Least Sandpipers
Most of these photos will be pretty ugly…There is a place I’ve been to a few times just west of Phoenix called Glendale Recharge Ponds. These ponds belong to Salt River Project, one of our electric companies, and they attract a huge amount of waterbirds and shorebirds and quite a few rarities. They are next to New River, which is part of the attraction for the birds. The only problem is it’s a very unattractive area and the birds are usually way out on the ponds so it’s hard to sneak up on them and get good photos.
I was out there a couple weeks ago, again, looking for a specific rare bird…that I never found but here are a few shots of birds I did find there.
Spotted Sandpiper
Western Sandpipers
Northern Shovelers
Ruddy Duck
Northern Pintails
Common Mergansers
Green-winged Teal
Gadwalls
Eared Grebe
Although I didn’t find the bird I was looking for (Long-tailed Duck), I did get one lifer there:
Buffleheads
Bufflehead, female
Savannah Sparrow
These photos give an idea of how “industrial” looking the area is and how it also attracts people who enjoy graffiti and tagging. Even though there are houses nearby, the area is kind of creepy and remote, in my opinion. Almost every time I go there, I’m the only one around.
Seriously not my favorite place to go but the variety and quantity of birds there is amazing. There are always several hundred birds in the water plus plenty of raptors flying overhead, including Bald Eagles.
Bald Eagle, immature
This was my 700th post!
Glenrosa Journeys 