2015-10-23 Rustler Park

Having taken care of the Samurai’s transmission, I was eager to get started on the rest of my adventure. It was less than a two-hour drive to the base of the Chiricahua mountains and depending on my driving style, another one and a half to two hours to reach the campsite in Rustler Park.

I’d been to this location in 2003 and I knew there were Yellow-Eyed Juncos here. I was pretty sure I’d could get better pictures of them this time around. Also on my radar for this trip were Arizona Woodpeckers, but I was later to learn that the woodpeckers here would not include these. I only found Downy and Northern Flickers here. I heard only Northern Flickers, which suggests I might have seen Gilded Woodpeckers.

I remembered hearing about fires burning these mountains in 2011, and upon my arrival I discovered how extensive the damages were. The campgrounds at Rustler Park suffered near complete destruction. Workers rebuilt all the campsites, complete with metal awning roofs, picnic tables, and bear-resistant metal boxes for storing food. While the trees to the east of the lower springs survived, most other stands were naked, dark, and dead. Overgrowth of brush and a few grasses covered all the open areas between the trees and the campsites. This habitat seemed to suit the juncos just fine. Besides the Yellow-Eyed Juncos were typical Oregon Juncos and what I believe were Gray-Headed Juncos. Also present for photo ops were some Lincoln’s Sparrows and House Wrens.

I might have stayed longer on the mountain, but I barely made it through the night because of cold temperatures. I used all the cold weather gear I brought, but it wasn’t enough.