A Great Find

We found the most wonderful place today. It was not like what you would expect to find in Phoenix (or Gilbert), Arizona.



We found trails through lots of desert vegetation.



We saw ponds.



The ponds are man-made lakes pumped full of recycled water from the adjacent wastewater treatment facility. It is allowed to soak into the ground to recharge the aquifers Gilbert uses for city water. They attract lots of birds, which is why we went there.

We spent quite a while watching an osprey (I think) hunting for its lunch.



This photo was taken right after the bird dived into the water and came up--without a fish.



There were quite a few great egrets.





I loved this mallard duck.



Is this his mate?



Look at this cluster of different colored ducks. Doesn't the one on the left remind you of Daffy Duck?



We had beautiful weather--temperatures in the mid-70s and no wind. Look at the reflection of this black-necked stilt.



We also saw turtles.



There were lots of hummingbirds, but I didn't get any pictures of them. We also saw quite a few dragon flies.



And there were cotton tail rabbits.



During our time at Santa Ana NWR during the first months of this year, we learned to really enjoy birding. It is good to find such a great place to see birds near Mesa.