Madera Canyon

Madera Canyon is different from other canyons we had walked in.  I was expecting more desert and cactus, but it is high in the north-west face of the Santa Rita Mountains in southeastern Arizona, so the terrain is different.
"Bring your ears, " said Terry as we got out of the car.  As usual, Terry was thinking about the birds we would see. He needs me to tell him which direction the sound is coming from.  I chuckled to myself, thinking of the enormous plastic bat ears for sale at the Kartchner Caverns the previous day. We had joked about needing them to hear better.

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At 5400 feet we started our hike and made our way along the Super Trail.  Various pines and junipers mingled with different types of oak trees, the kind with the small, smooth leaves like the live oaks. Once in a while clumps of yucca made a surprisinging contrast.

The trail was rocky at times, but wound upwards at a gradual slope with many switchbacks. 

Most of the time, it was quiet and tranquil.
A light breeze made the walk comfortable and enjoyable.
When we heard a sound, it was instant stop to try to locate it.
Here's a lifer, a Painted Redstart.

Lizards were continually scurrying off the path.  This one was quite different. It was between 4 to 5 inches long, and stayed relatively still hoping to blend into its surroundings. Terry managed to get close enough with his camera to allow us to later identify it as a Greater Short Horned Lizard. 

Catalina Indian Paintbrush provided splashes of colour along the trail.

Possibly the Hairyseed Bahia.

The Russian Thistle head is huge!  This plant was at the lowere elevations of the park.







A penny shows its size.

We had gone to the canyon to see a bird called the Elegant Trogon, a large, bright green bird with a bright red belly. A couple of people mentioned this bird; we were told there was one resident pair just up the road. Usually they begin arriving from Mexico around the middle of April, but it was still early.  We had just finished our 10.4  kilometre hike, however, and were more than ready to rest with our picnic lunch.  No, we'd come back another time and try again.
 One week later we hiked a steep path for a couple of kilometres.  Some of the people coming back down the path had seen it.  Again, we were too late.  All we heard was a distant "barking" sound in the deep woods, supposed to be one of the sounds it makes. 
"One more reason to come back to Arizona next year," said Terry.

This is the spot where the bird wasn't.