Monday, March 26, 2012

Tres Rios Flow-Regulating Wetlands

The Salt, Gila, and Aqua Fria Rivers come together and form a fantastic birding habitat at the Tres Rios Wetlands in west Phoenix. This teeming riparian habitat is off-limits to the public, but with the right connections, suaveness, stunning good-looks, and cash-filled envelopes, one might illicit a black-market pass to park and bird in the area. Since I possess none of those things, I called the AZ Game and Fish Department and asked for a permit, which they mailed the next day.

A fair portion of this area is actually off-limits to everybody, unfortunately this is where the vast majority of the birds congregate. But within the accessible birding area there is still plenty to see. In a couple hours of evening birding I recorded sixty species, and some of the Listserv pros have reportedly seen over ninety species within the two-mile loop.

From behind the heavy-duty fence I spied into the sequestered area and saw almost all of the migratory ducks on display, as well as Cormorants, Coots, Stilts, and a half-dozen White Pelicans (not exactly something one associates with Arizona). With their size and color, the Pelicans were perhaps the most conspicuous birds at the preserve, but with every step one took along the waterfront the small and drab Song Sparrows still made their presence known.


The waterways are bordered by thick brush and tall reeds, which provide shelter for the Sparrows along with Coots, Herons, Red-Winged Blackbirds. They also re-acquinated me with my two main photographic nemeses, the Wilson's Warbler and Common Yellowthroat. Needless to say, I took no decent photos of these cowardly critters, nothing new there.


One of the most notable sightings of the evening was my first Least Bittern. It called and took off before I had the camera ready, and I was similarly greeted by some American Bitterns a little later. This Bittern experience got me thinking that birders really need to invent a Bittern-inspired mixed drink. It'd have to have bitters in it, obviously, maybe mixed with some rye whiskey and Creme de Menthe? If some brave soul wants to give that a try and let me know how it works, I'd appreciate it.

White Crowned Sparrow: one of the few birds willing to stand its ground in the face of photography.
The White-Faced Ibis (which I think should just be called the Western Ibis) was another eminently cool bird on display. My sightings of this other-worldly wader have been few and far between, and they're usually along these lines:


I was lucky to have this individual land within camera range, but a bit unlucky to have some stray dogs scare it off a minute later. The dogs and I then had a growling contest and I, having a better, angrier motivation, won.


The footpath moves along with the water, and on the south side there is a nice margin of chaparral and occasional tree clumps. House Finches, Vesper Sparrows, Cardinals, and Yellow-Rumped Warblers constantly alight from shrub to shrub. There is constant movement, and neither the birds nor the lizards stay still and exposed for long. That's just as well. With Kestrels and Shrikes lurking nearby, it's better safe than sorry.


With so many species and habitats condensed into a small area, the Tres Rios refuge really is an incredible birding patch. My photos don't nearly do it justice, but my excuse is that I was just casing the joint here on this first visit. I'm hoping to follow up very soon, as this seems to be as much of an urban birding Mecca as the Gilbert Water Ranch in east Phoenix. It's great excitement to add another site to one's birding repetoire, a new land to explore.

18 comments:

  1. What a wonderful birding opportunity! Look forward to your next visit!

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    1. Thanks Karen. It's great to have you visit the site : )

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  2. The Trez Rios area looks super for birds Laurence. Wilson's Warblers and Common Yellowthroats are nemesis birds for me too. One day we will get them.

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    1. I'm glad we can commiserate. Now I know where they live, mwuahahaha (evil laugh).

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  3. It's always a nice feeling to learn someplace new in your home turf. One of the most exciting challenges since we've moved is trying to acquire all of that insider knowledge that the local birders all know. It sounds like your scouting expedition was a resounding success, though - I'm sure you'll be able to show those Listserv punks who the real pro is in no time.

    Great shot of the WCSP!

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    1. Exploring the urban and semi-urban birding scenes has been a great adventure this year. It's amazing what a little bit of water and shade can bring in terms of wildlife.

      I'm not sure if I'm ready yet to conquer the listserv...maybe if you train me Rocky III style (except at birding, not boxing): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YsfHfHKKh0

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  4. Sounds like a rad spot...90 species?! Congrats on Least Bittern as well, that is a quality bird.

    Great caption for the White-crowned Sparrow.

    I spent all day today at the San Diego Zoo, which led to some incidental birding...my first Hooded Oriole of the year was prolly the highlight. Tomorrow I plan on going apeshit though...Reddish Egrets and Thick-billed Kingibird are on the target list.

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    1. It's pretty plush. I guess it won't have quite the panda-tastic biodiversity of the San Diego but...we all make do with what we can eh?
      Hooded Orioles are handsome creatures, and are I fear underrated in the Oriole hierarchy. Anyhow I'm looking forward to viewing your zoocapades. You now truly are a zoologist. I hope 'apeshit' pertains purely to the birding and not an undesirable part of your job at the zoo...

      Good luck with the Egrets and Kingbird. Those would be lifers for me, maybe if you can pinpoint them I'll scurry up to San Diego.

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  5. WOW! I want to visit this place so bad. Your pics are great but the one I love is the shot of the Ibis on the shore. I really want to see one of these up close. I've found a Night Heron and that was exciting....but I'd love to see the Rookerys in this area of the Great Blue Herons. The nests look incredible. And Pelicans.....that would be a great find.

    I laughed when you wrote about the Bittern. It's so true. Arizonans are crazy about several birds....the Bittern is one of them. When someone spots this invisible bird, they start getting a little crazy. Other birds that I've noticed birders going crazy over are the Phoebe, Virginia Rail, several varieties of Warblers, and the Ladderback. And if we find an Elegant Trogon then you've found the Holy Grail:) My project this summer is to identify and discover as many hummingbirds as I can. And Owls:) It's fun to watch what each birder gets excited about:)

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    1. Thanks Chris! It was a pretty cool spot and was particularly loaded with waders. I admit, a Bittern is still an eyebrow raising bird. Some bird blogs seem to have Bitterns up every other day, but down here they're none too regular.

      I've read about your observations in the Phoebe--that is a funny one I couldn't guess at. Sure, they and the Ladderback are very cool, but they're pretty common and not restricted to Arizona either. Sometimes I wish I had that renewed interest in the more common birds though. It must make the adventure so much more fulfilling. I'm definitely hoping to find that Holy Grail this spring/summer-top of the list.

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  6. Looks like you had an amazing day! Glad you saw the Common Yellowthroat again! Your White crowned Sparrow photo is amazing!

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    1. Thanks Tammy. At least one bird stayed for a photo.

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  7. Hmmm, a Bittern-inspired cocktail, huh? I've recently been into making fun cocktails. I picture a drink that has bitters, maybe some melon liquor for the green grassy-ness, and it should have some alcohol that just kinda sneaks up on you and that you won't know will hit you until later. Do they still make ever clear? (That stuff college kids would sneak into their trash can punch to get a buzz w/o it tasting strong). Hmm... I'll have to think about it some more.

    Oh, and that White Crowned Sparrow is lovely! =)

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    1. That sounds interesting Maureen, clearly you're on to something and I appreciate you taking the reins. I suspect my initial concoction would be disgusting, unlike a Bittern.

      I still see ever-clear around (in stores, not in my bathtub). Let me know how it goes! Maybe you could combine some essence of Durian fruit to get the fetid bog smell that sometimes accompanies the Bittern's natural environment?

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    2. Bleh! Just the THOUGHT of essence of Durian makes me want to hurl! No, I don't think that would help the smell at all, only make it worse! But now I'm thinking that would make the drink is some Zubrowka (Bison Grass Vodka) from Poland. It actually has a blade of bison grass, which has a vanilla aroma to it, added to each bottle. We have some in the freezer!

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    3. Yeah I was going for realism with the Durian fruit, the smell of a rotting bog. I guess if drinkability is THAT important to you then I'll put the durian back in the garbage.

      I didn't even know they had bison in Poland, but that sounds like a very interesting concoction, one that only super hip people would know about. Does the aroma from the grass really permeate the alcohol to a noticeable degree? That's crazy cool.

      So, for some other bird-themed drinks:
      Turkey Vulture: Bloody Mary
      Rufous Hummingbird: Tequila Sunrise
      Northern Harrier (male): Vodka Martini?

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    4. The aroma of the grass really does permeate the vodka! I'm not a liquor connoisseur by any means, but I must say that this is a very drinkable vodka in that you can drink it straight without gagging. It's super smooth and has a soft vanilla-y aroma to it.

      I'm liking the bird-themed drinks. I'm sure we could go on and on thinking up new ones... Say like:

      Flamingo - Strawberry Daquiri
      California Condor - Dark & Stormy
      Monk Parakeet - Margarita
      Yellow Warbler - Lemon Drop

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    5. Very cool. I shall henceforth refer to all of these drinks by their avian name.

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