The Return to Slate Creek

Hey Readers!

Happy 2017!  In this post, I return to the Slate Creek Divide - a little-known birding spot at the furthest reaches and highest elevations in Maricopa County.  Tommy DeBardeleben, Caleb Strand, and I were going to attempt something that likely no one has ever done at this location.  We were going to hike into the drainage at night and search for owls - a risky undertaking.  As a birder who highly regards birding in his home county, I was absolutely thrilled to be able to return to this location.  My last trip to Slate Creek was, without doubt, the best high elevation Maricopa County birding trip I've experienced up until this point.  Many high-elevation species that have limited ranges in Maricopa County can be found at Slate Creek.

Tommy and Caleb arrived at my house the afternoon of the day we were leaving.  We were super excited for the possibilities we had in store!  We picked up some pizzas en route (Hail Little Caesar's!).  It was awesome to be able to talk and joke with Caleb and Tommy again; they're fun to be around.  After traveling north on the Beeline Highway and taking the exit towards Slate Creek, we began gaining some elevation.  Instead of Sonoran desert, we were surrounded by chaparral; a habitat that is comprised of dense shrubbery that covers sloping foothills.  We began to note typical chaparral species such as Woodhouse's Scrub Jays, Bewick's Wrens, Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, Canyon Towhees, a Rufous-crowned Sparrow, many Spotted Towhees and also a pair of Western Tanagers.

As we rounded a corner, I saw a long tail waving around at the side of the road.  I was shocked to find that it belonged to a White-nosed Coati!  The coati quickly dissapeared into the dense chaparral before any photos could be taken.  I was absolutely ecstatic that we had found one; it was the best mammal I had seen all year.  It never had occurred to me that they could be found so far north in the state.  In Arizona, they are most often found in the "Sky Island" mountains in the southeast corner of the state.  Once we arrived at Mt. Peeley Trailhead, we parked at our campsite and quickly geared up because we wanted to get down into the drainage before dark.

Caleb checking out some Broad-tailed Hummingbirds...

We found some good birds both at the trailhead and in the drainage before dark.  An Ash-throated Flycatcher, some Mexican Jays, a couple Bridled Titmice, some Brown Creepers, Painted Redstarts, a Lark Sparrow, and four Hepatic Tanagers were my favorites.  On our way to The Intersection (an area where two drainages meet and a possible breeding location for Mexican Whippoorwills), I noticed some whitewash on the ground under a sycamore and looked up...

A fledgling Mexican Spotted Owl looks down at me from its cozy perch

Immediately after I had located the bird, Tommy and Caleb were on it.  We all just stood there taking photos and admiring the incredible creature before us.

We walked around the owl and then climbed high enough to see it at eye level.

After taking photos, we carefully walked away...

After this encounter, we reached the confluence of the drainages.  Although we listened intently for Mexican Whippoorwills, none could be found.  We did hear a Common Poorwill however.  As we marched along in the dark with dim headlamps lighting the rocky ground before us, a resonant "Hu!  Hu-Hu! Huaww!" sounded off.  It was a Mexican Spotted Owl's song!  I had never heard the species' song before, so naturally, I was excited.  The owl was pretty far from us, so we decided against trying to locate it.  It was getting pretty late by this time so we began our ascent out of the drainage.  Walking over rocky terrain in the dead of night had its challenges.  Luckily, we didn't stumble across any rattlesnakes or bears!  Once we made it back to the trailhead, we continued our search for owls...

A male Windscorpion

A female Windscorpion

A mysterious katydid that even BugGuide.com hasn't been able to ID...

Possibly Shizocosa avida

From the Gila County side of the main road, we faintly heard a Flammulated Owl giving its deep hooting calls!  It was quite distant and the terrain was sketchy, so we didn't try to find it.  Another Common Poorwill surprised us as it flew across the road right in front of us.  At this point, it was late and we knew that we needed some sleep if we wanted to get an early start the next day.  Since we didn't want to bother with putting up tents at this point, we just slept on the ground... under a sky full of stars.  It wasn't very cold, so we were quite comfortable.  As we were settling in, another Flammulated Owl began calling from the mountainside behind us!  This one was my first for Maricopa county; a perfect example of a species with a limited range in Maricopa Co.  I fell asleep that night listening to the drone of crickets and the distant calls of that Flammulated Owl.  This experience is among my favorites from Slate Creek.  

Waking up around 5:30 am, we shook off our dusty sleeping bags and enjoyed some cold pizza before heading into the same drainage we explored the night before.  One of the first species we encountered was my Maricopa County first Mountain Chickadee!  We also saw a few migrant Rufous Hummingbirds.  

  

Good to see this little guy again!

You know that situation when you're watching cute bear cubs and you forget what could be right behind you?  

Well...

The fledgling's observant parent

Acorn Woodpeckers, White-throated Swifts, Red-breasted Nuthatches, Blue-gray Gnatcatchers and Painted Redstarts were present in good numbers.  Species found in low numbers included Black Phoebes, Hutton's Vireos, Brown Creepers, Western Tanagers and Scott's Orioles.  At "The Intersection" which we visited the night before, we found the local Dusky-capped Flycatchers!

     

The slender profile of a Dusky-capped Flycatcher

The Intersection

A net-winged beetle; probably Lycus fernandezi

A striking male Western Tanager

This "Spruce" Red Squirrel was a nice addition to my Maricopa County mammals list

After our short stop at The Intersection, we headed back up towards the trailhead using a different route.  It was good to cover new habitat and the potential for something new was exciting!  On our way to the top, we encountered several Western-type flycatchers.  We were able to pick out a Cordilleran by voice!  A new county addition for me.  

One of several Hepatic Tanagers we encountered

As we approached the trail, Tommy shouted back to Caleb and I: "Golden Eagle!"  Moments later, the large, dark raptor soared low above our heads past a small opening in the canopy!  We were all excited to see such a powerful and iconic bird in Maricopa county.  

Trail in sight...

Our view of the Slate Creek Divide from the trail

Back at the car, as we were packing up, we heard the most peculiar sound.  It was a doubled whistle with an eerie quality.  We were all at a loss as to its identity but thought it could potentially be an uncommon call from either a Steller's Jay or Scott's Oriole.  However, to this day, even after studying the vocal repertoires of many possible species, I haven't found out what made those calls.  I consider it to be one of my greatest birding mysteries.  After safely making our way off the mountain, we stopped for some burgers in Phoenix and decided to stop at the Glendale Recharge Ponds; one of Tommy's favorite spots.  The GRPs are excellent for waterfowl, shorebirds, gulls and a good selection of open-country birds.  

        

The shallow water here attracts a multitude of birds that search for invertebrates in the mud...

...as well as the predators that hunt them.  

Of particular interest was this lone Semipalmated Plover: 

Although reminiscent of the more common Killdeer, the Semipalmated Plover is smaller and daintier with a black tipped orange bill, single black breast band and different head pattern.  A single Gadwall and Bald Eagle were also good to see.  The Golden Eagle from earlier in the day gave up its position as last Maricopa lifer of the trip when two Bank Swallows zipped across the pond!  I had never seen a Bank Swallow before, so it was important that I study them as long as they were in sight; which wasn't long. 

Here, Caleb blends in with some weeds at the GRPs

Although it was 6 pm by the time we left Glendale and we were pretty wiped out from or long day, we were still motivated to find new birds.  We headed off towards the spot along Arlington Road where a vagrant Hudsonian Godwit had been staked out to scan the pond for other shorebirds (we had all seen seen the godwit before today, so it wasn't our primary focus).  Much to our delight, the Hudsonian Godwit was still there and so were a wide range of shorebirds; these being Least and Western Sandpipers, Long-billed Dowitchers, Wilson's Phalaropes and my first-for-Maricopa Stilt Sandpiper!            

Tommy patiently scans the distant pond

One of Arizona's many smog-free sunsets

With the setting of the sun, our time birding came to a close.  Tommy and Caleb never neglected to share their knowledge with me and I really felt that I grew in my understanding of higher-elevation birds during this trip.  Slate Creek is a place to which I would return in a heartbeat.  My next post will take me to a corner of the state I never expected to visit with birds I never expected to see!

Godspeed and good birding,

- Joshua