Salt River - Phon D. Sutton Recreation Area, Mesa, Maricopa County, AZ

Wednesday, January 26, 2022

    Five of us Pueblo Birders explored the banks and mudflats of the Salt River to the east of where the Verde River flows into the Salt at Phon D. Sutton rec area with a chilly (41°F) start that warmed up considerably under a clear sunny sky.

    Along the shoreline, our first sighting was a GREAT BLUE HERON. We would see more of them during the morning perched and flying from one spot to another.

    One of our best sightings was a single WILSON'S PHALAROPE that I accidentally flushed as I tried to get close enough (still pretty far away) for a decent camera shot.  Since it flew toward the Verde River (we weren't far from the confluence of the two rivers), I thought the rest of its species was likely there. WILSON'S PHALAROPE (above) in basic (winter) plumage    from my file

    The narrow east-bound dirt trail along the Salt is at times high above the water giving us great looks but too far for my camera lens. Happy, still, to see a half-dozen WILSON'S SNIPE, a couple KILLDEER, and a juvenile SORA that I caught on camera, they were but a small portion of all the birds we saw that morning. Some of the photos below are, again, from my files

WILSON'S SNIPE        from my files

KILLDEER   at Phon D Sutton Rec Area

Wilson's Snipe in left foreground; juvenile SORA center rear - mudflats, Phon D. Sutton

 

    After spending almost two hours along the Salt River, we walked up the bank to the parking lot. With the temperature rising, we left our early-morning outerwear in the car before embarking on the Nature Trail west of the parking area.

    Raptors observed were SHARP-SHINNED and COOPER'S HAWK, plus a good look at a BALD EAGLE overhead.

NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD  

PHAINOPEPLA (male) note its red eye

    

     GREAT-TAILED GRACKLE outnumbered RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD 51 to 45. We caught sight of just two (2) BREWER'S BLACKBIRD. 

    We're always thrilled to track down the chip of a NORTHERN CARDINAL, below.

    Thanks to Gloria, Hinde, Ellen, and Chardi for their quick sightings and some tough identifications, we had a memorable visit to Phon D. Sutton on a very beautiful day.

    Click on eBird Report below to see the list of all the birds we saw.

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View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S101486045