9 miles on Indian Route 3 east of Coolidge Dam, is another road that heads north for 0.6 miles in Graham County that has a great overlook towards the eastern side of the lake.
-At 8.7 miles east of Coolidge Dam on Indian Route 3, take another road north. This road goes for over a mile to Quail Springs Boat Launch, and it is a great place to observe a variety of waterbirds in both Graham and Gila Counties.
For San Carlos Lake, there is much to see and explore. For this guide, the descriptions are kept more brief. To read a much more detailed description of San Carlos Lake along with maps of boundaries and roads, check out this excellent article that was written by Doug Jenness at the link HERE (There are several published articles on the AZFO website, Doug's is the second one from the top).
Indian Route 1500 and Warm Springs Flat
This area has sections of grassland habitat that are on plateaus, and with Gila County being limited on it's grassland habitat, these locations are an important visit. The area is reached by taking Highway 70 for 22 miles past it's intersection with Highway 77 at the east side of Globe and turning north on Indian Road 8 on the north side of Highway 70. This spot is also 5 miles east of Peridot adjacent to AZ 170-N and Coolidge Dam Road. Take paved Indian Road 8 (which is in Graham County) north and east for 14.5 miles to Indian Road 1500. Turn left and north onto Indian Road 1500 (which is still in Graham County and is a dirt road that is in good shape) for 3.5 miles to the San Carlos River. There is a good riparian habitat along the river here that is worth exploring. The north side of the river becomes Gila County, and once the river is crossed, Indian Road 1500 goes completely into Gila County. This section of Gila County elevates onto a plateau that holds habitat of semi-arid desert grassland and some Chihuahuan desert. It is a location that has a ton of potential and needs to be birded more. The grassland habitat has some wide sections of grass, that has mixes of both grass and weed. Grassland species such as longspurs, Sprague's Pipit, Short-eared Owl, Rough-legged Hawk, and Ammodrammus sparrows should be kept in mind here. From the San Carlos River crossing, proceed on Indian Road 1500 for 3 miles, and there will be a large grassland area on the west side of the road, with Chihuahuan desert scrub on the east side of the road. Grasshopper Sparrows have been found here in the grassland, as well as Gila County's first known Sprague's Pipit (Caleb Strand). Gila County's first known Scaled Quail was also found in the desert scrub (Caleb Strand) and further investigation resulted in the quail numbers jumping to 32 birds (Caleb Strand, Felipe Guerrero, Tommy DeBardeleben). At 4 miles past the San Carlos River crossing, Indian Road 1500 comes up to the Rocky Junction intersection. Turn right to stay on Indian Road 1500, but go left to access more smaller grassland areas on Indian Road 1200. Not far east of this area and in Graham County is the much larger grassland area of Ash Flat, which already has a lot of greatness to it's location with discoveries by Felipe Guererro. More birding in this area might prove Warm Springs Flat and company to be considered a great location in Gila County.
Back to Gila County Birding Areas
Description
Birds
Directions and Access: At the eastern side of Globe, permits for the San Carlos Reservation can be purchased for $10 at the Circle K at: 2011 E Ash Street, Globe, AZ 85501. Circle K is 1.3 miles west of the Highway 70/77 intersection.
Locations:
-Ranch Creek Area: From the Highway 70 and Highway 77 intersection just east of Globe, head east on Highway 70 for 5.2 miles, where there will be a turnoff to a road heading off in the southeast direction (this is just past the small San Carlos Airport). Turn south on this road (labeled as Coolidge Dam Road) and follow it south a short distance for 0.2 miles, and then take the first right turn in the southwest direction. The road, labeled as Ranch Creek and Road 700, parallels Ranch Creek for most of it's length. This road can be followed for about 9 miles, but it gets extremely rough after the first few miles when the road crosses Ranch Creek. Do not attempt to drive on this road without a jeep or truck with plenty of high clearance. This is a location that is worth exploring if one can drive the route or hike in for a distance. Ranch Creek is surrounded by upper Sonoran desert scrub in it's lower elevations and followed by juniper and chaparral slopes with increasing elevations. The creek itself has a good riparian system and is composed highly of sycamore, but it also has stands of cottonwood and willow trees. There are sections along the creek that are in midst of scenic, rocky canyons. This area was explored in summer of 2018 (Caleb Strand and Tommy DeBardeleben) in search of Buff-collared Nightjar. While this rare bird has been found fairly close to this area in Pinal County, the habitat along Ranch Creek was suitable for the bird. In the search, no Buff-collared Nightjars were detected, but a variety of bird life included Black-chinned and Costa's Hummingbirds, Common Black-Hawk, Zone-tailed and Cooper's Hawks, Western Screech, Elf, and Barn Owls; Common Poorwill, Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet, Brown-crested and Ash-throated Flycatchers, Bell's Vireo, Juniper and Bridled Titmouse, Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay, Verdin, Rock, Canyon, Cactus, and Bewick's Wrens; Crissal Thrasher, Black-throated and Rufous-crowned Sparrows, Canyon Towhee, Hooded Oriole, Lucy's Warbler, and Summer Tanager.
-Peridot Mesa: From the Highway 70 and Highway 77 intersection just east of Globe, head east on Highway 70 for 14.3 miles and turn off onto a dirt road that has a wide parking area at the base of it's entrance. This dirt road is also 2.7 miles west of Peridot via Highway 70. Head north on this dirt road toward Peridot Mesa through open desert for 0.6 miles, take a right turn at the fork, and then take this right fork for a mile or over up and onto the Peridot Mesa. From here, several different roads can be taken throughout the Mesa. The best approach is to park and walk around to explore, as the habitat on the Mesa is an interesting one to bird. While it has desert surroundings, Peridot Mesa is flat and full of weeds, wildflowers, and scattered desert-scrub. This area has a grassland look and feel to it, even though it is not a true grassland. Raptors will utilize the habitat, and Gila County's first known White-tailed Kite was found here (Caleb Strand). Look for species like meadowlarks, Lark Bunting, a variety of sparrows, and Sage Thrasher.
Tufa Stone Tank and San Carlos River to Talkalai Lake
For the next few locations, a specific intersection in the town of San Carlos will be the base point for directions. From the Highway 70 and Highway 77 intersection just east of Globe, head east on Highway 70 for 17 miles to the turnoff on the north side (left) of Highway 70 at Peridot, which is signed off as "San Carlos Lake Recreation Area". After the left turn, head north on AZ-170 N for 3.9 miles to Pinal Street (which is also AZ-170 N when turning west on Pinal St). The intersection of AZ-170 N and Pinal Street will be the base point for the directions. On another note: on the way to the base point while traveling north on AZ-170, access to the San Carlos River is possible 1.9 miles north of Highway 70. Turn east on Peridot Siding Road to find a few pull offs before and just west of the San Carlos River. The San Carlos River is hard to navigate in almost all of it's access points due to tremendous undergrowth below dense cottonwood and willow forest that line the river. There is great birding potential along the river despite the difficulty in access. Also, the western side of the San Carlos River is Gila County and the eastern side of the river is Graham County.
-Tufa Stone Tank: When it has water, Tufa Stone Tank is one of the best birding locations in all of Gila County. In fact, it may just be the best (time will tell.) From where AZ-170 meets Pinal Street, head west on Pinal Street for 0.1 mile to Apache Avenue. Turn right and north onto Apache Avenue for 0.3 miles to Tonto Street. Turn west/left onto Tonto Street for 0.9 miles in the northwest direction to BIA Road 903. Turn left/west onto BIA Road 903, still heading in the northwest direction. Follow BIA Road 903 (which starts out paved and quickly turns to dirt) for 1.1 miles until there is a dirt road that branches off to the left. Take this left road for 0.2 miles to the southwestern direction and park before and just east of Tufa Stone Tank. Several washes flow into Tufa Stone Tank, and the tank also has a dam that streches across it's southern perimeter. The road also extends over the dam and there is also a parking area on the west side of the tank. Tufa Stone Tank is surrounded by open desert that is highly populated by creosote. The surroundings make the area seem dull until the tank is accessed. There are times when the tank has water, and times when it is dry. When there is water present, the location may be a mecca of a birding spot. There are a few patches of willow and cottonwood trees on the north side of the tank, weedy and grassy sections on the west and east sides of the tank, and also neighboring the immediate area of the tank are dense mesquite woodlands. There is also a path that starts at the west side of the tank and travels south of the dam through mesquite bosque toward a small stand of cottonwood and willow riparian woodland. When water is present at the tank, bring an old pair of shoes to get wet to get the best results out of an exploration. Also when there is water at the tank, spring, fall, and winter hold very high potential. In the early stages of fall 2018, Tufa Stone Tank was knowingly birded for the first time and there was water. In the early expeditions by several observers, there were 70 or more different species here during each visit. This included a variety of migrants (passerines and non-passerines, including more than 10 species of shorebirds) and resident birds. Between fall and early winter of 2018 and spring of 2019, highlights that have been discovered here so far have included Greater White-fronted Goose, Red-breasted Merganser, 15 species of shorebirds, Common Tern, Golden Eagle, Long-eared Owl, Lawrence's Goldfinch, Cassin's, Grasshopper, and Clay-colored Sparrows; Sagebrush Sparrow (very few records for Gila County), Northern Waterthrush, Black-and-white Warbler, American Redstart, and Dickcissel. For birders who are visiting the much more popular San Carlos Lake, Tufa Stone Tank is a good to great place to stop and check before or after a lengthy scan of the large reservoir.
-Talkalai Lake: Talkalai Lake is a smaller and pleasant reservoir northeast of the town of San Carlos, and it is in both Gila and Graham Counties. From the AZ 170-N and Pinal Street intersection, head east on Pinal Street for a very short distance where it turns into White Mountain Avenue. Stay on White Mountain Avenue for 1.9 miles. At 1.9 miles, turn right and to the northeast on an un-signed paved road. Follow this road to the north for 0.6 miles to a dirt road on the right, and take the road east and northeast. This dirt road is Road 1110, and it goes for 2.5 miles to Talkalai Lake. Once turning onto Road 1110 from the un-signed paved road, there will be several side roads that veer off from Road 1110. The route is generally easy to follow, but keep left at 0.5 miles, keep left at 1.1 miles, stay right at 1.6 miles, and after climbing in elevation for a short distance, the road will drop back down to the elevation and will parallel Talkalai Lake. Continue past the first road fork, followed by passing the picnic tables and stay headed down in the southeast direction to where the road is close to the lakeside habitat and ends at the lake. Another road bends to the southwest and goes closer to the dam. Talkalai Lake is surrounded by desert habitat that is dominated by cresote, but the lake has great marsh and cattail habitat, as well as stands of cottonwood and willow trees along it's perimeters. The route that Road 1110 goes along and ends at the northern side of Talkalai Lake is in Gila County. Graham County has the south side of the lake, and the open water is divided between the two counties. The northern two thirds of the lower and wider arm of the lake are in Gila County, as well as the extreme western line of the upper arm. Most of the entire upper arm and lower third of the lake are in Graham County. San Carlos Lake flows into Talkalai Lake north of the lake and of course, south of the dam. The lake will attract a variety of waterbirds, Bald Eagles, and passerine migrants. It is a good spot in Gila County to get Sora, Virginia Rail, Common Gallinule, and perhaps the only spot to detect Least Bittern. The area also seems to have Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet quite regularly.
-San Carlos River below Talkalai Lake Dam: Trace back to the starting point with the directions to Talkalai Lake. Once turning onto Road 1110, take 1110 for 1.1 miles and turn right (south) toward the San Carlos River. Go left/east at the intersection of two dirt roads and park where the road shortly ends. The riparian stands of willow and cottonwood with surrounding mesquite bosque can be birded here along the river. At this point, the west side of the river is Gila County and the east is Graham. Migrations may be very productive. Go east of the parking spot along a trail that goes close to Talkalai Lake Dam. This is a good spot along riparian habitat, and Northern Waterthrush has been found here before. Go back to the parking area and intersection of the two dirt roads. Head slightly southwest through a mesquite bosque and to various points along the river. Several roads go further west and cross the river to give better access to the densely vegetated habitat of the San Carlos River that is extremely hard to navigate. Brown Thrasher and Swamp Sparrow have been found near the river, and Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet has been found in the mesquite bosque.
San Carlos Lake Area
From the Highway 70 and Highway 77 intersection on the east side of Globe, travel east on Highway 70 for 17 miles. Turn left at Peridot onto AZ 170-N/Coolidge Dam Road, where there is a sign that is signed off for 'San Carlos Recreation Area'. Turn right and south on Coolidge Dam Road (which is also known as Indian Route 3) and proceed to San Carlos Lake. More specific directions will be given in reference to this specific point in the following birding locations. Also, if coming on Highway 70 from the east and heading west toward San Carlos, this intersection is 57.5 miles west from the town of Safford.
-San Carlos Sewage Ponds and agricultural fields: Head south on Coolidge Dam Road for 2.1 miles past Highway 70. On the east side of the Coolidge Dam Road, look for the fenced off sewage ponds on the east side of the road. Park and look and listen for birds in the wetlands from the road, do not enter this location beyond the fence. This is a good location to hear both Virginia Rail and Sora, Common Gallinule, and other marsh birds. On the west side of the road, tall mesquite and other desert vegetation harbor a variety of birds. This would be a good spot to look for migrants. Pyrrhuloxia, a bird that is rare in Gila County and is of uncertain status, is seen here occasionally. Just south of the sewage ponds are circular agricultural fields on both sides of the road that can't be accessed, that are worth scanning from the road. These fields attract a variety of raptors, such as Swainson's and Ferruginous Hawks.
-San Carlos Lake: San Carlos Lake is one of the best birding locations in Gila County, Graham County, and Pinal County. For those who enjoy county birding, this lake is a fun one because the three mentioned counties each have significant enough portions of the lake where one can see a variety of waterbirds in each county. Out of the three, Gila County has the highest percentage of the reservoir. San Carlos Lake has a variety of water levels and a lot of inviting shoreline habitat for birds. It is a place to go to not only enjoy a lot of waterbirds of variety, but to discover rare and unusual bird species that find the lake annually. The lake is surrounded by a variety of desert scrub and canyons, and some willow and cottonwood riparian habitat along the San Carlos River at the east side of the lake. Western and Clark's Grebes breed here, as does Bald Eagle, and the lake often has high numbers of American White Pelican. When full, the lake has astounding numbers of wintering waterfowl. Sometimes counts of species exceed into thousands, and species like Canvasback may have numbers that go near or even over a thousand. Rarities that have been discovered at the lake have included Pomarine and Parasitic Jaegers, Arctic and Least Terns, Laughing, Heerman's, and Iceland Gulls; White-winged and Surf Scoters, Tundra Swan, Roseate Spoonbill, Whimbrel, Red Phalarope, and Rough-legged Hawk (not all of these records have been from the Gila County side of the lake). Doug Jenness and Keith Kamper are two birders who have spent a great amount of time birding this lake and gathering knowledge up about it's bird life. They have found a lot of rare birds at the lake, including some of the meintioned ones.
Directions: From Highway 70, take Coolidge Dam Road (Indian Route 3) south and toward San Carlos Lake. There are several places along the route that have dirt roads leading to the north side of San Carlos Lake, found on the east side of Coolidge Dam Road. One of them is at 2.7 miles, and that eventually travels to the San Carlos Monument. On this guide, access points on the south side of San Carlos Lake from Pinal County (but looking north into Gila County) will be described in detail, and the northern ones will be put on hold. The northern ones have much rougher roads and are difficult to access without a vehicle that has great clearance. A link to a more-in-depth article of the lake, written by Doug Jenness, will be included at the end of the San Carlos Lake description (scroll down). Indian Road 510, which is accessed from the east side of Coolidge Dam Rd/Indian Route 3 at 6.6 and 7.2 miles south of Highway 70, accesses several roads that branch off to the south of 510 within a five mile stretch and travel south to the north shoreline of San Carlos Lake for about two miles.
From Highway 70, take Coolidge Dam Road 9.4 miles south to Soda Canyon Road. Head south on Soda Canyon Road for about a mile to it's ending point. This road ends at a boat launch and picnic area. It overlooks the northwestern side of San Carlos Lake, and this is an easy access point to a location that is on the north side of the lake and in Gila County. This section of the lake often has lower water levels near the shore and birds will congregate on small islands out on the lake or along the shoreline. About halfway out on the water is the county line of Gila and Pinal, with Pinal being the southern half of the lake.
The main reference point to birding San Carlos Lake will be from Coolidge Dam, which is at the westernmost side of the lake. To reach Coolidge Dam, take Coolidge Dam Road (Indian Route 3) for 11.8 miles south of Highway 70 in Peridot. The waters are deep near the dam, and harbor diving species like Western and Clark's Grebe. Surf Scoter has been seen here before. From here, San Carlos Lake extends to the east for a considerable distance. As a rule of thumb for county listing, most of the northern half of the lake is in Gila County for the lake's entire length, the southern half is Pinal County up until going east of County Line Road, and the southern half of the lake east of County Line Road is Graham County to the very eastern side of the lake, with Gila County still averaging to be the northern half of the lake adjacent to Graham County.
*Birding San Carlos Lake from Coolidge Dam
Directions will now be described in accordance to distance of driving east of Coolidge Dam on Coolidge Dam Road/Indian Route 3. This road will be the base to accessing San Carlos Lake and will be ground based in Pinal and Graham Counties. Many roads that branch off to the north of Indian Route 3 give access to San Carlos Lake. Most of them aren't labeled in the field, and some names can be found on Google Maps. Even though the lake will be scanned from these other counties, Gila County is still accurately viewable to the north with a scope. A high clearance vehicle is strongly recommended for driving on these dirt roads toward the lake. Use extreme caution, as there is a lot of loose soil in portions along some of the branch off roads from the main road, where it doesn't take much to get stuck. It would take a lot to describe directions to all the forks of these north-branching roads. When at the lake, cell phone reception comes in in areas and is very helpful for additional navigation.
-The first stretch of going east past the dam on Indian Route 3 has plenty of roadside pull offs where the lake can easily be scanned from. One productive road that goes north of Indian Route 3 is at 2.9 miles east of the dam, which is Road 571. Follow it to several lookout areas that a selection of different forks provide that give great views of the lake. Some streches and forks from Road 571 can go for about two miles north of Indian Route 3.
-Road 572 branches north of Indian Route 3 at 3.2 miles. It has a few forks that lead to different viewpoints for up to a mile north of Indian Route 3.
-At 4.1 miles, 4.4 miles, and 4.5 miles are three more roads that branch off north of Indian Route 3 toward San Carlos Lake from one to two miles.
-At the road that is at 4.5 miles, take it north for 0.6 miles and take another road to the right. This road that is taken right from the fork is County Line Road. Travel it for 0.2 miles, keeping right at another fork, and then proceeding another 1.2 miles or so northward. This road straddles the Pinal and Graham County line, and it leads to a very productive section of San Carlos Lake that often has shallower waters and a high variety of species. The junction of Gila, Pinal, and Graham Counties are close to this location, and going further east one will be in Graham County.
-At 7.9 miles on Indian Route 3 east of Coolidge Dam, is another road that heads north for 0.6 miles in Graham County that has a great overlook towards the eastern side of the lake.
-At 8.7 miles east of Coolidge Dam on Indian Route 3, take another road north. This road goes for over a mile to Quail Springs Boat Launch, and it is a great place to observe a variety of waterbirds in both Graham and Gila Counties.
For San Carlos Lake, there is much to see and explore. For this guide, the descriptions are kept more brief. To read a much more detailed description of San Carlos Lake along with maps of boundaries and roads, check out this excellent article that was written by Doug Jenness at the link HERE (There are several published articles on the AZFO website, Doug's is the second one from the top).
Indian Route 1500 and Warm Springs Flat
This area has sections of grassland habitat that are on plateaus, and with Gila County being limited on it's grassland habitat, these locations are an important visit. The area is reached by taking Highway 70 for 22 miles past it's intersection with Highway 77 at the east side of Globe and turning north on Indian Road 8 on the north side of Highway 70. This spot is also 5 miles east of Peridot adjacent to AZ 170-N and Coolidge Dam Road. Take paved Indian Road 8 (which is in Graham County) north and east for 14.5 miles to Indian Road 1500. Turn left and north onto Indian Road 1500 (which is still in Graham County and is a dirt road that is in good shape) for 3.5 miles to the San Carlos River. There is a good riparian habitat along the river here that is worth exploring. The north side of the river becomes Gila County, and once the river is crossed, Indian Road 1500 goes completely into Gila County. This section of Gila County elevates onto a plateau that holds habitat of semi-arid desert grassland and some Chihuahuan desert. It is a location that has a ton of potential and needs to be birded more. The grassland habitat has some wide sections of grass, that has mixes of both grass and weed. Grassland species such as longspurs, Sprague's Pipit, Short-eared Owl, Rough-legged Hawk, and Ammodrammus sparrows should be kept in mind here. From the San Carlos River crossing, proceed on Indian Road 1500 for 3 miles, and there will be a large grassland area on the west side of the road, with Chihuahuan desert scrub on the east side of the road. Grasshopper Sparrows have been found here in the grassland, as well as Gila County's first known Sprague's Pipit (Caleb Strand). Gila County's first known Scaled Quail was also found in the desert scrub (Caleb Strand) and further investigation resulted in the quail numbers jumping to 32 birds (Caleb Strand, Felipe Guerrero, Tommy DeBardeleben). At 4 miles past the San Carlos River crossing, Indian Road 1500 comes up to the Rocky Junction intersection. Turn right to stay on Indian Road 1500, but go left to access more smaller grassland areas on Indian Road 1200. Not far east of this area and in Graham County is the much larger grassland area of Ash Flat, which already has a lot of greatness to it's location with discoveries by Felipe Guererro. More birding in this area might prove Warm Springs Flat and company to be considered a great location in Gila County.
Back to Gila County Birding Areas
Monday, March 9, 2020
Gila County Pinal Mountains
Pinal Mountains
Just to the south of and towering over the city of Globe are the spectacular Pinal Mountains. This mountain range is a summer escape from the heat, and the summit of the area comes at the 7,848' Pinal Peak. Without any other mountainous neighbors closely nearby and with it's separation from other high elevation areas, the Pinal Mountains are "sky island-like". Although they are smaller-scaled than the likes of the well-known southeastern sky islands themselves such as the Santa Catalina, Santa Rita, Chiricahua, and Huachuca ranges, these mountains do offer a sampling of birdlife that one would find on an adventure to Arizona's southeast. The Pinals are also the highest point of land between the Salt and Gila Rivers before their confluence. In the Pinal Mountain Recreation Area, there are two sides that access the higher elevations of the Pinals: the side that climbs to Pinal Peak as one and the side that climbs to Pioneer Pass as the other. Both sides of these high elevation areas are on north-facing slopes. The upper section of the climb to Pioneer Pass is full of pine and oak forest, and the upper section of the climb to Pinal Peak brings on pine and oak forest too, but it also has much cooler and dense stands of forest that contain fir, aspen, pine, and groves of deciduous trees when the elevation exceeds 7,000'. Although these higher elevations are the main draw to the Pinals, the drive up to the high country gives a round out with habitat diversity, as the foothills contain slopes full of chaparral and juniper, as well as sycamore-dominated riparian woodland along Russell Gulch and Kellner Canyon.
The bird life of the Pinals replicate the scenic beauty and adventure the area has to offer. While birding in the upper elevations, it doesn't take long to realize that the Yellow-eyed Junco is a common bird here. The Pinal Mountains host the northernmost breeding population of this bird, and to go along with it are solid numbers of birds that are considered to have the highest bulk of their range in southeastern Arizona. While the Yellow-eyed Junco is a great example of such, the Pinals also bring notable numbers of species like Rivoli's Hummingbird, Greater Pewee, Dusky-capped Flycatcher, Olive Warbler, Red-faced Warbler, and Painted Redstart. On note of much rarer birds, the Pinals have also hosted Short-tailed Hawks in recent years, who have most likely bred on the mountain due to when an adult and juvenile were both detected in 2018 (Jeff Ritz, Dara Vazquez, Laurie Nessel). Arizona's one and only report of Orange-billed Nightingale-Thrush in 1974, which remains as hypothetical, was observed here (Sighting by G. Nicholson, written about by Gale Monson and Allan Phillips in 1981 publication, Annotated Checklist of the Birds of Arizona). The potential for surprises in this mountain range are high, and in addition to species that are more restricted to central and southeastern Arizona are more widespread forest species of western North America like Northern Pygmy-Owl (Rocky Mountain subspecies), Flammulated Owl, Mountain Chickadee, Steller's Jay, and Yellow-rumped Warbler. To combine more of the diversity of forest birds, one will also observe species in the upper elevations of the Pinals that include Band-tailed Pigeon, Mexican Whip-poor-will, Broad-tailed Hummingbird, Zone-tailed Hawk, Acorn and Hairy Woodpeckers, Western Wood-Pewee, Cordilleran Flycatcher, Plumbeous and Warbling Vireos, Bridled Titmouse, all three Nuthatches, Brown Creeper, House Wren, Red Crossbill, Virginia's and Grace's Warblers, and Western and Hepatic Tanagers. Migration makes for high numbers of species during migrations that includes clearings of wildflowers that are filled with hummingbirds, and winter can occasionally bring in suprises like Clark's Nutcracker. In the lower foothills of the Pinals where the primary habitats consist of juniper and chaparral, watch for species like Juniper Titmouse, Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay, Gray Vireo, Bushtit, Rufous-crowned Sparrow, Black-chinned Sparrow, Black-throated Gray Warbler, Scott's Oriole, and high numbers of Fox Sparrow in winter. The riparian habitat along the lengthy Russell Gulch will host a variety of lower elevation birds like Gila and Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, Brown-crested Flycatcher, Vermilion Flycatcher, Cassin's Kingbird, Bell's Vireo, Yellow-breasted Chat, Yellow Warbler, Northern Cardinal, and Blue Grosbeak.
Directions: This area will be divided into two main sections: the Pinal Peak Route, and the Pioneer Pass Route. For directions to this area, drive to the City of Globe and find Russell Road on the west side of the city to access the Pinal Peak Route (just east of the Super Walmart in Globe) or find Hill Street toward the eastern side of the city to access the Pioneer Pass Route (Hill St. is just east of the bridge in town that crosses Pinal Creek), 4.3 miles after heading east past Russell Road.
Pinal Peak Route
-Russell Gulch: Follow Russell Road south of Highway 60 in Globe. Russell Road parallels Russell Gulch for the road's length, and Russell Gulch is a highly productive location for birding where many species will be observed. Stop anywhere to bird to look and listen for riparian species as well as juniper/chaparral species like Gray Vireo and Scott's Oriole. The chaparral habitat further up into Russell Road can have high numbers of Fox Sparrows in winter (Dave Pearson). At 6.3 miles of driving on Russell Road, the dirt road Forest Road 651 branches off and heads up and southward toward the highest elevations of the Pinal Mountains. East and past the Russell Road intersection with FR 651 while staying on Russell Road, Russell Road becomes Kellner Canyon Road.
-Kellner Canyon Picnic Area: Before returning to FR 651 for the rest of the Pinal Peak Route, directions to the Kellner Canyon Picnic Area will be included in this route as well as the Pioneer Pass Route. From the Russell Road and FR 651 intersection, head east on Russell/Kellner Canyon Road for 0.4 miles to a turnoff on the south (right) side of the road. This road is closed to vehicles and permits foot travel, and it goes for a little over a half mile to a riparian woodland in midst of chaparral and juniper habitat which is the Kellner Canyon Picnic Area. It is a good birding location. In the past, a Hooded Warbler was discovered singing here when the riparian habitat had better diversity than it does now (Rich Hoyer).
-FR 651 south: From the Russell Road and FR 651 intersection, FR 651 starts to climb up toward the highest elevation of the Pinal Mountains at Pinal Peak. This forest road, which is in good condition, travels for a total of just over 11 miles where it ends at the peak. The first 4.2 miles goes through chaparral and juniper slopes and enters pine and oak forest. Along this stretch, Russel Gulch continues to parrallel FR 651, even in the upper elevations. In the chaparral and junipers before the pine and oak forest, look and listen for species like Gray Vireo, Black-chinned Sparrow, Fox Sparrow in winter, and Scott's Oriole.
-Sulfide Del Rey Campground: This productive campground and the stretch of FR 651 a mile north of and before the campground are great for birding in midst of pine and oak forest and a sycamore-lined creek. The campground comes into play when driving 5.2 miles south of Russell Road on FR 651. This is one of the best places in the Pinals for birding, and it is a great location to observe species like Greater Pewee, Dusky-capped Flycatcher, Olive Warbler, Hutton's Vireo, Red-faced Warbler, Grace's Warbler, Painted Redstart, and many more.
-Madera Peak Road: At 5.4 miles of driving on FR 651, Madera Peak Road (Forest Road 580), will be on the west (right) side of FR 651. Madera Peak Road has upper chaparral habitats in the first part of the road, but the road goes into a tall pine and oak forest for the higher majority toward the 6,647' Madera Peak. Take this road for several miles and make birding stops along the way, or hike for a longer distance after parking at a pull off.
-FR 651 and upper chaparral: Continuing on FR 651 past it's intersection with Madera Peak Road, for the next two miles FR 651 will travel along upper chaparral habitat on the south-facing slopes of the Pinals. Birds to look for here include Black-chinned Sparrow, Rufous-crowned Sparrow, Gray Vireo, and Scott's Oriole. This road will go back northward and into the heavily forested and northfacing slopes of the Pinal Mountains at roughly 7.4 miles of driving on FR 651 past it's intersection with Russell Road.
-Upper Pinals to Pinal Peak: For the next 3.7 miles, FR 651 enters a thick pine, fir, and aspen forest. Any stop along this stretch will hold good birding opportunities. This section of the Pinal Mountains is truly beautiful. Continue to use mileage points on FR 651 past the Russell Road junction.
At 10.1 miles is a road up to the Signal Peak lookout tower. At 7,812', Signal Peak is barely shorter than Pinal Peak.
At 10.3 miles is a side road veering in a slight southeast direction that goes to the Ferndell Spring Trailhead. Ferndell Spring has several trails to take that are all worth birding. This road will continue past the Ferndell Spring Trailhead and out at a further point (mentioned later) and just south of Upper Pinal Campground. At 10.3 miles on FR 651 is also Pinal Campground, a good place to bird, have a picnic, or make a camping outing out of the birding adventure.
At 11.2 miles a road veers off to the north from FR 651 and heads to Upper Pinal Campground and picnic area. The road that was mentioned for getting to the Ferndell Spring Trailhead comes out at the beginning of this road, just north of FR 651. Continue shortly north from here to the campground. At 11.3 miles, FR 651 goes up to Pinal Peak, which is a good lookout point when searching for raptors like the rare Short-tailed Hawk and taking in the incredible views in every direction of the surrounding area.
Pioneer Pass Route
On the US 60/Ash Street, the Pinal Peak route at Russell Road is 4.3 miles in separation from the Pioneer Pass Route on Hill Street, with Hill St. being east and southeast past Russell Road.
To start on this route, turn on south on Hill Street in Globe from US 60/Ash Street (which is just east of a bridge that goes over Pinal Creek). Take it south for 0.3 mile to Broad Street, take a right on Broad St and then take an immediate left on Jesse Hayes Road (the signs for Pinal Mtn Recreation Area are signed off). Follow Jesse Reyes Road for a mile to it's junction with Icehouse Canyon Road (which becomes Forest Road 112) and Six Shooter Canyon Road (which becomes Forest Road 222). Take the right fork to follow Icehouse Canyon Road/FR 112 for up to nine miles to the Pioneer Pass Recreation Area. Six Shooter Road can be taken too to eventually intersect again with Icehouse Canyon Road
At 1.8 miles FR 112 intersects with Kellner Canyon Road/FR 55. Stay left to continue on FR 112 up toward the Pioneer Pass Recreation Area for another 6-7 miles. Go right on FR 55 past this juction and to the west for 2.4 miles to the road the veers to the south to go to the Kellner Canyon Picnic Area (see more of a description above in Pinal Peak Route), or continue for 2.8 miles to FR 651 on the south side of FR 55. If wanting to go from Pioneer Pass to Pinal Peak in a day (or vice versa), FR 55 serves as a connector road for the FR 651 and FR 112 routes.
The rest of the directions will come from FR 112. In similar ways to FR 651 in the Pinal Peak Route, chaparral and juniper are along FR 112 until pine and oak forest are reached. Anywhere along the road is worth stopping and birding.
At 8.4 miles, FR 112 comes into contact with a Trailhead, and Trail #200 can be hiked. It goes along pine and oak forest and a sycamore-lined stream.
At 9 miles, FR 112 comes into contact with Pioneer Pass Campground. This is in the center of the Pioneer Pass Recreaton Area and is the best place to bird on this route. Look for a high numbers for species of a variety of birds at this point who favor pine and oak forest. The eBird hotspot that is linked is great data for this location.
At 10 miles, FR 112 reaches it's apex at Pioneer Pass. As thick pine and oak forest cover the north-facing slope, going further south on FR 112 past this point on the south-facing slopes of the Pinals the habitat becomes chaparral. Going south of Pioneer Pass also results in FR 112 being a rougher dirt road, where it is a nice dirt road north of Pioneer Pass. At this point, there is also hiking for Trail #196. This trail heads west and up to Pinal Peak through pine and oak forest, and upper chaparral.
I'd like to thank Dave Pearson, Jim Kopitzke, Gordon Karre, and Caleb Strand for assisting me on some of my trips to this mountain range and helping me learn about the range much more quickly than I would have if I had explored it on my own. I owe the biggest thanks to Dave, who has dedicated a lot of his birding time in the Pinals and it is a location that he has an incredible amount of knowledge on.
Back to Gila County Birding Areas
Just to the south of and towering over the city of Globe are the spectacular Pinal Mountains. This mountain range is a summer escape from the heat, and the summit of the area comes at the 7,848' Pinal Peak. Without any other mountainous neighbors closely nearby and with it's separation from other high elevation areas, the Pinal Mountains are "sky island-like". Although they are smaller-scaled than the likes of the well-known southeastern sky islands themselves such as the Santa Catalina, Santa Rita, Chiricahua, and Huachuca ranges, these mountains do offer a sampling of birdlife that one would find on an adventure to Arizona's southeast. The Pinals are also the highest point of land between the Salt and Gila Rivers before their confluence. In the Pinal Mountain Recreation Area, there are two sides that access the higher elevations of the Pinals: the side that climbs to Pinal Peak as one and the side that climbs to Pioneer Pass as the other. Both sides of these high elevation areas are on north-facing slopes. The upper section of the climb to Pioneer Pass is full of pine and oak forest, and the upper section of the climb to Pinal Peak brings on pine and oak forest too, but it also has much cooler and dense stands of forest that contain fir, aspen, pine, and groves of deciduous trees when the elevation exceeds 7,000'. Although these higher elevations are the main draw to the Pinals, the drive up to the high country gives a round out with habitat diversity, as the foothills contain slopes full of chaparral and juniper, as well as sycamore-dominated riparian woodland along Russell Gulch and Kellner Canyon.
The bird life of the Pinals replicate the scenic beauty and adventure the area has to offer. While birding in the upper elevations, it doesn't take long to realize that the Yellow-eyed Junco is a common bird here. The Pinal Mountains host the northernmost breeding population of this bird, and to go along with it are solid numbers of birds that are considered to have the highest bulk of their range in southeastern Arizona. While the Yellow-eyed Junco is a great example of such, the Pinals also bring notable numbers of species like Rivoli's Hummingbird, Greater Pewee, Dusky-capped Flycatcher, Olive Warbler, Red-faced Warbler, and Painted Redstart. On note of much rarer birds, the Pinals have also hosted Short-tailed Hawks in recent years, who have most likely bred on the mountain due to when an adult and juvenile were both detected in 2018 (Jeff Ritz, Dara Vazquez, Laurie Nessel). Arizona's one and only report of Orange-billed Nightingale-Thrush in 1974, which remains as hypothetical, was observed here (Sighting by G. Nicholson, written about by Gale Monson and Allan Phillips in 1981 publication, Annotated Checklist of the Birds of Arizona). The potential for surprises in this mountain range are high, and in addition to species that are more restricted to central and southeastern Arizona are more widespread forest species of western North America like Northern Pygmy-Owl (Rocky Mountain subspecies), Flammulated Owl, Mountain Chickadee, Steller's Jay, and Yellow-rumped Warbler. To combine more of the diversity of forest birds, one will also observe species in the upper elevations of the Pinals that include Band-tailed Pigeon, Mexican Whip-poor-will, Broad-tailed Hummingbird, Zone-tailed Hawk, Acorn and Hairy Woodpeckers, Western Wood-Pewee, Cordilleran Flycatcher, Plumbeous and Warbling Vireos, Bridled Titmouse, all three Nuthatches, Brown Creeper, House Wren, Red Crossbill, Virginia's and Grace's Warblers, and Western and Hepatic Tanagers. Migration makes for high numbers of species during migrations that includes clearings of wildflowers that are filled with hummingbirds, and winter can occasionally bring in suprises like Clark's Nutcracker. In the lower foothills of the Pinals where the primary habitats consist of juniper and chaparral, watch for species like Juniper Titmouse, Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay, Gray Vireo, Bushtit, Rufous-crowned Sparrow, Black-chinned Sparrow, Black-throated Gray Warbler, Scott's Oriole, and high numbers of Fox Sparrow in winter. The riparian habitat along the lengthy Russell Gulch will host a variety of lower elevation birds like Gila and Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, Brown-crested Flycatcher, Vermilion Flycatcher, Cassin's Kingbird, Bell's Vireo, Yellow-breasted Chat, Yellow Warbler, Northern Cardinal, and Blue Grosbeak.
Directions: This area will be divided into two main sections: the Pinal Peak Route, and the Pioneer Pass Route. For directions to this area, drive to the City of Globe and find Russell Road on the west side of the city to access the Pinal Peak Route (just east of the Super Walmart in Globe) or find Hill Street toward the eastern side of the city to access the Pioneer Pass Route (Hill St. is just east of the bridge in town that crosses Pinal Creek), 4.3 miles after heading east past Russell Road.
Pinal Peak Route
-Russell Gulch: Follow Russell Road south of Highway 60 in Globe. Russell Road parallels Russell Gulch for the road's length, and Russell Gulch is a highly productive location for birding where many species will be observed. Stop anywhere to bird to look and listen for riparian species as well as juniper/chaparral species like Gray Vireo and Scott's Oriole. The chaparral habitat further up into Russell Road can have high numbers of Fox Sparrows in winter (Dave Pearson). At 6.3 miles of driving on Russell Road, the dirt road Forest Road 651 branches off and heads up and southward toward the highest elevations of the Pinal Mountains. East and past the Russell Road intersection with FR 651 while staying on Russell Road, Russell Road becomes Kellner Canyon Road.
-Kellner Canyon Picnic Area: Before returning to FR 651 for the rest of the Pinal Peak Route, directions to the Kellner Canyon Picnic Area will be included in this route as well as the Pioneer Pass Route. From the Russell Road and FR 651 intersection, head east on Russell/Kellner Canyon Road for 0.4 miles to a turnoff on the south (right) side of the road. This road is closed to vehicles and permits foot travel, and it goes for a little over a half mile to a riparian woodland in midst of chaparral and juniper habitat which is the Kellner Canyon Picnic Area. It is a good birding location. In the past, a Hooded Warbler was discovered singing here when the riparian habitat had better diversity than it does now (Rich Hoyer).
-FR 651 south: From the Russell Road and FR 651 intersection, FR 651 starts to climb up toward the highest elevation of the Pinal Mountains at Pinal Peak. This forest road, which is in good condition, travels for a total of just over 11 miles where it ends at the peak. The first 4.2 miles goes through chaparral and juniper slopes and enters pine and oak forest. Along this stretch, Russel Gulch continues to parrallel FR 651, even in the upper elevations. In the chaparral and junipers before the pine and oak forest, look and listen for species like Gray Vireo, Black-chinned Sparrow, Fox Sparrow in winter, and Scott's Oriole.
-Sulfide Del Rey Campground: This productive campground and the stretch of FR 651 a mile north of and before the campground are great for birding in midst of pine and oak forest and a sycamore-lined creek. The campground comes into play when driving 5.2 miles south of Russell Road on FR 651. This is one of the best places in the Pinals for birding, and it is a great location to observe species like Greater Pewee, Dusky-capped Flycatcher, Olive Warbler, Hutton's Vireo, Red-faced Warbler, Grace's Warbler, Painted Redstart, and many more.
-Madera Peak Road: At 5.4 miles of driving on FR 651, Madera Peak Road (Forest Road 580), will be on the west (right) side of FR 651. Madera Peak Road has upper chaparral habitats in the first part of the road, but the road goes into a tall pine and oak forest for the higher majority toward the 6,647' Madera Peak. Take this road for several miles and make birding stops along the way, or hike for a longer distance after parking at a pull off.
-FR 651 and upper chaparral: Continuing on FR 651 past it's intersection with Madera Peak Road, for the next two miles FR 651 will travel along upper chaparral habitat on the south-facing slopes of the Pinals. Birds to look for here include Black-chinned Sparrow, Rufous-crowned Sparrow, Gray Vireo, and Scott's Oriole. This road will go back northward and into the heavily forested and northfacing slopes of the Pinal Mountains at roughly 7.4 miles of driving on FR 651 past it's intersection with Russell Road.
-Upper Pinals to Pinal Peak: For the next 3.7 miles, FR 651 enters a thick pine, fir, and aspen forest. Any stop along this stretch will hold good birding opportunities. This section of the Pinal Mountains is truly beautiful. Continue to use mileage points on FR 651 past the Russell Road junction.
At 10.1 miles is a road up to the Signal Peak lookout tower. At 7,812', Signal Peak is barely shorter than Pinal Peak.
At 10.3 miles is a side road veering in a slight southeast direction that goes to the Ferndell Spring Trailhead. Ferndell Spring has several trails to take that are all worth birding. This road will continue past the Ferndell Spring Trailhead and out at a further point (mentioned later) and just south of Upper Pinal Campground. At 10.3 miles on FR 651 is also Pinal Campground, a good place to bird, have a picnic, or make a camping outing out of the birding adventure.
At 11.2 miles a road veers off to the north from FR 651 and heads to Upper Pinal Campground and picnic area. The road that was mentioned for getting to the Ferndell Spring Trailhead comes out at the beginning of this road, just north of FR 651. Continue shortly north from here to the campground. At 11.3 miles, FR 651 goes up to Pinal Peak, which is a good lookout point when searching for raptors like the rare Short-tailed Hawk and taking in the incredible views in every direction of the surrounding area.
Pioneer Pass Route
On the US 60/Ash Street, the Pinal Peak route at Russell Road is 4.3 miles in separation from the Pioneer Pass Route on Hill Street, with Hill St. being east and southeast past Russell Road.
To start on this route, turn on south on Hill Street in Globe from US 60/Ash Street (which is just east of a bridge that goes over Pinal Creek). Take it south for 0.3 mile to Broad Street, take a right on Broad St and then take an immediate left on Jesse Hayes Road (the signs for Pinal Mtn Recreation Area are signed off). Follow Jesse Reyes Road for a mile to it's junction with Icehouse Canyon Road (which becomes Forest Road 112) and Six Shooter Canyon Road (which becomes Forest Road 222). Take the right fork to follow Icehouse Canyon Road/FR 112 for up to nine miles to the Pioneer Pass Recreation Area. Six Shooter Road can be taken too to eventually intersect again with Icehouse Canyon Road
At 1.8 miles FR 112 intersects with Kellner Canyon Road/FR 55. Stay left to continue on FR 112 up toward the Pioneer Pass Recreation Area for another 6-7 miles. Go right on FR 55 past this juction and to the west for 2.4 miles to the road the veers to the south to go to the Kellner Canyon Picnic Area (see more of a description above in Pinal Peak Route), or continue for 2.8 miles to FR 651 on the south side of FR 55. If wanting to go from Pioneer Pass to Pinal Peak in a day (or vice versa), FR 55 serves as a connector road for the FR 651 and FR 112 routes.
The rest of the directions will come from FR 112. In similar ways to FR 651 in the Pinal Peak Route, chaparral and juniper are along FR 112 until pine and oak forest are reached. Anywhere along the road is worth stopping and birding.
At 8.4 miles, FR 112 comes into contact with a Trailhead, and Trail #200 can be hiked. It goes along pine and oak forest and a sycamore-lined stream.
At 9 miles, FR 112 comes into contact with Pioneer Pass Campground. This is in the center of the Pioneer Pass Recreaton Area and is the best place to bird on this route. Look for a high numbers for species of a variety of birds at this point who favor pine and oak forest. The eBird hotspot that is linked is great data for this location.
At 10 miles, FR 112 reaches it's apex at Pioneer Pass. As thick pine and oak forest cover the north-facing slope, going further south on FR 112 past this point on the south-facing slopes of the Pinals the habitat becomes chaparral. Going south of Pioneer Pass also results in FR 112 being a rougher dirt road, where it is a nice dirt road north of Pioneer Pass. At this point, there is also hiking for Trail #196. This trail heads west and up to Pinal Peak through pine and oak forest, and upper chaparral.
I'd like to thank Dave Pearson, Jim Kopitzke, Gordon Karre, and Caleb Strand for assisting me on some of my trips to this mountain range and helping me learn about the range much more quickly than I would have if I had explored it on my own. I owe the biggest thanks to Dave, who has dedicated a lot of his birding time in the Pinals and it is a location that he has an incredible amount of knowledge on.
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Friday, March 6, 2020
Gila County Ord to Payson Highway 87
Highway 87 (from Mount Ord to south of Payson)
The area:
Birds:
Directions: This birding area has scattered locations and junctions to where directions can be described from several locations. It is the closest Gila County birding area to Phoenix. In Arizona's birding history, a common reference point for going north up Highway 87 distance wise is where Shea Boulevard meets Highway 87 just outside of Fountain Hills. Traveling to Payson north on Highway 87 past Shea Blvd is 61.5 miles. Mt Ord's turnoff for example, the southermost direction point in this area, is 33.7 miles north of Shea on Highway 87, and 27 miles south of Payson. The second intersection that will be used for a direction point in accordance to the birding locations described below is the intersection of Highway 87 and Highway 188, which is 45.4 miles north of Shea Boulevard and 15.4 miles south of Payson. All of these birding locations will come in between where Mt. Ord crosses from Maricopa County into Gila County, and continuing north toward Payson.
Birding Locations
-Mount Ord: The turnoff to Mt. Ord is just north of mile marker 222 on the east side Highway 87/Beeline Highway; 33.7 miles north of the Shea Blvd/Highway 87 junction in Fountain Hills and 27 miles south of Payson. After the turn, the road turns to dirt and is Forest Road 626. FR 626 climbs for six miles to it's ending point toward the summit of the 7,128' Mt. Ord. Despite a few storter rougher stretches, the road is in decent shape and most vehicles can handle it. The habitat one can bird along FR 626 up to Mt. Ord consists of chaparral, juniper woodland, and pine and oak forest. FR 626 and Mt. Ord are in Maricopa and Gila Counties, with the higher majority of the area being in Gila County. The first three miles of the road go through chaparral and juniper before the pine and oak forests are reached at elevations of 6000' and higher. While the county line is close to the road, most of the time Gila is to the north of FR 626 and Maricopa is to the south. Look for Gray Vireo, Cassin's Kingbird, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay, Juniper Titmouse, Bushtit, Black-chinned and Rufous-crowned Sparrows, and Scott's Oriole among others in these foothills below Mt. Ord. At three miles, FR 626 reaches it's first stand of tall pines, and FR 1688 heads south into Maricopa County. Continue past 1688 for a short distance to return to and stay in Gila County for the next three miles of FR 626 as it travels higher into pine and oak forest. Near the summit of Mt. Ord, the county lines come close to each other again. There is a gate that blocks public travel from driving up to the summit of Mt. Ord, and authorized vehicles are only permitted to do so. If climbing up to the summit, the only part of the road that is in Maricopa County is the last half-mile to the summit. The very western tip of the western slope of the mountan is also in Maricopa County, and is on steep and un-level ground. Birds to look for in the pine and oak forest at Mt. Ord in spring and summer include Northern Pygmy-Owl, Acorn and Hairy Woodpeckers, Western Wood-Pewee, Plumbeous Vireo, Violet-green Swallow, White-breasted Nuthatch, Western Bluebird, Olive Warbler, Grace's Warbler, Painted Redstart, and Hepatic and Western Tanagers. Fall and winter may bring birds to Mt. Ord such as Lewis's Woodpecker, Red Crossbill, Mountain Chickadee, Evening Grosbeak and Cassin's Finch.
-Slate Creek Divide Area: For directions to this area, use the directions to Mt. Ord as a starter. Instead of turning on Mt. Ord's FR 626 on Highway 87, turn west adjacent to the Mt. Ord turnoff and onto the Sycamore Creek turnoff. Head west on this paved road for a mile and look for Forest Road 201 on the north side of the road. Take this dirt road, for which a high clearance vehicle is needed, for up to 9.7 miles to the Mount Peeley Trailhead, which is part of the Arizona Trail. In similar ways to Mount Ord, this area is in both Gila and Maricopa Counties. For most of the drive up FR 201, the county line goes along the road, and Maricopa is typically on the western side of the road, and Gila is on the right. Chaparral and juniper woodland fill this area until pine and oak forests are reached. Once the higher elevations are reached that have a mix of Douglas fir, pine, and oak, FR 201 extends north into Gila County, although Maricopa is close by and shortly to the south. With the lusher forest and the addition of the dominant tree here in these highest elevations being Douglas fir, it gives the Slate Creek Divide area more diversity than Mt. Ord. This is a location in the Mazatzal Mountains where one can find breeding habitat for species like Brown Creeper and Red-breasted Nuthatch. Before a devastating fire hit this area in the past, Red-faced Warbler used to breed here in good numbers, and it would be good to keep an eye out for them to return as a breeder in future years. Owling can be very good during spring and summer in these upper elevations at Slate Creek Divide.
-Highway 188 Rest Area: This rest area is gated off and has closed facilities, but it has taller trees than the surrounding area that is dominated by desert scrub and juniper. It may be a good place to check during migration. It is located on the east side of the intersecton of Highway 87 and Highway 188, barely on Highway 188. Going shortly further east on Highway 188 will access more close by birding areas that are described on this guide.
-Deer Creek Trailhead: This trailhead is located directly across from the junction of Highway 87 and Highway 188, and it is on the west side of Highway 87, 15.4 miles south of Payson. While this trail goes for miles and even up into the pine and fir habitat of Slate Creek Divide, most of the area near the trailhead and first miles of the trail consists of habitat being made up of upper desert scrub, chaparral, juniper, and some smaller sections of sycamore and cottonwood habitat along Deer Creek. During various times of the year, look for species like Gambel's Quail, Golden Eagle, Gila and Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, Bell's Vireo, Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay, Bridled and Juniper Titmouse, Bushtit, Crissal and Sage Thrashers, Townsend's Solitaire, Black-chinned Sparrow, Rufous-crowned Sparrow, Canyon Towhee, Scott's Oriole, and Lucy's Warbler.
-Un-named Road to APS Power Sub Station: On the east side of Highway 88, 14.3 miles south of Payson and just one mile north of Highway 188's junction with Highway 87, is an un-named dirt road that travels for about 2.5 miles east to an APS Power Sub Station. There are turns to this road from either direction of travel on Highway 87. The road travels along desert scrub, semi-arid desert grassland, and juniper. This area is worth a birding stop, and the grassy areas are worth checking for sparrows. Cassin's Sparrow has been found here before during northward breeding seasons for the species (Felipe Guerrero).
-Tonto Creek at Gisela: One of Gila County's best riparian areas is found along the stretch of Tonto Creek that is near Gisela. The turnoff to the unincorporated community of Gisela is on the east side of Highway 87 and is 11.6 miles south of Payson and is 3.8 miles north of Highway 87's junction with Highway 188. Take Gisela Road to the east for 4.3 miles until there is a turnoff on the south side of Gisela Road, which is a right turn onto a road called Tonto Creek Shores. Follow this road for a little over a mile and find a place to park after it turns to dirt. Tonto Creek is to the immediate east of here. Walk to the creek or follow this road to the south where it ends up at the creek. From where the southern part of the road meets the creek, Tonto Creek has amazing riparian habitat that continues south. Most of the time, the creek has crossings where water levels are more than ankle high. For the intrepid, bring an old pair of shoes that have little importance or rubber boots and explore the creek to the south. The creek and it's riparian woodlands can still be explored to the north adjacent to where Tonto Creek Shores Road turns into a dirt road, south of the Gisela neighborhoods. If going north any further more adjacent to neighborhoods, watch closely for private property. The habitat here has a variety that consists of cottonwood and willow riparian along the creek, a few open sections of the creek that are pondlike and have a surrounding cattail marsh, mesquite and hackberry stands nearby, desert scrub, and nearby chaparral and juniper slopes. Look for Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Indigo Bunting, Summer Tanager, Yellow Warbler, Elf Owl, and many more during spring and summer breeding season. Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet, being considerably north from it's expected range, has been a possible breeder here. In the migration periods and winter, this stretch of Tonto Creek has attracted rarities that have included Tennessee Warbler, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Black-and-white Warbler, a lowland Olive Warbler, Eastern Phoebe, Winter Wren, White-throated Sparrow, and American Dipper.
Back to Gila County Birding Areas
The area:
Birds:
Directions: This birding area has scattered locations and junctions to where directions can be described from several locations. It is the closest Gila County birding area to Phoenix. In Arizona's birding history, a common reference point for going north up Highway 87 distance wise is where Shea Boulevard meets Highway 87 just outside of Fountain Hills. Traveling to Payson north on Highway 87 past Shea Blvd is 61.5 miles. Mt Ord's turnoff for example, the southermost direction point in this area, is 33.7 miles north of Shea on Highway 87, and 27 miles south of Payson. The second intersection that will be used for a direction point in accordance to the birding locations described below is the intersection of Highway 87 and Highway 188, which is 45.4 miles north of Shea Boulevard and 15.4 miles south of Payson. All of these birding locations will come in between where Mt. Ord crosses from Maricopa County into Gila County, and continuing north toward Payson.
Birding Locations
-Mount Ord: The turnoff to Mt. Ord is just north of mile marker 222 on the east side Highway 87/Beeline Highway; 33.7 miles north of the Shea Blvd/Highway 87 junction in Fountain Hills and 27 miles south of Payson. After the turn, the road turns to dirt and is Forest Road 626. FR 626 climbs for six miles to it's ending point toward the summit of the 7,128' Mt. Ord. Despite a few storter rougher stretches, the road is in decent shape and most vehicles can handle it. The habitat one can bird along FR 626 up to Mt. Ord consists of chaparral, juniper woodland, and pine and oak forest. FR 626 and Mt. Ord are in Maricopa and Gila Counties, with the higher majority of the area being in Gila County. The first three miles of the road go through chaparral and juniper before the pine and oak forests are reached at elevations of 6000' and higher. While the county line is close to the road, most of the time Gila is to the north of FR 626 and Maricopa is to the south. Look for Gray Vireo, Cassin's Kingbird, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay, Juniper Titmouse, Bushtit, Black-chinned and Rufous-crowned Sparrows, and Scott's Oriole among others in these foothills below Mt. Ord. At three miles, FR 626 reaches it's first stand of tall pines, and FR 1688 heads south into Maricopa County. Continue past 1688 for a short distance to return to and stay in Gila County for the next three miles of FR 626 as it travels higher into pine and oak forest. Near the summit of Mt. Ord, the county lines come close to each other again. There is a gate that blocks public travel from driving up to the summit of Mt. Ord, and authorized vehicles are only permitted to do so. If climbing up to the summit, the only part of the road that is in Maricopa County is the last half-mile to the summit. The very western tip of the western slope of the mountan is also in Maricopa County, and is on steep and un-level ground. Birds to look for in the pine and oak forest at Mt. Ord in spring and summer include Northern Pygmy-Owl, Acorn and Hairy Woodpeckers, Western Wood-Pewee, Plumbeous Vireo, Violet-green Swallow, White-breasted Nuthatch, Western Bluebird, Olive Warbler, Grace's Warbler, Painted Redstart, and Hepatic and Western Tanagers. Fall and winter may bring birds to Mt. Ord such as Lewis's Woodpecker, Red Crossbill, Mountain Chickadee, Evening Grosbeak and Cassin's Finch.
-Slate Creek Divide Area: For directions to this area, use the directions to Mt. Ord as a starter. Instead of turning on Mt. Ord's FR 626 on Highway 87, turn west adjacent to the Mt. Ord turnoff and onto the Sycamore Creek turnoff. Head west on this paved road for a mile and look for Forest Road 201 on the north side of the road. Take this dirt road, for which a high clearance vehicle is needed, for up to 9.7 miles to the Mount Peeley Trailhead, which is part of the Arizona Trail. In similar ways to Mount Ord, this area is in both Gila and Maricopa Counties. For most of the drive up FR 201, the county line goes along the road, and Maricopa is typically on the western side of the road, and Gila is on the right. Chaparral and juniper woodland fill this area until pine and oak forests are reached. Once the higher elevations are reached that have a mix of Douglas fir, pine, and oak, FR 201 extends north into Gila County, although Maricopa is close by and shortly to the south. With the lusher forest and the addition of the dominant tree here in these highest elevations being Douglas fir, it gives the Slate Creek Divide area more diversity than Mt. Ord. This is a location in the Mazatzal Mountains where one can find breeding habitat for species like Brown Creeper and Red-breasted Nuthatch. Before a devastating fire hit this area in the past, Red-faced Warbler used to breed here in good numbers, and it would be good to keep an eye out for them to return as a breeder in future years. Owling can be very good during spring and summer in these upper elevations at Slate Creek Divide.
-Highway 188 Rest Area: This rest area is gated off and has closed facilities, but it has taller trees than the surrounding area that is dominated by desert scrub and juniper. It may be a good place to check during migration. It is located on the east side of the intersecton of Highway 87 and Highway 188, barely on Highway 188. Going shortly further east on Highway 188 will access more close by birding areas that are described on this guide.
-Deer Creek Trailhead: This trailhead is located directly across from the junction of Highway 87 and Highway 188, and it is on the west side of Highway 87, 15.4 miles south of Payson. While this trail goes for miles and even up into the pine and fir habitat of Slate Creek Divide, most of the area near the trailhead and first miles of the trail consists of habitat being made up of upper desert scrub, chaparral, juniper, and some smaller sections of sycamore and cottonwood habitat along Deer Creek. During various times of the year, look for species like Gambel's Quail, Golden Eagle, Gila and Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, Bell's Vireo, Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay, Bridled and Juniper Titmouse, Bushtit, Crissal and Sage Thrashers, Townsend's Solitaire, Black-chinned Sparrow, Rufous-crowned Sparrow, Canyon Towhee, Scott's Oriole, and Lucy's Warbler.
-Un-named Road to APS Power Sub Station: On the east side of Highway 88, 14.3 miles south of Payson and just one mile north of Highway 188's junction with Highway 87, is an un-named dirt road that travels for about 2.5 miles east to an APS Power Sub Station. There are turns to this road from either direction of travel on Highway 87. The road travels along desert scrub, semi-arid desert grassland, and juniper. This area is worth a birding stop, and the grassy areas are worth checking for sparrows. Cassin's Sparrow has been found here before during northward breeding seasons for the species (Felipe Guerrero).
-Tonto Creek at Gisela: One of Gila County's best riparian areas is found along the stretch of Tonto Creek that is near Gisela. The turnoff to the unincorporated community of Gisela is on the east side of Highway 87 and is 11.6 miles south of Payson and is 3.8 miles north of Highway 87's junction with Highway 188. Take Gisela Road to the east for 4.3 miles until there is a turnoff on the south side of Gisela Road, which is a right turn onto a road called Tonto Creek Shores. Follow this road for a little over a mile and find a place to park after it turns to dirt. Tonto Creek is to the immediate east of here. Walk to the creek or follow this road to the south where it ends up at the creek. From where the southern part of the road meets the creek, Tonto Creek has amazing riparian habitat that continues south. Most of the time, the creek has crossings where water levels are more than ankle high. For the intrepid, bring an old pair of shoes that have little importance or rubber boots and explore the creek to the south. The creek and it's riparian woodlands can still be explored to the north adjacent to where Tonto Creek Shores Road turns into a dirt road, south of the Gisela neighborhoods. If going north any further more adjacent to neighborhoods, watch closely for private property. The habitat here has a variety that consists of cottonwood and willow riparian along the creek, a few open sections of the creek that are pondlike and have a surrounding cattail marsh, mesquite and hackberry stands nearby, desert scrub, and nearby chaparral and juniper slopes. Look for Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Indigo Bunting, Summer Tanager, Yellow Warbler, Elf Owl, and many more during spring and summer breeding season. Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet, being considerably north from it's expected range, has been a possible breeder here. In the migration periods and winter, this stretch of Tonto Creek has attracted rarities that have included Tennessee Warbler, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Black-and-white Warbler, a lowland Olive Warbler, Eastern Phoebe, Winter Wren, White-throated Sparrow, and American Dipper.
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Thursday, March 5, 2020
Gila County: Canyon Creek to Young Area
Canyon Creek to Young Area
A variety of different habitats are found in this area which make this a fun section of Gila County to go birding in. Just below the Mogollon Rim are dense coniferous and oak forests, open meadows, forested canyon drainages, the smooth flowing waters of Canyon Creek, and rolling ridges that were once burned by fire that have regrowing vegetation among them. Coniferous and oak forest dominate the landscape enroute to Young, but when the Young area is reached, habitats of grassland and open pinyon-pine and juniper are added to the habitat variety. Although Young is full of private property, birding along the road or birding in grassland habitat in the near outskirts of Young have potential rewards. Although the locations that will be described below give birders a lot of ground to bird, there are still many locations to explore along this route and shortly south of Young.
Birds to look for in this area among a big variety include Wild Turkey, Montezuma Quail, Northern Goshawk, Cooper's Hawk, Common Black-Hawk, Northern Pgymy, Flammulated, Northern Saw-whet, and Spotted Owls; Mexican Whip-poor-will, Common Poorwill, Broad-tailed and Rufous Hummingbirds (migration for Rufous), Purple Martin, Violet-green Swallow, Cassin's Kingbird, Greater Pewee, Hutton's and Plumbeous Vireos, Steller's, Woodhouse's Scrub, and Mexican Jays; Olive Warbler, Red-faced, Black-throated Gray, Grace's, and Virginia's Warblers, Painted Redstart, and Western and Hepatic Tanagers. The grassland areas near Young are worth exploring in late fall and winter for grassland species like Longspurs, Sprague's Pipit, and Rough-legged Hawk.
Directions: The base point for directions to this birding area will be from the Highway 260 and Forest Road 512 (also known as Globe/Young Highway and Highway 288) junction, where the well-maintained Forest Road 512 will travel south from the junction to access the birding areas that will be described. To get to the junction of Highway 260 and FR 512, head east from Payson on Highway 260 for 32 miles. Highway 260 will go into Coconino County above the Mogollon Rim for a few miles, and the first three miles of FR 512 south of Highway 260 are within Coconino County as well.
Upper Canyon Creek Area
Upper Canyon Creek is a beautiful area that sits just below the Mogollon Rim, and is in the very northeastern part of Gila County. Not only is Canyon Creek a fun place to bird and explore, but there are many other birding locations close to Canyon Creek. What is neat about this area is that it can be driven roughly in a loop. Driving wise, this "loop" can be completed by taking Forest Road 512 south from Highway 260. After 3.2 miles of driving south of Highway 260 on FR 512, Forest Road 33 is on the east (left) side of 512. This will start the northern and western boundary of the loop, with FR 33 being the northern road in the loop and FR 512 being the westernmost boundary. Continue south on FR 512 for another three miles, and at 6.2 miles south of Highway 260, FR 512 will come into contact with Forest Road 188 on the east (left) side of 512. At this point, FR 188 then becomes the southern boundary of the loop. FR 188 travels for 5.3 miles and extends to the northeast where the road dead ends at private property at Canyon Creek's O.W. Bridge. Tracing back to FR 188's earlier route, it comes into contact with Forest Road 534 after 2.9 miles of driving after turning off of FR 512. At this point, FR 534 can be taken north for 2.2 miles to FR 33. At the FR 534/FR 33 intersection, take FR 33 for 2.4 miles to the northeast to where the road dead ends. From here, drive FR 33 back in the southwestern direction towards FR 534 but stay straight on FR 33 for it's entire length of 5.4 miles back to FR 512 to complete the "loop". The forest roads on this drive are dirt roads, but they are in good condition for most vehicles. This route is similar to a loop, but the eastern ends of FR 188 and FR 33 branch out as two eastern boundaries and really leave the a completed loop at the hands of FR 534. If following the exact route described, the driving total would be about 24 miles beginning with the start of FR 512 from Highway 260. For the descriptions of the birding locations, they will follow this route but will include additional driving directions for some of the locations.
-Forest Road 188: Turn onto FR 188 from FR 512, 6.2 miles south of Highway 260. You will start heading in the northeastern direction. After 0.2 miles stay straight on FR 188 as it intersects with the southeastern bound FR 738. After a mile of driving on FR 188, the road parallels a canyon that harbors thick stands of pine, fir, and oak on the south side of the road. The north side has brushier habitat, and parking and getting out of the car to bird along the road while walking further east will result in a solid diversity of birds. Greater Pewee, Purple Martin, and Red-faced Warbler are among the birds that are usually present at this location in spring and summer. After two miles of driving, look for Valentine Ridge Campground (eBird hotspot) on the east (right) side of FR 188. This is a nice campground to camp at, as it is in midst of tall ponderosa pines along a ridge of brushy habitat that overlooks the valley that harbors Canyon Creek to the north. Montezuma Quail have been detected in this area, and Northern Pygmy-Owl has been heard in the campground. Owling in the area at night in spring and summer may be productive on FR 188 in the mile before Valentine Ridge Campground and to the northwest direction below the campground in Valentine Canyon. Northern Saw-whet, Flammulated, Long-eared, and Spotted Owls have been dectected nearby. At 2.9 miles on FR 188, it interesects with FR 534 as stated in the directions above. Stay on FR 188 and continue right toward Canyon Creek. At 3.9 miles on FR 188, the road comes into contact and is paralleled closely by the beautiful Canyon Creek on the east for the next 1.4 miles until it dead ends at the private property gate at 5.3 miles total of driving on FR 188. This ending is by the O.W. Bridge, which is an eBird hotspot. Along the 1.5 mile stretch of Canyon Creek that FR 188 comes close to, there are open stands of pine and oak, grassy meadows and clearings, and impressive riparian habitat lining Canyon Creek that is highly made up of cottonwood trees.
-FR 534: Forest Road 534 serves as a connector between FR 188 and FR 33. It runs for 2.2 miles, and can be taken straight onto FR 188 for an additional 2.4 miles to equal out 4.6 miles of driving to the O.W. Bridge of Canyon Creek if going from FR 33 and not wanting to cover the southern half of FR 188. FR 534 has plenty of places to pull off and bird. During it's 2.2 mile length, a lot of the habitat is regrowth from a fire that passed through the area. Spotted Towhee is abundant. There are scattered stands of pine and oak along this road.
-FR 33: This road is 5.4 miles in length. It travels through an area that once burned for most of it's first and western-most 3 miles. At three miles of driving on FR 33 past FR 512, the road comes into an intersection with FR 534 and it becomes heavily forested for it's remaining 2.4 miles past FR 534 (which 534 is of course the access point to bird this whole area in a loop). Most of the birding locations that will be mentioned along this road will be east of FR 534. The only one west of FR 534 is Colcord Ridge Campground, which is barely east of FR 512 at the beginning of FR 33. This campground sits in midst of tall pine and fir forest and has good potential for a variety of forest birds. The remaining birding locations that will be described will be mileage from FR 512 if starting from the beginning of FR 33 without doing the loop. At 4.6 miles on FR 33, Airplane Flats Campground can be accessed. This is a peaceful spot to bird in, and it sits in midst of a tall stand of ponderosa pine. At 5 miles FR 33 crosses Canyon Creek. There is a fine mix of both coniferious and deciduous trees along the creek, giving the location good potential for avian diversity. Shortly north of this crossing is the popular Canyon Creek Fish Hatchery (eBird hotspot). There are trails near the creek crossing on the west side of FR 33 that follow the creek up toward the fish hatchery. At 5.2 miles, Upper Canyon Creek Campground is accessed. It's a small and pleasant campground that sits in midst of pine and oak forest and is worth birding. FR 33's eastern access ends at a closed gate at 5.4 miles, where only foot travel is permitted further along the path.
East Colcord Road to Young
-East Colcord Road/FR 291: From Highway 260, drive 3.2 miles south on FR 512 on turn to the west (right) onto Colcord Road/FR 291. It is directly across the street from FR 33 of the Canyon Creek Area. This is the eastern side of Colcord Road, and the eastern two to three miles have excellent birding, especially within the 1 to 1.5 miles. There are thick stands of pine and fir with some oak in the mix that make for what appears to be a very healthy forest. Look for a variety of forest birds. At 0.7 miles of heading west on Colcord Road from FR 512, look for a smaller road heading south. This is FR 291-G, and it travels through the thick forest for about a half mile before going along powerline cut openings. The side road is productive for the short distance up until the powerline cuts, but walking up Colcord for about 1 to 1.5 miles west of FR 291G will be productive for forest species. Colcord Road runs to the west for another twelve miles where it comes back out at Highway 260 several miles west of below the Mogollon Rim. Colcord Road has been split in half on this guide between this area and another area. To read more about the western half of Colcord Road, go to the previous area in Birding in Gila County-the Highway 260 Area (East of Payson to Mogollon Rim).
-Forest Road 200 (also known as Chamberlain Trail): FR 200 will be accessed off of FR 512 at 21.3 miles south of Highway 260. This road runs for 16 miles in the northwestern direction from it's intersection with FR 512. The southern eight miles of FR 200 will be covered here, while the northern eight miles are covered in the Highway 260 Area (East of Payson to Mogollon Rim). In this southern stretch of FR 200, there will be limited stands of taller pine and oak, and there will be more juniper and pinyon pine habitat, as well as a share of open grassland habitat. Drive on FR 200 past FR 512 for 1.7 miles. The road goes along some limited, but decent grassland habitat, including the Pleasant Valley Airstrip at 1.7 miles, which is a right turn to the east. Although the habitat is limited, it is worth checking for grassland birds. Chestnut-collared Longspur has been found here before. Take FR 512 for up to 4.9 miles, and on the west (left) side of the road there will be a turnoff for FR 935. Follow FR 935 with a high clearance vehicle for up to 3 miles from FR 200. The route access some grassland habitats in midst of pinyon-pine and juniper woodland. While there are cattle-grazed sections of the grasslands, some sections have good habitat worth checking or grassland species like Longspurs and Sprague's Pipit. At 7.1 miles of driving on FR 200 past FR 512 the tiny community of Haigler Creek is accessed. The nearby Alderwood Campground (eBird hotspot) is situated right by the community in a riparian and juniper woodland along Haigler Creek and has a small grassland nearby.
-Young: At about 26 miles of driving on FR 512 south of Highway 260, the road reaches the census-designated place of Young. Young is a small community that sits at an elevation of roughly 5,100'. This place has excellent habitat for grassland birds like Longspurs, Sprague's Pipit, and Short-eared Owl, but has horrible birding for birders because nearly all of the Young limits are on private property. Young and it's grasslands are surrounded by pinyon-juniper woodland. If passing through Young during the months of November through February, it doesn't hurt to keep an eye out for species like Rough-legged Hawk, Northern Shrike, or Short-eared Owl in early morning or evening. At 26.5 miles of driving on FR 512, Young has a 90 degree turn to the south to continue driving on FR 512. Go past this point to the west on Baker Ranch Road. Some of the roads going south of Baker Ranch Road, such as Zachariae Ranch Road, may be worth walking along during morning during winter months. Although the grassland habitat can't be accessed, longspurs and others do give flight calls that could be heard during the morning when they are more likely to be flying around. For another roadside birding spot, go back to the 26.5 mile spot where FR 512 takes the 90 degree turn in the southern direction. At 27.7 miles south of Highway 260 on FR 512, look on the east side of the road where there is a pond surrounded by trees. This can be a good birding spot at times where waterbirds or migrants may show up.
-Forest Road 130: This road starts at the very west side of Young. For directions, refer to the directions to getting to Young at the point where FR 512 takes a 90 degree angle. Stay straight on continue onto Baker Ranch Road instead of making the turn further south onto FR 512. Take Baker Ranch for 1.7 miles to the west, and FR 130 will be on the south side of Baker Ranch. Take 130 through one more small stretch of the Young community until it enters a woodland composed of oak and juniper habitat. Follow FR 130 for 3.1 miles and park. To the south is a rather small but seemingly productive grassland area to the south. During the late fall and winter months, this grass would be a good place to check for grassland species. One November expedition resulted in several each of Chestnut-collared Longspur and Grasshopper Sparrow, and also what was likely a remarkable-for-Gila County Baird's Sparrow.
Concluding, this birding area will be a work in progress for quite some time. It has many other locations that have yet to be explored. When they get explored, they will be added to this area.
A variety of different habitats are found in this area which make this a fun section of Gila County to go birding in. Just below the Mogollon Rim are dense coniferous and oak forests, open meadows, forested canyon drainages, the smooth flowing waters of Canyon Creek, and rolling ridges that were once burned by fire that have regrowing vegetation among them. Coniferous and oak forest dominate the landscape enroute to Young, but when the Young area is reached, habitats of grassland and open pinyon-pine and juniper are added to the habitat variety. Although Young is full of private property, birding along the road or birding in grassland habitat in the near outskirts of Young have potential rewards. Although the locations that will be described below give birders a lot of ground to bird, there are still many locations to explore along this route and shortly south of Young.
Birds to look for in this area among a big variety include Wild Turkey, Montezuma Quail, Northern Goshawk, Cooper's Hawk, Common Black-Hawk, Northern Pgymy, Flammulated, Northern Saw-whet, and Spotted Owls; Mexican Whip-poor-will, Common Poorwill, Broad-tailed and Rufous Hummingbirds (migration for Rufous), Purple Martin, Violet-green Swallow, Cassin's Kingbird, Greater Pewee, Hutton's and Plumbeous Vireos, Steller's, Woodhouse's Scrub, and Mexican Jays; Olive Warbler, Red-faced, Black-throated Gray, Grace's, and Virginia's Warblers, Painted Redstart, and Western and Hepatic Tanagers. The grassland areas near Young are worth exploring in late fall and winter for grassland species like Longspurs, Sprague's Pipit, and Rough-legged Hawk.
Directions: The base point for directions to this birding area will be from the Highway 260 and Forest Road 512 (also known as Globe/Young Highway and Highway 288) junction, where the well-maintained Forest Road 512 will travel south from the junction to access the birding areas that will be described. To get to the junction of Highway 260 and FR 512, head east from Payson on Highway 260 for 32 miles. Highway 260 will go into Coconino County above the Mogollon Rim for a few miles, and the first three miles of FR 512 south of Highway 260 are within Coconino County as well.
Upper Canyon Creek Area
Upper Canyon Creek is a beautiful area that sits just below the Mogollon Rim, and is in the very northeastern part of Gila County. Not only is Canyon Creek a fun place to bird and explore, but there are many other birding locations close to Canyon Creek. What is neat about this area is that it can be driven roughly in a loop. Driving wise, this "loop" can be completed by taking Forest Road 512 south from Highway 260. After 3.2 miles of driving south of Highway 260 on FR 512, Forest Road 33 is on the east (left) side of 512. This will start the northern and western boundary of the loop, with FR 33 being the northern road in the loop and FR 512 being the westernmost boundary. Continue south on FR 512 for another three miles, and at 6.2 miles south of Highway 260, FR 512 will come into contact with Forest Road 188 on the east (left) side of 512. At this point, FR 188 then becomes the southern boundary of the loop. FR 188 travels for 5.3 miles and extends to the northeast where the road dead ends at private property at Canyon Creek's O.W. Bridge. Tracing back to FR 188's earlier route, it comes into contact with Forest Road 534 after 2.9 miles of driving after turning off of FR 512. At this point, FR 534 can be taken north for 2.2 miles to FR 33. At the FR 534/FR 33 intersection, take FR 33 for 2.4 miles to the northeast to where the road dead ends. From here, drive FR 33 back in the southwestern direction towards FR 534 but stay straight on FR 33 for it's entire length of 5.4 miles back to FR 512 to complete the "loop". The forest roads on this drive are dirt roads, but they are in good condition for most vehicles. This route is similar to a loop, but the eastern ends of FR 188 and FR 33 branch out as two eastern boundaries and really leave the a completed loop at the hands of FR 534. If following the exact route described, the driving total would be about 24 miles beginning with the start of FR 512 from Highway 260. For the descriptions of the birding locations, they will follow this route but will include additional driving directions for some of the locations.
-Forest Road 188: Turn onto FR 188 from FR 512, 6.2 miles south of Highway 260. You will start heading in the northeastern direction. After 0.2 miles stay straight on FR 188 as it intersects with the southeastern bound FR 738. After a mile of driving on FR 188, the road parallels a canyon that harbors thick stands of pine, fir, and oak on the south side of the road. The north side has brushier habitat, and parking and getting out of the car to bird along the road while walking further east will result in a solid diversity of birds. Greater Pewee, Purple Martin, and Red-faced Warbler are among the birds that are usually present at this location in spring and summer. After two miles of driving, look for Valentine Ridge Campground (eBird hotspot) on the east (right) side of FR 188. This is a nice campground to camp at, as it is in midst of tall ponderosa pines along a ridge of brushy habitat that overlooks the valley that harbors Canyon Creek to the north. Montezuma Quail have been detected in this area, and Northern Pygmy-Owl has been heard in the campground. Owling in the area at night in spring and summer may be productive on FR 188 in the mile before Valentine Ridge Campground and to the northwest direction below the campground in Valentine Canyon. Northern Saw-whet, Flammulated, Long-eared, and Spotted Owls have been dectected nearby. At 2.9 miles on FR 188, it interesects with FR 534 as stated in the directions above. Stay on FR 188 and continue right toward Canyon Creek. At 3.9 miles on FR 188, the road comes into contact and is paralleled closely by the beautiful Canyon Creek on the east for the next 1.4 miles until it dead ends at the private property gate at 5.3 miles total of driving on FR 188. This ending is by the O.W. Bridge, which is an eBird hotspot. Along the 1.5 mile stretch of Canyon Creek that FR 188 comes close to, there are open stands of pine and oak, grassy meadows and clearings, and impressive riparian habitat lining Canyon Creek that is highly made up of cottonwood trees.
-FR 534: Forest Road 534 serves as a connector between FR 188 and FR 33. It runs for 2.2 miles, and can be taken straight onto FR 188 for an additional 2.4 miles to equal out 4.6 miles of driving to the O.W. Bridge of Canyon Creek if going from FR 33 and not wanting to cover the southern half of FR 188. FR 534 has plenty of places to pull off and bird. During it's 2.2 mile length, a lot of the habitat is regrowth from a fire that passed through the area. Spotted Towhee is abundant. There are scattered stands of pine and oak along this road.
-FR 33: This road is 5.4 miles in length. It travels through an area that once burned for most of it's first and western-most 3 miles. At three miles of driving on FR 33 past FR 512, the road comes into an intersection with FR 534 and it becomes heavily forested for it's remaining 2.4 miles past FR 534 (which 534 is of course the access point to bird this whole area in a loop). Most of the birding locations that will be mentioned along this road will be east of FR 534. The only one west of FR 534 is Colcord Ridge Campground, which is barely east of FR 512 at the beginning of FR 33. This campground sits in midst of tall pine and fir forest and has good potential for a variety of forest birds. The remaining birding locations that will be described will be mileage from FR 512 if starting from the beginning of FR 33 without doing the loop. At 4.6 miles on FR 33, Airplane Flats Campground can be accessed. This is a peaceful spot to bird in, and it sits in midst of a tall stand of ponderosa pine. At 5 miles FR 33 crosses Canyon Creek. There is a fine mix of both coniferious and deciduous trees along the creek, giving the location good potential for avian diversity. Shortly north of this crossing is the popular Canyon Creek Fish Hatchery (eBird hotspot). There are trails near the creek crossing on the west side of FR 33 that follow the creek up toward the fish hatchery. At 5.2 miles, Upper Canyon Creek Campground is accessed. It's a small and pleasant campground that sits in midst of pine and oak forest and is worth birding. FR 33's eastern access ends at a closed gate at 5.4 miles, where only foot travel is permitted further along the path.
East Colcord Road to Young
-East Colcord Road/FR 291: From Highway 260, drive 3.2 miles south on FR 512 on turn to the west (right) onto Colcord Road/FR 291. It is directly across the street from FR 33 of the Canyon Creek Area. This is the eastern side of Colcord Road, and the eastern two to three miles have excellent birding, especially within the 1 to 1.5 miles. There are thick stands of pine and fir with some oak in the mix that make for what appears to be a very healthy forest. Look for a variety of forest birds. At 0.7 miles of heading west on Colcord Road from FR 512, look for a smaller road heading south. This is FR 291-G, and it travels through the thick forest for about a half mile before going along powerline cut openings. The side road is productive for the short distance up until the powerline cuts, but walking up Colcord for about 1 to 1.5 miles west of FR 291G will be productive for forest species. Colcord Road runs to the west for another twelve miles where it comes back out at Highway 260 several miles west of below the Mogollon Rim. Colcord Road has been split in half on this guide between this area and another area. To read more about the western half of Colcord Road, go to the previous area in Birding in Gila County-the Highway 260 Area (East of Payson to Mogollon Rim).
-Forest Road 200 (also known as Chamberlain Trail): FR 200 will be accessed off of FR 512 at 21.3 miles south of Highway 260. This road runs for 16 miles in the northwestern direction from it's intersection with FR 512. The southern eight miles of FR 200 will be covered here, while the northern eight miles are covered in the Highway 260 Area (East of Payson to Mogollon Rim). In this southern stretch of FR 200, there will be limited stands of taller pine and oak, and there will be more juniper and pinyon pine habitat, as well as a share of open grassland habitat. Drive on FR 200 past FR 512 for 1.7 miles. The road goes along some limited, but decent grassland habitat, including the Pleasant Valley Airstrip at 1.7 miles, which is a right turn to the east. Although the habitat is limited, it is worth checking for grassland birds. Chestnut-collared Longspur has been found here before. Take FR 512 for up to 4.9 miles, and on the west (left) side of the road there will be a turnoff for FR 935. Follow FR 935 with a high clearance vehicle for up to 3 miles from FR 200. The route access some grassland habitats in midst of pinyon-pine and juniper woodland. While there are cattle-grazed sections of the grasslands, some sections have good habitat worth checking or grassland species like Longspurs and Sprague's Pipit. At 7.1 miles of driving on FR 200 past FR 512 the tiny community of Haigler Creek is accessed. The nearby Alderwood Campground (eBird hotspot) is situated right by the community in a riparian and juniper woodland along Haigler Creek and has a small grassland nearby.
-Young: At about 26 miles of driving on FR 512 south of Highway 260, the road reaches the census-designated place of Young. Young is a small community that sits at an elevation of roughly 5,100'. This place has excellent habitat for grassland birds like Longspurs, Sprague's Pipit, and Short-eared Owl, but has horrible birding for birders because nearly all of the Young limits are on private property. Young and it's grasslands are surrounded by pinyon-juniper woodland. If passing through Young during the months of November through February, it doesn't hurt to keep an eye out for species like Rough-legged Hawk, Northern Shrike, or Short-eared Owl in early morning or evening. At 26.5 miles of driving on FR 512, Young has a 90 degree turn to the south to continue driving on FR 512. Go past this point to the west on Baker Ranch Road. Some of the roads going south of Baker Ranch Road, such as Zachariae Ranch Road, may be worth walking along during morning during winter months. Although the grassland habitat can't be accessed, longspurs and others do give flight calls that could be heard during the morning when they are more likely to be flying around. For another roadside birding spot, go back to the 26.5 mile spot where FR 512 takes the 90 degree turn in the southern direction. At 27.7 miles south of Highway 260 on FR 512, look on the east side of the road where there is a pond surrounded by trees. This can be a good birding spot at times where waterbirds or migrants may show up.
-Forest Road 130: This road starts at the very west side of Young. For directions, refer to the directions to getting to Young at the point where FR 512 takes a 90 degree angle. Stay straight on continue onto Baker Ranch Road instead of making the turn further south onto FR 512. Take Baker Ranch for 1.7 miles to the west, and FR 130 will be on the south side of Baker Ranch. Take 130 through one more small stretch of the Young community until it enters a woodland composed of oak and juniper habitat. Follow FR 130 for 3.1 miles and park. To the south is a rather small but seemingly productive grassland area to the south. During the late fall and winter months, this grass would be a good place to check for grassland species. One November expedition resulted in several each of Chestnut-collared Longspur and Grasshopper Sparrow, and also what was likely a remarkable-for-Gila County Baird's Sparrow.
Concluding, this birding area will be a work in progress for quite some time. It has many other locations that have yet to be explored. When they get explored, they will be added to this area.
Gila County: Highway 188-Jakes Corner to Tonto Basin
Highway 188-Jakes Corner to Tonto Basin
The birding locations in this area feature some of the best riparian areas in Gila County at access points along Rye Creek and Tonto Creek. Cottonwood and willow riparian forests line these creeks, and these riparian areas have great potential for finding many birds. Upper Sonoran desert surrounds most of this area, and in some of the higher elevations in the area, such as Rye Creek, there is a mix of Upper Sonoran, chaparral, and juniper woodland.
In this area, breeding birds that can be found within the riparian habitats and their immediate desert surroundings include Gambel's Quail, White-winged and Mourning Doves, Greater Roadrunner, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Black-chinned and Anna's Hummingbirds, Cooper's Hawk, Common Black-Hawk, Great Horned and Western Screech-Owls, Gila and Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, Gilded Flicker, Willow Flycatcher, Black Phoebe, Vermilion Flycatcher, Brown-crested Flycather, Cassin's Kingbird, Bell's Vireo, Verdin, Black-tailed Gnatcatcher, Cactus Wren, Curve-billed and Crissal Thrashers, Phainopepla, Lesser Goldfinch, Black-throated Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Abert's Towhee, Yellow-breasted Chat, Hooded and Bullock's Orioles, Bronzed Cowbird, Lucy's and Yellow Warblers, Common Yellowthroat, Summer Tanager, Northern Cardinal, and Blue Grosbeak. In mixes of upper Sonoran desert, chaparral, and juniper woodland, species one can encounter will include Ash-throated Flycatcher, Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay, Juniper Titmouse, Bewick's Wren, Canyon Towhee, Rufous-crowned Sparrow, and Scott's Oriole. Spring and fall migrations will be a major birding highlight with a lot of diversity throughout this area, and winter will have suprises as well.
Directions: For directions, the base point of this area will be Jakes Corner. Use the mileages from Jakes Corner for travel on Highway 188 whether you are driving north or south on the highway. To get to Jakes Corner from Fountain Hills, at the Shea Boulevard and Highway 87 intersection head north on Highway 87 for 49 miles to Highway 188. Take Highway 188 east for 3.3 miles to Jakes Corner. From Payson, head south on Highway 87 for 15.8 miles to Highway 188, and then head east on Highway 188 for the 3.3 miles to Jakes Corner. Finally, from Globe, start from the south side of Highway 188 and take it north for 57.6 miles to Jakes Corner.
-Jakes Corner: Jakes Corner (see directions above) is a census-designated place that has a bar, gas station and general store, and a trailer park. The trailer park and riparian habitat behind the store have had good birding at times. Rufous-backed Robin has been found before.
-Rye Creek via Forest Road 184: On the north side of Highway 188 and directly across the street from the Jakes Corner bar and general store is FR 184. From here, follow FR 184 north for 3.2 miles just past a steel bridge that goes over a canyon that harbors Rye Creek, and ends at a pull off that turns sharply to the left and south direction. Follow this pull off barely south to access a parking area. From the parking area, the pull off remains as a short road and it goes down toward Rye Creek. Once down at the creek, there are thick stands of cottonwood and willow along the creek for about a mile in both directions. There are also stands of mesquite and hackberry in midst of the riparian forest, as well as an upper sonoran desert setting with a few saguaro cactus, juniper, and chaparral on the surrounding slopes and route on FR 184 toward Rye Creek. Rye Creek has great potential for a variety of birds during migration. To get the most out of the area, bring an old pair of shoes to walk down the creek in places. It is almost impossible to bird the creek accurately without crossing it. The most effective birding route would be to follow the creek to the southeast from the parking lot for about a mile until private property is reached. There is also private property about a mile along Rye Creek to the north of the parking area-be sure to respect the property if birding here. Head further north up FR 184 to access the community of Gisela and it's stretch of riparian habitat along Tonto Creek (this will be in the Highway 87 Area-from Mt. Ord to the southern Payson limit).
-Farm Pond along Highway 188: From Jakes Corner, head east and south for 4.3 miles on Highway 188. On the east (left) side of Highway 188 look for a small pull off. Pull off here and look just to the northeast where there is a farm pond. This pond has times when it is full, half-full, or more-often-than-not, empty. When there is water in the pond, it attracts numbers of waterbirds and it is always worth a check when birding in this area or en route to the Roosevelt Lake area.
-Punkin Center, Greenback Crossing RV Park, and Tonto Creek via Greenback Crossing Road (aka FR 71): From Jakes Corner, take Highway 188 east and south for 10.7 miles. Turn east (left) on the paved road at 10.7 miles that goes toward Punkin Center. This road is labeled as FR 71 on maps, and follow it for a short distance just past the fire station and make sharp right turn. The roads in this small community have a variety of different trees that may attract interesting birds throughout the year. Continuing past the sharp right turn, quickly look for a dense patch of trees on the right (south) side of the road that are worth birding in throughout the year, especially during migration. Just past this point is the Greenback Crossing RV Park. The park has tall trees in midst of it's RV parking lines and it attracts a lot of birds, especially during the winter months and would hold potential for rarer thrushes like Rufous-backed Robin and Eastern Bluebird. Just east of the RV park is a riparian and desert area near Tonto Creek and it is also good for birding. Continuing just east on Greenback Crossing Road past the RV Park, the road crosses Tonto Creek. Park just off the road here or nearby to explore the cottonwood and willow riparian stands of Tonto Creek. The best habitat here is on the south side of Greenback Crossing Road, where one can explore for a considerable distance. From the sharp right turn at the entrance to Punkin Center to the point of where Greenback Crossing Road crosses Tonto Creek, the distance traveled along is only about a half-mile.
-Tonto Creek via Bar X Crossing Road: From Jakes Corner, take Highway 188 east and south for 14.2 miles to Bar X Crossing Road. Head east on Bar X for about a half mile to Tonto Creek, where one can park on either side of the creek. At times of the year, Tonto Creek has flooding and crossing the road is extremely dangerous. If the water level has to be questioned for crossing with a vehicle, DO NOT cross the road. Birding wise, this stretch of Tonto Creek harbors what is one of the very best lowland riparian areas in Gila County. The area is massive and there is a lot of ground to cover and explore. Besides the amount of ground that can be explored here, the stands of willow and cottonwood forest can be hard to access due to piles, stacks, and clumbs of wood. Entering the woodlands and birding them accurately will require a lot of bushwhacking. If bushwhacking is not of any desire, the outskirts of the riparian forest can be very effective too. This area can almost be divided into four quadrants from a birding approach. The western side of the creek on the north side of Bar X Road is one, the western side of the creek on the south side of Bar X Road one is two, the eastern side of the creek on the north side of Bar X Road is three, and the eastern side of the creek on the south side Bar X Road is four. Out of the four, the latter southeast quadrant is on average the most effective. While all times of the year will have high bird numbers in a habitat like this, the migration periods have the highest potential for great bird diversity and discovering a vagrant. Notable birds that have been found here so far have included Black-throated Green Warbler, Broad-billed Hummingbird, American Redstart, Dickcissel, and Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. Gray Hawk can be found sometimes in spring and summer. Habitat surrouding the riparian forests are mesquite woodland and upper Sonoran desert.
-Sleepy Hollow RV Park: From Jakes Corner, take Highway 188 east and south for 14.6 miles (just past Bar X Crossing Road) to Sleepy Hollow Way. Head east on Sleepy Hollow Way for 0.2 miles toward Sleepy Hollow RV Park. Find a place to park on the side of the road and explore the tall mesquite trees and a high variety of planted and native trees within the area of the park. This location harbors great potential for finding unusual birds in migration and winter. Eastern Bluebird has been found here before.
-Tonto Creek via A Cross Road: From Jakes Corner, take Highway 188 east and south for 17.4 miles to A Cross Road. Head east on A Cross Road for a mile, crossing Tonto Creek and park at a parking area just east of the creek, either on the north or south side of A Cross Road. This is another outstanding riparian area and stretch of Tonto Creek, and this location is only a few miles north of Roosevelt Lake. Tonto Creek can be followed in both the north and south directions from A Cross Road. The habitat make up is like it is along Tonto Creek via Bar X Crossing Road, but the riparian woodland here is thinner and more concentrated and is without the bushwhacking majority factor. Migrants will be easier to find here due to the habitat being more confined and not as spread out in every direction. Northern Waterthrush and Dickcissel have been found here before.
The birding locations in this area feature some of the best riparian areas in Gila County at access points along Rye Creek and Tonto Creek. Cottonwood and willow riparian forests line these creeks, and these riparian areas have great potential for finding many birds. Upper Sonoran desert surrounds most of this area, and in some of the higher elevations in the area, such as Rye Creek, there is a mix of Upper Sonoran, chaparral, and juniper woodland.
In this area, breeding birds that can be found within the riparian habitats and their immediate desert surroundings include Gambel's Quail, White-winged and Mourning Doves, Greater Roadrunner, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Black-chinned and Anna's Hummingbirds, Cooper's Hawk, Common Black-Hawk, Great Horned and Western Screech-Owls, Gila and Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, Gilded Flicker, Willow Flycatcher, Black Phoebe, Vermilion Flycatcher, Brown-crested Flycather, Cassin's Kingbird, Bell's Vireo, Verdin, Black-tailed Gnatcatcher, Cactus Wren, Curve-billed and Crissal Thrashers, Phainopepla, Lesser Goldfinch, Black-throated Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Abert's Towhee, Yellow-breasted Chat, Hooded and Bullock's Orioles, Bronzed Cowbird, Lucy's and Yellow Warblers, Common Yellowthroat, Summer Tanager, Northern Cardinal, and Blue Grosbeak. In mixes of upper Sonoran desert, chaparral, and juniper woodland, species one can encounter will include Ash-throated Flycatcher, Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay, Juniper Titmouse, Bewick's Wren, Canyon Towhee, Rufous-crowned Sparrow, and Scott's Oriole. Spring and fall migrations will be a major birding highlight with a lot of diversity throughout this area, and winter will have suprises as well.
Directions: For directions, the base point of this area will be Jakes Corner. Use the mileages from Jakes Corner for travel on Highway 188 whether you are driving north or south on the highway. To get to Jakes Corner from Fountain Hills, at the Shea Boulevard and Highway 87 intersection head north on Highway 87 for 49 miles to Highway 188. Take Highway 188 east for 3.3 miles to Jakes Corner. From Payson, head south on Highway 87 for 15.8 miles to Highway 188, and then head east on Highway 188 for the 3.3 miles to Jakes Corner. Finally, from Globe, start from the south side of Highway 188 and take it north for 57.6 miles to Jakes Corner.
-Jakes Corner: Jakes Corner (see directions above) is a census-designated place that has a bar, gas station and general store, and a trailer park. The trailer park and riparian habitat behind the store have had good birding at times. Rufous-backed Robin has been found before.
-Rye Creek via Forest Road 184: On the north side of Highway 188 and directly across the street from the Jakes Corner bar and general store is FR 184. From here, follow FR 184 north for 3.2 miles just past a steel bridge that goes over a canyon that harbors Rye Creek, and ends at a pull off that turns sharply to the left and south direction. Follow this pull off barely south to access a parking area. From the parking area, the pull off remains as a short road and it goes down toward Rye Creek. Once down at the creek, there are thick stands of cottonwood and willow along the creek for about a mile in both directions. There are also stands of mesquite and hackberry in midst of the riparian forest, as well as an upper sonoran desert setting with a few saguaro cactus, juniper, and chaparral on the surrounding slopes and route on FR 184 toward Rye Creek. Rye Creek has great potential for a variety of birds during migration. To get the most out of the area, bring an old pair of shoes to walk down the creek in places. It is almost impossible to bird the creek accurately without crossing it. The most effective birding route would be to follow the creek to the southeast from the parking lot for about a mile until private property is reached. There is also private property about a mile along Rye Creek to the north of the parking area-be sure to respect the property if birding here. Head further north up FR 184 to access the community of Gisela and it's stretch of riparian habitat along Tonto Creek (this will be in the Highway 87 Area-from Mt. Ord to the southern Payson limit).
-Farm Pond along Highway 188: From Jakes Corner, head east and south for 4.3 miles on Highway 188. On the east (left) side of Highway 188 look for a small pull off. Pull off here and look just to the northeast where there is a farm pond. This pond has times when it is full, half-full, or more-often-than-not, empty. When there is water in the pond, it attracts numbers of waterbirds and it is always worth a check when birding in this area or en route to the Roosevelt Lake area.
-Punkin Center, Greenback Crossing RV Park, and Tonto Creek via Greenback Crossing Road (aka FR 71): From Jakes Corner, take Highway 188 east and south for 10.7 miles. Turn east (left) on the paved road at 10.7 miles that goes toward Punkin Center. This road is labeled as FR 71 on maps, and follow it for a short distance just past the fire station and make sharp right turn. The roads in this small community have a variety of different trees that may attract interesting birds throughout the year. Continuing past the sharp right turn, quickly look for a dense patch of trees on the right (south) side of the road that are worth birding in throughout the year, especially during migration. Just past this point is the Greenback Crossing RV Park. The park has tall trees in midst of it's RV parking lines and it attracts a lot of birds, especially during the winter months and would hold potential for rarer thrushes like Rufous-backed Robin and Eastern Bluebird. Just east of the RV park is a riparian and desert area near Tonto Creek and it is also good for birding. Continuing just east on Greenback Crossing Road past the RV Park, the road crosses Tonto Creek. Park just off the road here or nearby to explore the cottonwood and willow riparian stands of Tonto Creek. The best habitat here is on the south side of Greenback Crossing Road, where one can explore for a considerable distance. From the sharp right turn at the entrance to Punkin Center to the point of where Greenback Crossing Road crosses Tonto Creek, the distance traveled along is only about a half-mile.
-Tonto Creek via Bar X Crossing Road: From Jakes Corner, take Highway 188 east and south for 14.2 miles to Bar X Crossing Road. Head east on Bar X for about a half mile to Tonto Creek, where one can park on either side of the creek. At times of the year, Tonto Creek has flooding and crossing the road is extremely dangerous. If the water level has to be questioned for crossing with a vehicle, DO NOT cross the road. Birding wise, this stretch of Tonto Creek harbors what is one of the very best lowland riparian areas in Gila County. The area is massive and there is a lot of ground to cover and explore. Besides the amount of ground that can be explored here, the stands of willow and cottonwood forest can be hard to access due to piles, stacks, and clumbs of wood. Entering the woodlands and birding them accurately will require a lot of bushwhacking. If bushwhacking is not of any desire, the outskirts of the riparian forest can be very effective too. This area can almost be divided into four quadrants from a birding approach. The western side of the creek on the north side of Bar X Road is one, the western side of the creek on the south side of Bar X Road one is two, the eastern side of the creek on the north side of Bar X Road is three, and the eastern side of the creek on the south side Bar X Road is four. Out of the four, the latter southeast quadrant is on average the most effective. While all times of the year will have high bird numbers in a habitat like this, the migration periods have the highest potential for great bird diversity and discovering a vagrant. Notable birds that have been found here so far have included Black-throated Green Warbler, Broad-billed Hummingbird, American Redstart, Dickcissel, and Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. Gray Hawk can be found sometimes in spring and summer. Habitat surrouding the riparian forests are mesquite woodland and upper Sonoran desert.
-Sleepy Hollow RV Park: From Jakes Corner, take Highway 188 east and south for 14.6 miles (just past Bar X Crossing Road) to Sleepy Hollow Way. Head east on Sleepy Hollow Way for 0.2 miles toward Sleepy Hollow RV Park. Find a place to park on the side of the road and explore the tall mesquite trees and a high variety of planted and native trees within the area of the park. This location harbors great potential for finding unusual birds in migration and winter. Eastern Bluebird has been found here before.
-Tonto Creek via A Cross Road: From Jakes Corner, take Highway 188 east and south for 17.4 miles to A Cross Road. Head east on A Cross Road for a mile, crossing Tonto Creek and park at a parking area just east of the creek, either on the north or south side of A Cross Road. This is another outstanding riparian area and stretch of Tonto Creek, and this location is only a few miles north of Roosevelt Lake. Tonto Creek can be followed in both the north and south directions from A Cross Road. The habitat make up is like it is along Tonto Creek via Bar X Crossing Road, but the riparian woodland here is thinner and more concentrated and is without the bushwhacking majority factor. Migrants will be easier to find here due to the habitat being more confined and not as spread out in every direction. Northern Waterthrush and Dickcissel have been found here before.
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