Actually, the Adventure began as soon as I arrived in Portal...I was lucky in that a friend back in southern California gave me permission to "boondock" on his 4 acres of land just outside of Portal, the main "town" on the eastern side of the Chiricahuas. He gave me a Google map, but all of that area, well, looks the same -- mesquite and scrubby brush, with no property markings except for a capped well which was on his property. The thing is -- WHERE was the capped well? I sure couldn't see it. Luckily, a lady living across the "street" (really a dirt road) saw my confusion and brought her husband out, who happened to remember when my friend came out to look at the property a few years back. The husband ("My name's Buddy") said "Things sure grew here in the last few years!" and found the well, about a 4-foot-tall piece of pipe -- and that was where I was to park Discovery. I chatted with Buddy and his wife for a bit, finding out that his family homesteaded that area, having an orchard and farm -- and that he, as with seemingly so many other people there, was going to put up his house for sale soon. It was time to put Discovery in her spot, so I carefully backed her in, going about 300 feet off the road, dodging mesquite trees along the way (if I had driven in truck-first, I wouldn't have been able to get the truck out). It soon became a pattern, backing out of my "driveway" -- pull to the right, then left, then right again (oops! too close to the mesquite branches, as they scratch down the side of the Tundra), then to the left, then finally straight out. Despite all, it was a great spot, and as you could see from the previous post, the views were unbeatable. So now it's the next day, Sunday April 6, and I was headed for my first hike, up the South Fork Trail. This is probably the most-hiked trail in the Chiricahuas as Elegant Trogon nest here, and you can hear Greater Pewees singing their "Jose Maria" calls, and it's just plain scenic along the creek. On the dirt road ending at the trailhead there are 2 Forest Service cabins, and one is for sale, so as I am thinking of moving to the area I stopped by the cabin to take a look --
As you can see it's QUITE basic. AND its "plumbing" is primitive --
This really is the "john" for the cabin. Hmmm..A little bit too "off the grid" for me... But I took a look inside one of the windows, pressing my camera against the pane --
Being on Forest Service property, you can't alter it much if at all, so while it's in a prime location (Elegant Trogon nest nearby) I think I can afford a little more in the way of "creature comforts"...But the South Fork trail is gorgeous, with pools and dappled light filtering through the Arizona Sycamores, Oaks, Douglas Fir and Apache Pine --
I'd say if there is a "signature" bird here, it's the Painted Redstart. You'll see them flick their tails about, trying to mesmerize bugs into getting caught. Here's one that was on the trail, looking for nesting material --
Ruby-crowned Kinglets are EVERYwhere, from Portal on up to the high Chiricahuas at 9000 feet. You really have to look twice, though, because what you think might be another Ruby-crowned just might be a Hutton's Vireo. Yet this one is a Ruby-crowned --
The trail splits at Maple Camp, with the left fork going up to Burro Spring, but I elect to take it easy for my first hike and continue up South Fork Creek. I see an "Empid" flycatcher in the willows along the creek; Empids are always a challenge to ID especially in the field, but my new friend Dodie Logue, who's visited the Chiricahuas many times in recent years, IDs it as a Hammond's Flycatcher --
The camera I take along for when I bird is the Canon 7D, and the lens is the 500 f/4. Though the lens is heavy, I want my bird shots to be of the highest quality, so that way IDing the bird is easier as the details are so crisp -- as in the case of this Hammond's. The creek and its surrounding flora continues to be gorgeous --
I head back around 2pm and check out for the first time the house I REALLY have in mind, about 4 miles east of Portal off the main road --
Up next, Herb Martyr (isn't that a great name?) Road with a new birding friend, and a look at a Northern Goshawk and a rare Buff-breasted Flycatcher...
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