Tonto National Forest

When we arrived at the Visitors Center we were greeted by the resident Cardinal who always seems to hang around the trees and bushes at the V.C. parking lot. There was also a mother Say's Phoebe gathering insects for her chicks in a nest under the eves of an out building. We moved the cars down to the first parking area near Pine Creek and took a trail down a hill to the creek. A number of interesting birds suddenly showed up as we waited near the creek. First it was a Plumbeous Vireo and then a female Summer Tanager, followed by a Hooded Oriole. Then a Black-headed Grosbeak, followed by a Western Wood-Pewee. Then a Canyon Wren began calling from the canyon wall above us with his usual cascade of notes. Then a Phainopepla flew by overhead. We finally decided to go back up the trail and walk up the sidewalk to the west along the parking lot lined with trees. We saw both Cassin's and Western Kingbirds flying from tree to tree and an Ash-throated Flycatcher posing for us. Then a Yellow Warbler started singing from a small cottonwood above us and some of us got good looks at it. A number of times when we looked up we saw Red-tailed hawks, Ravens and Turkey Vultures soaring overhead.

We then took the trail down to the springs and waterfalls which are at the bottom of a staircase of 300 steps. This is a very beautiful area of green moss,columbine flowers, and ferns with trickling water pouring down the canyon wall all under a thick canope of trees. Usually this area is crawling with birds but we didn't see any but we did hear warblers and Canyon Wrens singing in the trees above us.

Then we drove down to the far end of the parking lot where the Natural Bridge is located. As we got out of the car we heard Lesser Goldfinches and House Finches singing away.We walked to the viewpoint that overlooks the south end of the Bridge/Tunnel. When we got to the viewpoint, it was an awesome sight to see the two hundred foot high cave covered with travertine with water dripping down from above. The constant stream of birds flying in and out of the cave to their nests reminds me of the bats I've seen coming out of the entrance to Carlsbad Caverns. They were Violet-green and Cliff Swallows along with some White-throated Swifts.

We walked to two other viewpoints that gave views of the north end of the Bridge/Tunnel. The wall of the canyon that the tunnel comes through looks like a giant curtain of travertine from this vantage point. We spotted a nest of large twigs high up on the canyon wall and we were debating as to what hawk/eagle could have made it. The debate was solved when a Raven came soaring in and landed in it.

As we were leaving we saw a flock of black birds hopping around the parking lot and we finally realized what we were looking at was a bunch of cowless Cowbirds. Then a Black-chinned Hummingbird showed up in a tree to bid us goodbye. The last bird puzzle to solve was a swallow that looked like a Northern Rough-winged but they are not found on the Parks Bird. Out come the Bird Guides and sure enough the immature Violet Green has no green.

Attendees: Fran Bauman, Barb Meding, Vera Markham, Carol Anne Kinney, George Drew, Jim Forrest, Stanley & Darnelle Dunn and Dan Bohlmann