Back to the River, Maricopa County, AZ

March 3, 2019
Many months have passed since I last birded the Foxtail area of the Lower Salt River, not far from where I live.  A beautiful wild location, the only drawback for me is the river rock trails; half my time is watching my foot placement instead of looking at birds!

But I can hear the birds!  And, spoil alert, I saw nothing rare or unusual but totally got into the 38 species that were present during my 2.5 mile walk from Sheep's Crossing almost to the Foxtail administrative headquarters.

SONG SPARROW! Here! - There! - All through the desert river area!

As much as possible I stayed close to the river and, in full flow, some of its back-water areas. GREAT BLUE HERON moved around quite a bit from one ponded area to another.

SPOTTED SANDPIPER across the river from me

Back up on the horse trail, ANNA'S HUMMINGBIRDs were quite active.

ANNA'S HUMMINGBIRD

And other birds let themselves be known.

female NORTHERN CARDINAL (male never still enough for photo)

LADDER-BACKED WOODPECKER

AMERICAN ROBIN

From the trail above the water, the brilliant green from so much winter rain created a spectacular desert view.

GREAT EGRET flying off

LUPINE

Finding my way back toward Bush Highway, I came upon a big spread of lupine (above) and lots of poppies already past their prime.

A great way to spend about three hours on a Sunday morning!

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View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S53341238