Warbler Watching on Mt. Ord!

I know everyone is looking forward to another trip to Mount Ord, so let's do it this Saturday! Lots of warblers have been seen lately, along with woodpeckers, bluebirds, titmice, orioles, buntings, and the occasional hawk overhead! According to Charles Babbitt in his "Birding Arizona" book, all six of his "Arizona Warblers"--Grace's, Lucy's, Red-Faced, Olive, Virginia, and Painted Redstart--are present here in the first few weeks of May. The weather is heating up in the valley again, so this should be an enjoyable trip to the cooler reaches of this mountain!

Mt. Ord is an easy drive up the Beeline Highway from Fountain Hills. We will plan to rendezvous at the Chevron station at Ft. McDowell on the Beeline Highway at 8:00 am (not at the map pin!) and caravan up from there. However, if you want to go directly to the Mt Ord exit (map pin), we should be there around 9:00. The Chevron station doesn't like us leaving cars in their parking lot, so carpooling to the Chevron would be a good idea. Once we get to Mt. Ord, we can stop in the lower corral area to park some cars and then carpool the rest of the way up the mountain. The road up Mt. Ord is unpaved but well maintained, although it does get a little bumpy in the upper stretch. We will proceed up the mountain to the intersection of FR1688, where we will bird the pines around the spring. Afterwards, we will drive up the mountain to the upper parking area and bird the road up to the towers at the summit. This will be an uphill walk of a mile or more at 6000-7000 foot elevation, so be prepared for a little exercise. The view from the top is worth it even if we don't see a lot of birds! As usual, bring binos, bird guides, cameras, water, and snacks for the trip. It may be cool and breezy at the top, so dress accordingly. It's about a 50 minute drive to get to FR1688 from the Chevron; the drive to the upper parking area will be another 20 minutes or so.

Afterwards, we will head back to Fountain Hills to the Saddle Bronc Grill. Saddle Bronc Grill is at 11056 N. Saguaro Blvd, about half a mile north of Shea Blvd. (Saguaro is about the last street you come to before the Beeline Hwy, when you are heading east on Shea.) It's a cowboy themed restaurant with a reasonable selection of food and beverages, so we can discuss our sightings over lunch and make plans for future outings!