"Gilbert Water Ranch"
is shorthand for "The Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch
in Gilbert, AZ." This is a 110 acre facility of seven
large shallow basins used to recharge the water table with
processed waste water (i.e., "gray" water). Water levels
are adjusted all the time, so there's never any advance
knowledge of where the water will be on any visit. During
the hotter months there may be only very small "survival"
ponds in a few of the basins as the bulk of the water is
sold to golf courses in the area. There is also an eighth
pond beside the library that is kept full and stocked for
fishermen that generally holds little of interest to
photographers.
The basins are surrounded by wide gravel berms that are
easy to walk upon, with low native shrubs and a few
scattered small mesquite trees that host various
passerines.
The facilities are open to the public dawn to dusk, and the
gravel paths get lots of use from birders, photographers,
joggers, strollers, and dog owners. Occasionally there are
2-3 teenage girls on horses. On weekends a horde of
cub-scouts often invades and pretends they are roughing it
in the wildness while the troop leaders hide out in their
cars parked 10 feet away during overnight stays.
The facility is completely surrounded by typical metro
development sprawl. The basins attract lots of water birds,
and the vegetation is used by typical land birds of the
area. Most resident birds are now very tolerant of people,
making photography easier than the same birds in less
visited locations.
With such good and varied habitat in the developed
surroundings, the location is a magnet for both birds and
birders. I've personally seen 182 of the more than 220
species reported here since it opened to the public in late
1999. In a typical 2-3 hour visit I can walk around about
1/3rd of the trails (based on where the water is) and see
45-55 species. If I took my spotting scope instead of my
camera on these visits I'd likely see another 10-15
species.
Rarities here have included: Streak-backed Oriole (three
winters, last seen in Nov 2007); Groove-billed Ani (1 bird
for about a month); Least Tern and Elegant Tern (one of
very few records for AZ); four species of gulls including
Franklin's and Sabine's; many vagrant "Eastern" warblers
(Magnolia, Prairie, American Redstart, Kentucky, Tennessee,
Blackpoll, and currently Northern Parula), Fulvous
Whistling-Duck, and Ruff.
It is probably the best birding location near Phoenix and
certainly worth a visit for anyone living in the Valley,
visiting here, or just passing through on the way to
southern Arizona or California.
For bird photographers the primary attractions are
wintering waterfowl and migrant shorebirds. Good numbers of
Long-billed Dowitchers are present fall through spring.
Black-necked Stilts are resident year round and provide
opportunities for mating displays and close ups of recently
hatched chicks. American Avocets also nest here and one or
two may be present in winter as well. Killdeer nest in many
places. Herons and egrets are well represented, including
breeding Black-crowned Night-Heron and Green Heron. Both
Least and American Bittern have been seen but are not to be
expected. Neotropic Cormorants have displaced
Double-crested for the most part and can be photographed in
flight, swimming, and roosting in trees. Abert's Towhee, a
Colorado River basin specialty, is resident and can be
abundant but is difficult to find off the ground.
Curve-billed Thrashers are also resident and nest in the
large Saguaro cactus group next to the main parking lot.
Gila Woodpeckers also nest here and can be seen feeding on
the blossoms and fruit of the cacti along with White-winged
Doves in season.
Best photography is in the first hour or two at dawn, when
the light is good, the temperature hasn't reached the
triple digits yet, and visitor activity is at a minimum.
Most photographers head directly to the east side of pond
5, just past the central restroom. From the parking lot
head south on the main path between ponds 7 and 1, and go
30 yards or so beyond the elevated area where the water is
pumped between the ponds. Walk past the bench and pick a
dry spot close to the water's edge. It is not necessary to
set up a blind, or even to wear camo here - just get low
and stay quiet without making any sudden moves. Birds may
be across the pond when you begin but often move so close
to the eastern edge that you can get frame-filling shots of
Least Sandpiper with 600mm. While watching the shorebirds
don't overlook Song Sparrow, American Pipit, Red-winged
Blackbird, or Great-tailed Grackle that come to feed at the
water's edge nearby.
More information on finding and photographing common
species here is presented in Water Ranch Examples.
A near-current checklist of birds reliably seen at the
Water Ranch is available on Birds of the Gilbert Water Ranch.
Official web site: http://www.riparianinstitute.org/