Babs' Birding Experiences : Buckeye and Arlington Agricultural Fields and Riparian Areas, West Valley of Phoenix, Maricopa County, AZ

Sunday, March 5, 2023

With Lois L. and Holly L., we explored irrigated agricultural fields up, down and across many roads from Jackrabbit on the east to S Verrado Way on the West to Broadway and eventually to Southern Avenue, south of Broadway.

Since this is a once-a-year birding adventure, I'm unfamiliar with the territory. Holly, in the back seat, navigated when necessary on my sketched-out potential map, knowing that houses were growing in some former fields.

Ah....joy came quickly. Pulling off the paved roads any time we spotted a bird, we crept along. Alfalfa fields, thick and tall, hid many small birds from us. But there were:

NORTHERN HARRIER....RED-TAILED HAWK....GREAT EGRET (79 total), AMERICAN KESTREL on overhead wires; FERRIGUNOUS HAWK viewed from Southern Avenue; WHITE-FACED IBIS (512); YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRDs; WESTERN MEADOWLARK, LONG-BILLED CURLEW, and AMERICAN PIPITs. At cattle farms, RED-WINGED and BREWER'S BLACKBIRDs prevailed along with GREAT-TAILED GRACKLE. BLACK VULTUREs outnumbered TURKEY VULTUREs that circled above us.

Spotting birds seldom seen in such numbers in the Phoenix's East Valley, we proceeded on County Road 85 to State Road 85 where we crossed over to Arlington. There we birded eBird Hot Spots. Photos below. OSPREY near the intersection of County and State Routes 85.GREATER YELLOWLEGS on agricultural field berm.

LONG-BILLED CURLEW in a mowed alfalfa field.

AMERICAN WIGEON taking off from Lower River Road Pond

BURROWING OWLs across the road from the ponds on Lower River Road where we parked

GREAT BLUE HERON Rookery along Hazen Road (above & below)

At the 309th Avenue ponds, BLACK-NECKED STILTS

WHITE-FACED IBIS flocks flew over us from time to time

As the driver, I didn't take many photos. But at Arlington Wildlife Area, after slithering the tires through some awesome mud, I was out of the car to enjoy the constant sound and flight of SANDHILL CRANEs.