Mike in the Wild

A year ago I only saw dry riverbed when I peered over the walkway from the bridge on the east side of McClintock Drive in Tempe.  Quite a few camps of homeless people littered a dry landscape peppered with mesquite trees.  A coyote meandered from the shoreline of Tempe Town Lake fifty feet behind me, where the man-made lake began at a concrete barrier spanning most of the width of the waterway.   However last week, at the end of an exceptionally wet winter across the state, only treetops remained visible as the Salt River ran unimpeded.  It was as free and wild as the coyotes and the campers who had escaped the deluge.  Only birds were on the scene, but not the winter-visiting species I observed on my last visit.  Gone were the northern shovelers and gadwalls that skimmed the shallow ponds edging the exposed river bottom as it feebly fed the lake.  Of course, the ponds were now obliterated, merged into one wide, raging river.  Amidst the eddi...

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 ...