Babs' Birding Experiences : Late Afternoon Visit to the Lower Salt River, Maricopa County, AZ

Monday, January 10, 2022

Wanting to check out Granite Reef Rec Area in Mesa for the reported swan species located there, I couldn't get there until late afternoon. I made a quick call to Lois who joined me.

First off, we spotted a mixed flock of CANVASBACK and RING-NECKED DUCKs paddling east on the high river water.

As the sun slipped lower in the sky, I noticed Four Peaks off to the east was covered in a nice red hue.

Before heading west toward the dam, a male VERMILLION FLYCATCHER stopped by to spend some time with us.

On the trail westward, we stopped suddenly for about a half dozen JAVELINA crossing our trail from the river to the trees.

The thin river of mud that flowed along the channel leading to our destination mudflat was tricky to navigate but we were soon standing on the edge of the flat projecting slightly out into the river.

From there, I was scanning for a long-necked white bird when Lois casually remarked, "I'm on it."

What she saw was a round mound of white feathers!

The swan, very close to the opposite shore, was foraging with its head down for what seemed to be long periods of time before lifting and putting it right back down. For photos, I timed its movements: head down 15 seconds; head up two (2) seconds. Once I got the rhythm, photos caught the swan but the distance was too much for good detail. What I saw on my blown-up photos pointed to a TUNDRA Swan. But the next day's eBird lists showed others identifying it as a TRUMPETER SWAN. Those birders may have used a spotting scope while I had left mine in the trunk of the car due to winds that make it difficult to use effectively. Below are a few very distant photos of the swan.