Lower Salt River

The Salt River flows through the heart of the Valley, supplying much of our drinking water.

It starts high in the rim country and the White Mountains, collecting rain water and snow melt into a series of lakes and reservoirs.  But below its lowest lake, Saguaro Lake, it runs free and unimpeded for a number of miles before it's dammed and diverted to a network of canals that water a thirsty metropolis.  This lower Salt River is a lush and verdant riparian system that supports both sportsmen and wildlife.  And it's only a thirty-five minute drive east from central Phoenix, promising a wonder of unique and beautiful desert landscapes.

Just below Saguaro Lake starts the beautiful lower Salt River.

A view almost 14 miles downriver before most of the water is diverted to canals below Granite Reef Dam.

There is some unique birding in the area, with a combination of water and desert dwellers in close proximity.  This is a greater yellowlegs, maybe the first time I've shot one.

Very common in the desert is the phainopepla, like this female. The male is identical except he's black.

But the most popular bird to scout is the bald eagle.  A number of pairs nest along the Salt River and its lakes.  I was a mile or so away from the river, photographing chollas, when this beauty flew overhead.  My first thought was he was a vulture, a much more common bird in the area.

This is the actual full frame of my first bald eagle shot above.  It's a good example of how I've got to zoom to get a good shot, and later crop and possibly enhance with software to get the best image.

Another bald eagle shot from the same shoot. You can see some bands on its ankles, so it must have been captured and released for identification.

A different shot from a later shoot.  Worse quality but better perspective.  He's a beautiful and magnificent creature.

The landscape on each side of the river valley is both ruggedly mountainous and lush with desert flora. Cholla cacti are in the foreground.

These are some of the tallest cholla I've seen, towering well above my 6'1" height.

Stewart Mountain Dam creates Saguaro Lake, the first of a series of three lakes on the upper reaches of the Salt River.  

Across the lake, you can see a narrower area that defines the greater Salt River Canyon, a rugged landscape whose valleys are forever flooded.

Saguaro Lake is popular with boaters. This view shows the marina, the edge of Stewart Mountain Dam and the Salt River Canyon cliffs towering over the flowing river below.

A view back on the lower river, below the Stewart Mountain Dam. This area is popular with fly fishers, kayakers, canoers, and in the hot summer, tubers. 

Many people camp and picnic along the river.

And many people bird, like yours truly.  Here's a female ladder-backed woodpecker. Her animated call attracted my attention.

Very common along the river is the brilliantly colored male vermilion flycatcher.  The water assures an ample supply of insects.

Male phainopepla. 

Turkey vulture.

Lower in the river valley, I shot this many-armed saguaro cactus. I was told a long time ago that it grows a new arm every ten years, which would make this a very, very old man. I don't know the truth about that, but I do believe that new appendages are sprouted as a way to balance the weight of this very tall and heavy desert giant.