Mike in the Wild

After eight months away from the mountains of northern Arizona, I was eager to visit Watson Woods as soon as I settled back in my summer home in Prescott in late May.  The riparian preserve has always promised sightings of migratory birds like tanagers, grosbeaks, and occasionally even orioles.  Just as exciting have been the nesting great horned owls that I have witnessed.  However I wasn't expecting the posters along the park's trails alerting me to nesting bald eagles in the vicinity.  After scouring the landscape over the course of two visits, I was thrilled to observe both a fledged eagle and at least one of its dedicated parents.   Several summers ago while kayaking, I watched a bald eagle as it perched within the Dells, an expansive range of boulders and rock formations that border the northern end of Granite Lake.  Watson Woods lie at the southern end of the manmade lake, where Granite Creek normally fills the reservoir.  (A dry winter has...

We all know that the best laid plans often go awry, as says my rough paraphrase of Robert Burn's famous line.  However I'm happy to say that I was not disappointed when I set out to see a bald eagle in Glendale this week.  Within two minutes of parking my car on the dirt road ending at the southeast corner of the municipality's recharge ponds, I spied a white-headed bird of prey a couple of hundred yards away.  It was high atop a utility pole where I couldn't tell if it was an eagle or a much more common osprey.  After a few more minutes walking north along the dusty eastern pathway, I was able to confirm my wildest dream: it was was a bald eagle. While finding the symbol of our nation was the goal of my short outing, success was in no way guaranteed.  Yes, a nesting pair has regularly been identified in the area.  Yes, a desert variety of the raptor numbering in the hundreds populates the long waterways of Central Arizona throughout the year.  And yes...

Just a mile east of the gigantic football stadium that the Arizona Cardinals call home lies part of the New River - Agua Fria Underground Water Storage Project (NAUSP).   Within a grid of six basins, water is collected for seepage and storage into a natural underground aquifer.  This precious resource arrives via canals from the Salt and Verde Rivers, and also the Colorado River via the Central Arizona Project, with additional reclaimed water (your clean-as-new sewer water!) coming from the cities of Glendale and Peoria,  The Salt River Project utility manages this vast engineering endeavor. The water in these basins creates 125 acres of temporary ponds that attract a variety of water dwelling fowl and plant life, including birds of prey.   The teeming life in this habitat is a paradox in this busy urban corridor which, in addition to the football stadium, is surrounded by freeways, power lines, an airport, a landfill, and all forms of human encroachment....

In between Watson Woods to the south and the Granite Dells to the north lies Watson Lake, a 70 acre reservoir in Prescott that is fed by Granite Creek and its tributaries.  While various city trails circle and meander through the park's granite boulders, grasslands and forest canopy, an excursion in a kayak guarantees a unique look at both a rocky and aquatic environment. Depending on the season, strata of discoloration are visible on countless rock surfaces, often disappearing completely when the lake is filled by runoff from winter snow melt or summer monsoons.  The rounded, cracked and stacked granite boulders create an endless array of shapes and textures in themselves, conjuring a fantasy of comparisons and images.  Meanwhile, vast panoramas of often cloud-filled skies and distant mountain ranges complete the surrounding landscape.   Water fowl abound, and on a lucky day - like mine! - bald eagles may be hunting or roosting. Any stop at Watson Lake, regardle...

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 ...