Continuing on with my journey across the Southwest, I
experienced tracking across the Painted Desert of
northern Arizona, viewing the larger than life buttes
and mesas of the Colorado Plateau, dangling my feet
over a red sandstone precipice on the Mogollon Rim,
driving along the self-proclaimed "loneliest highway
in America" (U.S. 50), chatting with friendly town
folks in Beatty, Nevada, watching dust devils kick up
a fuss over the Great Basin Desert, hiking over gypsum
sand dunes in White Sands, taking in an expansive view
of the Tularosa Basin from the crest of the Sacramento
Mts., being mesmerized by the star studded sky over
Death Valley. In the second (solo) half of the trip,
there were plenty of target mammals yet to see, and
and lot of country left to traverse.

Day 10 - Thursday, May 3, 2007

We spent the night in the La Quinta Inn in Tuscon so
that Patricia could catch an early morning flight back
to Seattle. By the time she left, we were really in
good groove, were feeling rested, and seeing lots and
lots of great birds. It was great fun to find so many
things on our own. Obviously, I was sorry to see her
leave. It is really fun to share great sightings with
close friends, and of course another set of trained
eyes is always helpful on any birding trip.

I decided to work my way up to the Four Corners area,
and to target Gray-collared Chipmunks and Abert's Tree
Squirrel that I heard were somewhere in the White Mts.
and the on Mogollon Rim. My intel was poor, that I
only had a vague idea where the White Mts. were, but
the Mogollon Rim was marked on one of my maps. Nice
research, Gina!

My slow drive through interminable traffic lights and
congestion from Tuscon to Oracle was really a grind.
Before I reached Globe, I made a rather desultory
drive along Aravaipa Canyon. In this section of the
Sonoran Desert, I saw BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER and GILDED
FLICKER, but no hawks. There were plenty of daunting
"No Parking" signs that prevented my scanning intently
for Black Hawks. Since Common Black Hawk was not a
lifer, and I just didn't want to jump through hoops to
see them, I pressed onward.

On the San Pedro River at Dudleyville, there were
singing YELLOW-BREASTED CHATs and BELL'S VIREOs.
Plenty of lizards scurried in throught the piles of
brush. Among them were SONORAN DESERT WHIPTAIL, DESERT
GRASSLAND WHIPTAIL, GILA SPOTTED WHIPTAIL, and ORNATE
TREE LIZARD.

Later in the afternoon, I entered Show Low and began
searching for mammals. It was clear and sunny, but
there there was a brisk wind from the southwest.
Walking along the Mogollon Rim Trail, I saw MT.
CHICKADEE, DARK-EYED (GRAY-HEADED) JUNCO, and HAIRY
WOODPECKER. I heard a squirrel or chipmunk, but I
never obtained a visual on it.

In Pinetop-Lakeside, I stopped in at the
administration office for the Sitgreaves National
Forest to inquire about the chipmunks. The gentlemen
of the forest service said that they never paid
attention to chipmunks, but that Abert's Tree Squirrel
and other wildlife could be seen at Los Burros
Campground that was located on a forest road between
McNary and Vernon. This seemed like a good site to try
my luck.

As soon as I pulled into Los Burros C.G., I saw a
GRAY-COLLARED CHIPMUNK at the base of a tree. Later, I
saw two more GC Chipmunks that had popped up around a
historic forest service building. These little guys
have well-defined stripes, and contrasting reddish
brown and gray sections of the body. Although the
field guides don't mention this, the underside of the
tail is rufous too.

Since I was hoping for the Abert's Squirrel, I looked
around some more. Now that it was late in the
afternoon, I was hoping that I might see a squirrel
run across the road, as I often see Red Squirrels do.
It wasn't much longer, when that hoped for event
became reality.

A glorious ABERT'S (TASSLE-EARED) TREE SQUIRREL ran
across the road and then perched on a rocky outcrop.
This squirrel has long elegant ear tuffs, a gray body,
a reddish-brown patch on the back, and a beautiful
plume-like fluffy tail fringed in white. It is truly a
prince of a squirrel!

I was struck by how the coloration of the Abert's
Squirrel so closely matched the pattern of the
resident Gray-headed Junco. They both are largely
gray, with reddish patches on the back, and have
white-fringed tails. Interesting!

While having dinner in Springerville, I was feeling
quite pleased with my success on two the two primary
target mammals of the day. Thinking about how close I
was to Socorro, NM, I began to muse on whether I
should try my luck again with the Gray-footed
Chipmunk. Yes, it would be 250 miles eastern detour
to reach Cloudcroft, but then I rationalized this
situation, it seemed similar to chasing some big avain
rarity on the west side of Washington. After all, when
would I get another chance to see this species?

Day 11 - Friday, May 4, 2007

After the long drive, I reached the high elevation
site at Cloudcroft. Once again it was cold and windy.
In fact, it was worse. This time it was mostly cloudy
too.

Once again, I made queries to the Forest Service
office. A biologist for the Lincoln National Forest,
told me where he had trapped Gray-footed Chipmunks
(Tamias canipes) in the past, but he said that the
cold spring had kept them inactive. However, there was
perhaps a better chance that I could find one in Car
Gap Canyon which is a 2000' lower in elevation.

After fruitlessly working the windy Cloudcroft area
again, I noticed a warning light on dashboard. That
afternoon, a razor blade had punctured my tire, and I
had a flat. Fortunately, I had made it back to
Alamogordo for the night first.

Day 12 - Saturday, May 5, 2007

Okay, I had the tire fixed and the next morning, I
changed the oil at the nearby Toyota dealership. While
the wind had kicked up again, I opted to visit White
Sands Nation Monument. Before the wind became too
bothersome, I saw LITTLE STRIPED WHIPTAIL, MARBLED
WHIPTAIL, and SIDE-BLOTCHED LIZARDs. The Little
Striped Whiptails are often an uncanny blue color that
is quite striking.

In the heart of the dune fields, it looks more like
the moon than any place on earth. The wind was ripping
now, and I had to pull my scarf over my face to keep
the sand out. It was definitely time to leave.

In the late afternoon, I dipped again on the
chipmunks, but I did see one Rock Squirrel. After
dark, I tried for Ringtail at a great looking dripping
springs cliff face. However, I saw nothing. A few
birds such as ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER, MT. CHICKADEE,
STELLER'S JAY, and BAND-TAILED PIGEON were around.

That evening, I decided that on the next morning that
I would try the lower elevation site at Car Gap
(outside of the town of Mayhill). My thinking was that
it would be sunnier, warmer, and on the lee side of
the prevailing winds.

Day 13 - Sunday, May 6, 2007

My fingers were crossed as I headed back up the grade.
At Cloudcroft, it was 40 degrees and mostly cloudy,
but I broke out into sunshine on the eastern slope
near Mayhill. There was a MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD just east
of the Cloudcroft Ski area, and James Canyon Camp
Ground held ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER, VIRGINIA'S
WARBLER, RUFOUS-SIDED TOWHEE, VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOW,
WILD TURKEY, YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER, WB NUTHATCH, and
WESTERN BLUEBIRD.

After slowly driving up Car Gap Canyon Road for some 8
miles, I felt that I was in excellent habitat.
Ponderosa Pines with Gambell's Oak and plenty of rocky
outcrops. Finally, I saw something small dart across
the road. Within another minute, I was face to face
with a GRAY-FOOTED CHIPMUNK. This cute little guy has
all four feet colored a light powder gray, and the
underside of the tail is a bright chestnut color.

As I relished my ten minutes of quality time with the
Gray-footed Chipmunk, I realized that it would have
been much simpler to have searched these high
elevation species later in the season when they are
much more commonly seen. However, I was grateful that
my perseverance had paid off.

Retracing my route back to Arizona, I saw a SCOTT'S
ORIOLE fly across the road in the barrens between
Carrizozo and Socorro. Since I couldn't resist a
birding stop in Bosque del Apache NWR, I did that
next.

This refuge is one birdy place. Some of the highlights
included BULLOCK'S ORIOLE, BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK,
PIED-BILLED GREBE, AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN, NEOTROPIC
CORMORANT, AMERICAN BITTERN, GREAT EGRET, SNOWY EGRET,
WHITE-FACED IBIS, SNOW GOOSE CANDA GOOSE GADWALL, AME.
WIGEON, all three teal species, NO. SHOVELER, REDHEAD,
LESSER SCAUP, RUDDY DUCK, AMERICAN KESTREL,
WHITE-WINGED (race of Ring-necked) PHEASANT, GAMBEL'S
QUAIL, AME. COOT, BLACK-NECKED STILT, AME. AVOCET,
GREATER YELLOWLEGS, WILLET, SPOTTED SANDPIPER, WESTERN
SANDPIPER, LEAST SANDPIPER, LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER,
WILSON'S PHALAROPE, FRANKLIN'S GULL, RING-BILLED GULL,
BONAPARTE'S GULL, WHITE-WINGED DOVE, MOURNING DOVE,
GREATER ROADRUNNER, BLACK-CHINNED HUMMINGBIRD, W. WOOD
PEWEE, BLACK PHOEBE, AME. CROW, CHIHUAHUAN RAVEN, TREE
SWALLOW, VG SWALLOW, NO. ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOW, BANK
SWALLOW, CLIFF SWALLOW, BARN SWALLOW, STARLING, YELLOW
WARBLER, C. YELLOWTHROAT, WC SPARROW, W. MEADOWLARK,
and BREWER'S BLACKBIRD.

Afterwards, I drug myself away from this great refuge,
and spent the night in the sprawling city of
Albuquerque, NM.

Day 14 - Monday, May 7, 2007

Off I-40, I stopped at a historic section of the
original Route 66. The point in question, is the Rio
Puerto Bridge that consists of 250' steel span across
an unremarkable muddy river. Wedged in between an
interstate frontage road and the I-40, this bridge is
cut off by both time and highway department guard
rails. No 21st century motors will ever be allowed to
cross this 20th century relict.

However, I felt compelled to walk across the bridge
myself. Compared to the broad shouldered contemporary
highways, old Route 66 appeared quite narrow. It felt
rather strange to experience all sorts of personal
emotions criss-crossing through me as I watched the
water flow under the bridge.

I glanced over at a monolithic looking "Route 66
Casino on the opposite side of the interstate, and
could hear the roar of the traffic as it relentlessly
raced westward. It seemed that there was a mad rush by
many folks to reach Grand Canyon, before it could fill
up with loose change from the casino slot machines.

Pushing on through Gallup and northward, I checked a
dry wash west of Shiprock, NM. I saw a few PAINTED
DESERT WHIPTAILs, but not much else. By early
afternoon, I had reached Four Corners.

Although this spot, is merely a geographical
intersection on the middle of the Colorado Plateau, I
can't help but be fascinated with a the concept of
standing in four different states (UT, CO, NM, AZ) at
once. Okay, I stood on the spot, and took requested
photos of others doing the same. Silly, but fun.

I chatted with a very nice Navajo lady, who sold me a
nifty four corners souvenir of native rock painted
with colored sand that depicted the four states in a
pictorial kind of way. Weird, how I kept feeling at my
own personal crossroads that day.

Although I was tempted to take a long route that
involved quite a bit of backtracking to Monument
Valley, I decided to head south a bit and try for Hopi
Chipmunk instead. Even though I was still quite a ways
from Monument Valley proper, I could see a number of
distant buttes that marked that majestic landscape.

When I reached Canyon de Chelly Nat. Monument, I had a
less wonderful experience. First of all, the later
afternoon shadows in the canyon pretty much nullified
my chances for seeing chipmunks. Secondly, I was
aggressively hustled by a teen-aged Navajo to purchase
a relict vase that he claimed he had found in the
ruins. Besides doubting the authenticity of this
"bargain", I wasn't in the market for hot merchandise.
While I had been contemplating on hiking down the
canyon on the next morning, this event convinced me to
leave and head back toward I-40 for motel
accommodations.

As the sun set, I could see many of the banded colors
of the Painted Desert. Since it was too late to stop
in Petrified Forest Nat. Park, I drove into Holbrook,
AZ for the night.

Day 15 - Tuesday, May 8, 2007

While I was loading my luggage in the morning, I saw
EURASIAN COLLARED DOVEs. in a vacant lot. My first
stop of the morning was Walnut Canyon National
Monument (east of Flagstaff). This excellent
Pinyon-Juniper habitat turned GRAY FLYCATCHER,
BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLER, GRAY VIREO, JUNIPER
TITMOUSE, YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER, and SOUTHERN PLATEAU
LIZARD.

Crossing over the Colorado River and threading my way
through the Vermilion Cliffs on the Arizona Strip
(this is the northwestern section of Arizona bounded
by the Colorado River on the south and the Utah border
on the north). I had already been informed that the
highway to the North Rim of Grand Canyon would be
closed until May 15th, but I still wanted to look for
mammals on the Kaibab Plateau.

Immediately after deciding to stay in Jacob Lake, I
began searching for Kaibab Squirrel (the white tailed
race of the Abert's Tree Squirrel). Several folks had
seen them, but no one offered an especially consistent
spot. I worked the campground and the trail connecting
Jacob Lake to the lodge.

Although I couldn't find the squirrel, I did luck into
an UINTA CHIPMUNK. This is another high elevation
species that prefers Ponderosa Pine and has distinct
stripes with very dark borders.

Day 16 - Wednesday, May 9, 2007

After seeing a multitide of W. Bluebirds, WB
Nuthatches, Pygmy Nuthatches, and some CASSIN'S
FINCHes, I still could not find the Kaibab Squirrel.
The only mammals that I saw were Golden-mantld Ground
Squirrels and Kaibab Mule Deer. Feeling exasperated, I
left for Las Vegas.

After a long stressful drive to Las Vegas, I arrived
in the Spring Mts. National Recreation Area. The
Spring Moutains. is the entire range for the Palmer's
Chipmunk. It was late afternoon, and I began to ask
local hikers if they had seen any chipmunks. One
couple was quite familiar with endemic Palmer's (Mt.
Charleston) Chipmunk, but they said that they had not
seen any yet this season. This is the same story that
I have heard on all these high elevation chipmunks.

Later, I ran into a park employee who said that he had
seen a couple of Palmer's Chipmunks that day, in the
area which we were standing. My plan was to return in
the morning and find the chipmunk. Due to lack of
accommodations (other than $150/day cabins) near the
Spring Mts., I stayed in the Santa Fe Casino that was
back on the north side of Vegas.

Las Vegas seemed like some kind of black hole that
practically sucked you in from off the freeway. I
would be only too happy to leave. At least, I did get
a good night's rest in the casino hotel room.

Day 17 - Thursday, May 10, 2007

After working the Cathedral Rock Campground for a
couple of hours, I was becoming quite concerned.
Although I was seeing birds such as STELLER'S JAYs,
BLACK-CHINNED HUMMINGBIRD, BROAD-TAILED HUMMINGBIRD,
CASSIN'S FINCH, YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER, HERMIT THRUSH,
AME. ROBIN, HOUSE FINCH, LESSER GOLDFINCH, W.
BLUEBIRD, LAZULI BUNTING, HAMMOND'S FLYCATCHER,
RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET, PINE SISKIN, GRAY-HEADED JUNCO,
WILSON'S WARBLER, DUSKY FLYCATCHER, C. RAVEN,
WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH, and NO. FLICKER. I wasn't
seeing any chipmunks, I did see WESTERN SCRUB JAY on
the drive up and both Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel
and Rock Squirrel.

After speaking with the campground host, he told me
that he had seen a chipmunk running down into a rocky
ravine this morning. Near this ravine, I was tracking
some bird movement in the foliage. Suddenly, I spied a
PALMER'S CHIPMUNK scurry over the scree and continue
further down into the steep ravine. Although it was a
brief view, I did have a good look at it before it
disappeared.

Feeling immensely relieved, I went back into town for
lunch. After perusing the maps, I decided against
heading back to Utah and SE Idaho. Instead, I opted to
head north and visit Beatty (home of the rare Amargosa
Toad). From there, I would continue northward to
Spokane.

Upon my arrival in Beatty, I asked an elderly lady in
the town museum where the toads might be. She said
that they were along the creek in town. With temps in
the low 90's here in the Amargosa Desert, it was not
too surprising that I didn't see any toads.

Regrouping, I picked out a local motel (Phoenix Inn on
the sign, but now called the Amargosa River Motel) and
again inquired about the toad. The clerk informed me
that the toads were commonly seen after dark, and
suggested that I try the creek again.

As dusk fell, I headed creekside and saw quite a few
birds in the willows. DUSKY FLYCATCHER, BULLOCK'S
ORIOLE, WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW, LINCOLN'S SPARROW,
WILSON'S WARBLER, YELLOW WARBLER, C. YELLOWTHROAT, NO.
MOCKINGBIRD, BLACK PHOEBE, WHITE-FACED IBIS, SNOWY
EGRET, LESSER NIGHTHAWK, BROWN-HEADED COWBIRD, and
GREAT-TAILED GRACKLE were all present.

Pools full of tadpoles were all along the riparian
corridor. Finally, I found an adult AMARGOSA TOAD. As
I gently held the toad, it felt cool and moist. After
a nice little tete a tete, I set the toad back into
the streamside sedges and wished it a long and happy
life.

Being close to Death Valley, I thought that a little
night drive might be in order. Although conditions
were excellent, I didn't see a lot moving around. At
least, I did see a couple of DESERT BANDED GECKOs,
DARK KANGAROO MOUSE, MERRIAM'S K-RAT, PANAMINT K-RAT,
and a MOHAVE SIDEWINDER.

The Sidewinder is kind of an old friend of mine. They
are a highly evolved species, and like this young
"winder" it remained perfectly still as it
thermoregulated on the warm pavement. With it's little
horns over the eyes, small size, and striped face, it
was almost tempting to pick it up. However, I know
that a sidewinder is quite venomous, and it must be
respected regardless of size.

After I left the sidewinder unmolested, I once more
looked up into black starry velvet of the desert night
sky. With virtually no artificial light interference,
the clear night sky is always marvel to behold.

Day 18 - Friday, May 11, 2007

Leaving the fun, relaxing town of Beatty, I made my
way northward. Depending on elevation, I crossed flats
of creosote, greaswood, saltbush, and sagebrush. In
the Valley of the Moon Rest Area,, I pulled out a
sandwich and surveyed the desolate landscape. When I
detected a high pitched call note, I found the source
to be one of the recently split TOWNSEND'S GROUND
SQUIRREL complex species. It was either S. canus or
S. mollis. On the east side of the road, I could see a
raptor sitting on a distant mound. With the heat
refraction, I could not ID it.
Lucky for me, a raven flushed the bird, and it turned
out to be a PRAIRIE FALCON.

In Austin, NV I stopped for a rest break and picked up
some amusing postcards. Apparently US 50 is considered
the "loneliest highway in America". As several out of
town customers milled around the store, the sour faced
cashier lady seemed to think that it was not nearly
lonely enough.

I spent the night in Winnemucca, NV.

Day 19 - Saturday, May 12, 2007

However insane it seemed, I really wanted to make it
back home today. Over 600 miles to go, but I felt well
rested enough to do it.

After enjoying 70 mph speed limits on US 95 in Nevada,
once I crossed over into Oregon, the speed limit was
only 55! Could this be some kind of joke? I mean is
this is a wide open, high desert, with straight roads,
and very little traffic. Anyway, I proceeded at "safe
highway speed".

On a bridge crossing west of Jordan Valley, Oregon, I
almost ran over a DESERT STRIPED WHIPSNAKE. By the
time, I could turn around the snake was gone, but some
of the birds in this spot were LONG-BILLED CURLEW,
KILLDEER, W. MEADOWLARK, HOUSE FINCH, W. KINGBIRD,
CLIFF SWALLOW, and BARN SWALLOW.

Continuing northward from Weiser, I decided to try the
Midvale area for Idaho shrub-steppe specialties. On
this occasion, I did not have any luck finding
Ferruginous Hawk, Loggerhead Shrike, Burrowing Owl, or
Brewer's Sparrow. The only new state bird that I
picked up was GRASSHOPPER SPARROW. There were plenty
of Lark Sparrows and W. Meadowlarks to keep my pulse
slightly elevated. EASTERN KINGBIRDs, CALIFORNIA
QUAIL, WESTERN GREBE, and GRAY PARTRIDGE were some of
the other notables.

Mainly, the nearly thirty miles of dusty roads on the
loop made me eat a lot of dust and burn some precious
daylight hours. By the time I had reached Lost
Reservoir, it was already sunset. I saw a few
Columbian Ground Squirrels, Yellow Pine Chipmunks, and
a unsatisfying brief view of an Idaho Ground Squirrel.

Further up the Salmon River, I saw a CHUKAR (south of
Riggins), and ran into swarms of bugs that plastered
my wind shield. It was far too dark to look for
Lewis's Woodpeckers.

Per usual, I never saw any Golden Eagles (my Idaho
state nemesis bird). At this point, I don't think that
they even occur in the state.

At last, I made it home at 12:15 AM on Sunday morning,
May 13, 2007. Having clocked 5995 miles in 19 days, I
was quite pleased with my trip results.

This was one of those trips that met many of my
personal goals to visit new areas and of course to
find life critters In addition, this journey provided
me some new perspective on the course of my own life.
Hopefully, I imparted a bit of the flavor of the land
and the critters that inhabit it to any of you who
might be interested in visiting some of these sites.

Gina Sheridan
Spokane, WA

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