Thanksgiving Morning at Granite Reef & Goldfield Rec Areas along the Salt River, Maricopa County, AZ

Thursday, November 28, 2019
Following up the heavy rain and wind we experienced yesterday, Lois Lorenz and I were both glad that no moisture was coming from the dark overhead clouds on Thanksgiving morning. About 7 a.m. we began birding at Granite Reef Recreation Area. That was our intention, anyway.

VERDIN and RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET made themselves known in the mesquites as we walked to the south edge of the Salt River. WHERE are the waterfowl?  ZERO birds out there?! 

That was sort of unsettling for me!  This time of year the river is usually home to Goldeneye, Bufflehead, ..Mergansers and more.  Not today.  Nada. Nothing as far as I could see from the end of the concrete walkway.  And, here we were hoping for some unusual birds to show up from the winds and rainstorm yesterday!

Do they know it's hunting season?  (Dove, Duck & Quail)  If so, I'm okay with that but otherwise, I'm just wondering if they're passing up the Salt for the Riparian area at Gilbert Water Ranch...

Off, then, to the berm around the water catchment basin that actually held some good water but again, not a duck or wader in sight. With poor light under the very dark overcast sky, we did locate a COOPER'S HAWK perched on a snag in the distance.

COOPER'S HAWK

At the muddy "beach" (end of drainage area) on the south shore of the Salt, we finally saw ducks!!  Not many, but three CANVASBACK is always a great sighting!  Two drake; one hen.  Here, too, not far from us was a GREAT BLUE HERON and in the trees behind it, a BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERON.

Pair of CANVASBACK  (Note red eye of drake)
 

The BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERON, (below) working its way around on the bottom limbs of a large shrub, was a bit west of the Canvasbacks so all the waterfowl were congregated on this one stretch of the river.

Perched atop a pole at the dam was a mature BALD EAGLE and a paltry number of ducks were hugging the north shore across from us - including a COMMON GALLINULE. The surprise bird at the edge of our little muddy spit was an AMERICAN PIPIT.

Birding our way back to the car, we decided to try our luck at 

GOLDFIELD RECREATION AREA.  

Muddy but birdy.

PHAINOPEPLA were abundant. That's an unusual word derived from the Greek language that means "black silky robe".  Sometimes called the "desert cardinal" or "black cardinal" by beginners, this slim handsome flycatcher makes the desert its home during the winter months. Another red-eyed bird, it is often found in trees with clumps of mistletoe. It's one of the few birds that can digest its berries.

As the sky lightened somewhat, I took a few more photos of the various birds in the mesquite bosque, willows and cottonwoods.  Two different species of woodpecker below: our common GILA WOODPECKER (male with red cap) and a LADDER-BACKED WOODPECKER (female with no red on its head).

Out along the river we heard and saw a SPOTTED SANDPIPER on a rare island of small stones, a GREAT EGRET and a GREAT BLUE HERON.

Upon reaching the sandstone cliffs, filled with empty Cliff-Swallow nests, we turned back swinging away from the shoreline to cover the scrub and trees on our return.

Before climbing the hill back up to the parking lot, I snapped a pic of RED MOUNTAIN on Tribal Land looking good from this distance.

With 28 species at Granite Reef and 24 at Goldfield, we were pleased with the birding and the exercise (3 miles) -- in preparation for feasting later in the day.

'Til next time.

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View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S61816048

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S61819715