If I Were Going...: Gilbert Riparian Preserve

After the Grand Canyon, we headed south to Phoenix. My goal was to see some new birds at the Gilbert Riparian Preserve.

We did.

Black-necked Stilt

We had planned to meander through Oak Creek Canyon and maybe have dinner in Sedona. We ended up picnicking at the southern end of Flagstaff at a lovely park that had no picnic tables except large covered group areas -- and this was in areas designated for picnics!

As we drove, the temperature kept going up, Oak Creek Canyon was crowded and Sedona was even more crowded.

Sedona

So, we didn't stop much and therefore made it to Sedona quickly -- that nixed dinner. That was OK, though. Sedona isn't really a cute little town anymore. It's congested and difficult to maneuver. I can skip it. We did. except for one short photo stop.

We stopped briefly to check out Agua Fria National Monument, which is about an hour and a half north of Phoenix. But, by now, it was over 100 degrees. Agua Fria has only primitive dirt roads, so we also passed on it. We headed south. Maybe I'll visit some day when it's not so hot.

Maybe on a cooler day

When we got to the northern edge of town, which features a major highway interchange that wasn't there when we lived there, we found our old house.

Our house in 1986

I am sorry to say the house doesn't look as good as it did in 1986.

The area isn't too bad, but it appears our little house had some difficult times, including a foreclosure. The worst "crime" was painting those bumped out areas a different color.

More interesting than bad paint choices, however, is the growth north of the house.

When we lived there, there was nothing but a giant desert field behind our house. Nothing! We were the northern boundary of the Phoenix metro area. Now, there are houses and highways stretching for miles farther north.

We were staying in Mesa, which is still in the Phoenix area, but about an hour farther southeast. So, we got to slog through Phoenix traffic, arriving at the hotel in early afternoon. By now, it was 109 degrees! That puts a crimp in exploring! A few days later, after we had left, it was back in the 80s.

Scott decided to call it a day. I headed out to the Gilbert Riparian Preserve (technically, the Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch). Dedicated in 1999, the Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch is a 110-acre wetland wildlife preserve that also features a cactus garden, an urban fishing lake stocked with trout, catfish, bass and sunfish and the Gilbert Rotary Centennial Observatory.

Great birding spot

The Preserve has multiple ponds (some drained this time of year; some actually part of the Gilbert water treatment cycle) and really nice, broad walking/biking paths. I had seen so many great bird photos from there that I wanted to check it out. I knew it was iffy because winter is its best time. At 110 degrees, many birds were gone to more hospitable climes. But, I headed out, getting reacquainted with Phoenix temperatures (translation: panting).

I parked at the Gilbert Library by the fishing pond and immediately saw a whole row of Desert Cottontails strung out across the lawn, also panting. They hopped sluggishly away when I approached.

Desert Cottontail

During my hour and half stroll, I must have seen hundreds of rabbits. They were everywhere I went.

I didn't have a map of the area, so I looked at an information sign and struck out. There was a small group of kids on a bridge that cuts a corner off the end of the fishing pond. They were feeding ducks, so it seemed like a good place to start.

Almost immediately, I heard a loud splash and turned to see an immature Double-Crested Cormorant surfacing with a crayfish in its mouth.

Lunch!

Off to a great start ...

Crawdad snack

Along the bridge, there were a number of domestic ducks and Mallards, including this rather interesting duck, which might be a hybrid of a Mallard and a Crested Duck. It had a blue bill, so maybe it is part Ruddy Duck. Regardless, it was not any actual breed.

An interesting 'do

It was so hot and the water was so pretty, I was really tempted to jump in. But, of course, I didn't. Once I crossed the bridge, I started down the trail, looking for more birds. Hey, I wouldn't be sad if I saw a Coyote or Javelina. But, I didn't.

Tree rock

The very first thing I saw was a tree decorated with painted rocks. At first, I thought they were unclaimed easter eggs, but closer examination showed them to be rocks. I looked around to see if there was a sign explaining why these rocks ere in this tree.

Nothing.

I assume it's just a thing people do.

I did find some references to "Kindness Projects" in which people leave painted rocks to buoy spirits. Some guy even placed 30 rocks each featuring an MLB logo in trees in Gilbert. I didn't see them. But, I did see this pretty rock.

What I did see were House Finches, which, in Arizona, seem much more orange than the ones we have in Colorado ...

A very pretty House Finch

... Gambel's Quail -- always just a few feet farther down the trail than I wanted them to be and more deeply shaded than I wanted them to be (although, I must admit, the shade was nice in the heat, as was a slight breeze)...

On the trail

These birds are beautiful, especially the males ...

Their head feathers make them look like they are wearing fancy hats

... a female Great-Tailed Grackle, looking aggravated, as usual ...

Intense

I spent a considerable amount of time photographing a very cooperative Green Heron ...

A pretty bird

... I just love herons because they just don't get intimidated easily. They just freeze when you approach. Staying very still is their hunting behavior, so it must come naturally.

On a very shaded corner of a trail, I encountered a pair of Black-chinned Hummingbirds ...

Sitting still for just a moment

One thing I have learned in bird photography is to LOOK. These little guys were fairly well hidden. If I had not heard that familiar buzz of hummingbird wings, I would not have even seen them. They were hard to isolate, especially in the shady bushes, but I did!

At the far end of the park are a couple of ranches. One has two paddocks right by the trail.

Pretty!

Both had new foals with signs instructing people not to feed them. One was asleep behind his mom. But, this Belgian Workhouse foal was wide awake. He even approached the fence, leading me to believe some folks might have been feeding him. Or, at least, petting him.

All the birds (except that hybrid duck) are ones I had seen and photographed before. But, I did get two new birds, including one that I was really hoping to see and almost didn't and one that I didn't even know to look for.

The latter was an Abert's Towhee ...

A lifer for me

The former were Black-necked Stilts, which I found only because I was trying to wend my way back to may car and I found a pond that hadn't been drained ...

Nice reflections

These very Avocet-like birds (both species belong to the Recurvirostridae family, but are different genara) are great for photography, especially if you can catch a reflection. Allegedly they come to Colorado, but I had never seen any before.

After slogging through the heat, I was done. I dragged myself back to the car and, as I was leaving, I noticed a parking lot specifically for the Riparian Preserve (I had parked at the Library). Right by the lot was a lovely cactus garden that looked like a great place for birds. This is how hot it was: I just couldn't get back out of the car! I drove to the hotel, where I made a dinner from cooler food, took a shower and crashed.

The next morning, I took Scott to the Riparian Preserve on our way of town. This time, we parked in the new lot and explored the cactus.

There were more bunnies ...