Phoenix Sonoran Preserve

A four and a half mile hike from the Desert Vista Trailhead provided some authentic Sonoran Desert excitement. 

The Phoenix Sonoran Preserve is on the far north side of the city, close to twenty miles from downtown.  The park protects some pristine desert from the urban sprawl that's already encroaching Wildflower season having peaked, I was expecting to photograph mostly cactus blooms, desert birds and new vistas.  However when I arrived shortly after sunrise, I was surprised to see a number of hot air balloons floating above the park.  For almost an hour they appeared in various locations to the north and west of my route.  But even more exciting for me was finding a massive great-horned owl's nest in a saguaro cactus just some minutes into the excursion.  Perched inside was the mother with up to three nestlings.  While the light wasn't quite perfect when I spotted the birds, it was ideal a couple hours later when I returned to my car via the same trail.  But before that big reward, I had an exciting first-in-my-lifetime experience, shooting a number of ravens soaring on some thermals high between mountain peaks.

In addition to the great horned owls and common ravens, I saw black-throated sparrows, white-crowned sparrows, canyon towhees, house finches, curve-billed thrashers, canyon wrens and cactus wrens. Ravens and canyon towhees are not very common in Phoenix' central desert parks.

From the Desert Vista Trailhead, I followed Hawk's Nest Trail to the Dixie Mountain Loop, traversing in a clockwise direction.  It was a moderately easy hike, with just a few steep elevation changes.

My first early morning shot of the mother great-horned owl. She was well aware I was there. 

The breezy morning let me see why 'horn' is in her name. My best shots of the family were on my return pass, when the sun was higher.

For the first hour of the hike, hot air balloons created interesting features in the landscapes. 

And the morning light created dramatic contrasts with the mountains' shadows.

I noticed a couple new heartier wildflowers replacing the more delicate poppies and bluebonnets so prevalent in previous desert hikes. 

Desert view with morning light and shadows.

The cactus motif on this balloon behind a crest creates a fun effect, like a cartoon saguaro rising in the desert.

Surrendering in the battle of the saguaros, this balloon landed in a community beyond the northwest border of the park.

Canyon towhee on the trail. I've not seen him in the more central city preserves.

Teddy bear cholla and foothills to mountain ranges mostly in the Tonto National Forest to the northeast.

An unfamiliar wildflower, that seems to be a bloom that's lost its petals. Or maybe it's a specific plant.  My little research came up with nothing.  Maybe this Horton should have listened for a Who!

The prettiest bloom might have been the cholla flowers.

Saguaro and the view east on the Desert Vista Trail.  A lot of this flat area is parkland, but some of it will certainly be developed.

A joy of early and late day hiking are the shadows.

Blister beetles (lytta magister) were abundant, happily eating wildflowers.

And some rock wrens were singing on their namesake roosts.

I was on the saddle between two peaks when I noticed a large group of common ravens flying overhead.  I got the camera ready when several glided by.

I got several shots of this beauty and his wing man, pun intended.

A solo shot of a bird that is unusual to see in the Phoenix area deserts. They're much more common in the higher, cooler rim country like Flagstaff and Prescott.

 I wasn't able to even fill the frame in this shot - that's how close the fly-by's were.

Some birding experts say the ravens are riding the thermals. Why, I don't know. As pairs seemed to come close together, and squawk, I thought maybe they were mating.

Or maybe riding thermals is just plain fun. Yes that bird is flying upside down.

There had to be at least two dozen ravens on the mountain.  I've never seen them in more than pairs before.  Again, some experts say this group behavior is common with juveniles and they'll pair off later.  It sounds like something we have in common with our avian friends.

The hike almost finished, my sweet reward was terrific light to see mother great-horned owl and her owlets. Their huge nest is in a very tall saguaro cactus, probably 9 feet up from its base.  And note that there is a community of homes less than a mile away. These owls probably eat desert game in addition to domestic meat like starlings, pigeons, and doves - but hopefully not Tabby!

I count three nestlings in this shot.  In a later shot, the center, low ball of fuzz turns out to be the third.

It took minutes of patience to get a baby owl to look at me.  The shots I got were worth the wait. Normally for a good bird shot you want to get an eye's catchlight - that spark of reflected light. Otherwise, with an all black eye, life seems absent.  But with some birds like owls it's just the clear color against pupil that makes the photograph a success.

It took even longer for this character to show his eyes, modestly averted. 

This shot show's the owlet's developing beak in profile.   According to some hikers, this nest has been here for years, and that an owl returns annually to raise a family.

My final shot was of a favorite bird, the black-throated sparrow. I'm happy to know that even without the good photos of balloons, ravens and owls, the day would have still had special gifts.