Tempe Marsh

On October 16 a Sonoran Audubon group had the opportunity to bird in a restricted, locked area, Tempe Marsh. This area is located at McClintock and the Salt River, east of Tempe Lake. Cynthia Overton, of Maricopa County Flood Control met the group, unlocked the gate and accompanied the group in order to provide us access and the opportunity to explore this area.

On a beautiful, sunny, cool morning the group enjoyed watching the gracefulness of an Osprey As it attempted and finally succeeded in catching its breakfast. A Belted Kingfisher kept teasing the group with its constant chatter. Only after several encounters were we finally able to see the bird.

The water level was quite high, not providing much habitat for shorebirds. Several Killdeer kept the group on alert with their constant loud calls. We were able to study Least Sandpipers at a rather close range through scopes.

Several members of the group noticed a very large bird flying overhead. After some discussion and elimination some decided that it may have been a swan species.

The following list was compiled on the trip: Pied-billed Grebe, Double-crested Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Green Heron, Black-crowned Night-Heron, Mallard, Osprey, Red-tailed Hawk, American Kestrel, American Coot, Black-necked Stilt, Killdeer, Least Sandpiper, Rock Pigeon, Mourning Dove, Belted Kingfisher, Gila Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Black Phoebe, Loggerhead Shrike, Verdin, European Starling, Song Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, Abert's Towhee, Orange-crowned Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, House Finch, and Great-tailed Grackle.

The following people participated in the trip: Cynthia Overton, Maricopa County Flood Control District, Earl and Pat Edris, Vera Markham, Marshall Esty, George Wall, Dick Fogle, Anne Durning, Richard Kaiser, Linda Long, Bob McCormick, Mary Miller, Kathy Hobbs, and Daniela Yellan, Trip Leader.