We took the more gradual and scenic Cholla Trail up Camelback's East side, preferring it and the camera's safety to the much steeper Echo Canyon. I was constantly distracted with peripheral movement, but it was Maria who first saw the Greater Roadrunner slaloming its way down the slope.
After a brief foray of photographing and a water break, we were lucky to see the Roadrunner actually take flight and glide to another outcropping--the first and only time to date that I've seen a Roadrunner fly. As we continued upwards, we began to encounter Chuckwallas, a large, chunky lizard found throughout arid regions of the U.S., and Broad-Tailed Hummingbirds.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJd_1PsNG_ybZ9ZCSR_FyMzF01fPjlv-ArIU8lHVVc3ZaMamNiB0lippQRLh-7sBk0kAiNnmHMjtCFMfuL9PZE-zSmkVigYf5Ryrc8LmCMMklKWExHMk31eRKRioeE48DwyfLJvX47wPw/s200/DSC01660.jpg)
Our continued ascent soon brought us to the spine of the mountain, where we were met with a pleasant breeze and a vantage point providing total circumspection of Maricopa County.
We shared the view with a few Red-Tailed Hawks, and saw some rock wrens as well as sort of unidentified sparrow.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTErDw7WFSaBTXs2xhcTlmQt8oXph_YX6lbl0kuJ4i3YJnlPv13YnrzBA11j3KOeT6andq9aRsusmlIRpYnbJ-6LLnTINGnHXB2TA6O8SGx4rM5Fl6E24urN2WHKiXByxMHvRNpgYUJ34/s200/DSC01651.jpg)