A flock of about 50 American White Pelicans dotted the river at Gillespie Dam highlighting a great birding trip in the vicinity of Arlington and Buckeye. The area is mainly rural with open fields, canals and ponds and small residential communities.

Trip leaders Joan and Dean Luehrs visit the area frequently and know every road and farm lane intimately. They've seen the Burrowing Owl disappear from its usual site and twice saw the White Ibis, a rarity in this locale. The group of 16 spotted 53 species and those in the leaders' car had a "picture book" look at a Ferruginous Hawk sitting like a sentinel in a saguaro as they started home.

Birds seen were: Pied-billed Grebe, American White Pelican, Great Blue Heron, Cattle Egret, Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Green Heron, Black-crowned Night Heron, White-faced Ibis, Gadwall, Green-winged Teal, Mallard, Northern Pintail, Cinnamon Teal, Canvasback, Ring-necked Duck, American Coot, Killdeer, Greater Yellowlegs, Northern Harrier, Cooper's Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, American Kestrel, Gambel's Quail, Spotted Sandpiper, Rock Pigeon, Mourning Dove, Greater Roadrunner, Black Phoebe, Say's Phoebe, Northern Rough-winged Swallow, American Pippit, Loggerhead Shrike, Phainopepla, Northern Mockingbird, European Starling, White-crowned Sparrow, Savannah Sparrow, Abert's Towhee, Orange-crowned Warbler, House Finch, House Sparrow, Yellow-headed Blackbird, Western Meadowlark, Red-winged Blackbird, Great-tailed Grackle, Brewer's Blackbird, Belted Kingfisher, Turkey Vulture, Ferruginous Hawk, Eurasian Collared Dove, and Common Raven.

Participants in addition to the leaders were: George Wall, Eleanor Campbell, Bob McCall, Kris Coates, Marge Eckman, Liz and Stew Morris, Audrey and Larry Schander, Phyllis Rosander, Judith Burke, Carol Maroney, Chuck Kangas, and Ian Jeffrey.