Highway 87 Area

Area 1-Highway 87 (from Desert to the High Country)

The hotspots accessed all along Highway 87 (Beeline Highway) are some of best bets birding wise that Maricopa County has to offer.  It's the most reliable place in the county where forests are accessible, and a separate set of birds can be found here as compared to anywhere else in the county.  The cool pine and fir forests of Mount Ord and Slate Creek Divide offer a nice and close getaway from the heat, and they have breeding birds and habitat that is very limited in Maricopa County.  Species such as Northern Pygmy-Owl, Red and White-breasted Nuthatches, Hairy Woodpeckers, Dusky-capped Flycatchers, Olive, Grace's, Virginia's, and Black-throated Gray Warblers; Painted Redstarts, as well as Western and Hepatic Tanagers are some breeding examples to name a few.  Down lower in elevation, the good birding along Highway 87 doesn't end.  Sycamore filled canyons such as the Sunflower area offer great birding at medium elevations all the way down to the lower sonoran desert/riparian forest where the excellent Mesquite Wash can be found.  If your up for an exciting adventure in the birding world, then come and explore the birding hotspots of Highway 87!

Birding Locations:

Four Peaks Wilderness (eBird)

Forest Road 422/Pine Mountain Area

Mesquite Wash (eBird)

Sycamore Creek at Mile 212-213

Sunflower (Old Beeline Highway) (eBird)

Bushnell Tanks (eBird)

Mount Ord (eBird)

Slate Creek Divide Area (eBird)

Forest Road 25 and Area

Highway 87 Birding Locations Overview Map:

Highway 87 Map Overview

Area Species List:

Area A Species List

Highway 87 Map Overview

*All maps property of Google.

The Highway 87 "Triangle"

This is the overview of the Highway 87 Area.  Other than the birding locations (represented by numbers), the yellow line indicates Highway 87, the light blue line indicates Sycamore Creek (which flows through a large portion of this area), and the lime green "triangle" shows the boundary of the overall area. 

The birding locations found along Highway 87 are accessed close to the highway or can be found from roads that branch off from the highway.  This refers to what mile marker from the highway that each location can be reached.  The mile marker for the access point from Highway 87 are listed below for each birding location:

1.  Four Peaks Wilderness:  Mile Markers 203-204 (east side of Highway 87, just south of Mile Marker 204)

2.  Mesquite Wash:  Mile Markers 207-208 (can be accessed from both sides of Highway 87)

3.  Sycamore Creek at Mile Marker 212-213:  Mile Markers 212-213 (accessed from both sides of Highway 87)

4.  Sunflower (Old Beeline Highway):  Mile Marker 218 (accessed on the west side of Highway 87)

5.  Bushnell Tanks:  Mile Marker 218-219 (accessed on the east side of Highway 87)

6.  Mount Ord:  Mile Marker 222 (accessed on the east side of Highway 87)

7.  Slate Creek Divide Area:  Mile Marker 222 (accessed on the west side of Highway 87)