Forry got a picture this morning of the Gila Woodpecker who keeps coming to drink from the neighbor's hummingbird feeder --
This afternoon we decided to take a trip to the Superstition Mountains --
This the entry way to the Superstition Mountain Museum --
The museum is small but interesting. It's located on twelve acres in the foothills of the Superstition Mountains. They have a great deal of information about the Lost Dutchman Mine and many mining artifacts on display. What is left of the Apacheland Movie Ranch is located on the ground. After most of it burned in the '70s, the barn and the Elvis Presley Memorial Chapel (used in the movie Charro) were taken apart board by board and rebuilt here.
After we explored the museum and grounds, we drove on up the Apache Trail highway and took a side road into the Tonto National Forest. It is a beautiful area with lots of different cacti. The desert is really greening up from the recent rains. There is small grass and weeds growing as well as a lime green lichen which is showing up on many of the rock bluffs.
It was a day for black birds. We saw 7-8 phainopeplas perched on the saguaros. Then we spotted some large hawks which also perched on the cacti so that we were able to get a good look at them through the binos. Forry was very excited when we identified them as Common Black Hawks. It looked like a pair with chick from last year. This is a new bird for us that Forry has been looking for the past couple of years. Unfortunately he didn't have his camera with him and the battery on my little one had died...
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