DESCRIPTION
This area has a number of
riparian and watery habitats that are good for migrants,
waterfowl, and other wintering passerines. The Hidden
Shores Golf Course continues to turn up all types of sparrows,
Lazuli Buntings, breeding Vermilion Flycatchers, and migrants
such as Bendire's Thrasher.
Vermilion Flycatcher
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DRIVING
DIRECTIONS
Site #6 on the Yuma
County Map
Getting here from the intersection of 1st Street and 4th
Ave takes
30-45 minutes:
- Drive north .8 miles on 4th Ave
across the Colorado River Bridge to the turn-off for California Highway
S-24 (Pichacho Recreation Area)
- Turn right and go north on S24 (veer left to follow it under the RR
bridge)
- Follow S24 as it winds its way through Bard
- After 13.9 miles you'll be at Laguna Dam, the first dam built along the
Colorado River in 1907
- At 17.7 miles you'll be at the turn-off to Senator Wash and West Pond --
go straight
- At 18.3 miles you'll be at the turn-off for Imperial Dam spillway (#4,
#5, & #6 below).
- At 18.4 miles you'll be at the turn-off for Hidden Shore RV Resort (#1,
#2, & #3 below).
At
the present time the road leading to the downstream side of
Imperial Dam (#4 on the map below) is blocked off by
barriers. You can still walk in, though.
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BIRDING
SUGGESTIONS
(Numbered
spots correspond with the map on the right.)
1) This
sandy/dirt loop road takes you next to the Gila Gravity Canal
head works and
overflow. In spring and fall there are often shorebirds,
and and at all seasons look for Spotted Sandpiper, Vermilion
Flycatchers, Black Phoebe, and gnatcatchers. (May not be
suitable for 2-wheel drive cars.)
2) Hidden
Shores Golf Course--it's a small golf course with lots of
mesquite and a few eucalyptus trees. Still, it's the most
reliable spot for Vermilion Flycatcher in the area, and during
migration and winter it attracts Dark-eyed Juncos, Chipping
& other sparrows, buntings, and my first Bendire's Thrasher
for the area.
3) The
waters and marshes behind Imperial Dam are good for Clapper
Rail, Common Moorhen and Pied-billed Grebe. Keep a watch
for terns.
4) This
is the road to the spillway for the Imperial Dam. It
passes by a small pond good for flycatchers and Cinnamon
Teal. The road has been blocked since Sep 11, 2001, but
may be opened again in the future. It is worth walking in
the cooler months. 5)
The
spillway overflow hosts many species of waterfowl in the
winter. There are picnic tables and a grassy area which
attract Mountain Bluebirds and Vermilion Flycatcher.
Terns, gulls, and cormorants often sit on the spillway. 6)
This
sandy path (blocked to vehicular traffic) follows a heavily vegetated canal south to the Colorado
River. Common Snipe, Cooper's Hawk, warblers, and
Lincoln's Sparrows are all found along here in the winter. |
Imperial
Dam & Hidden Shores Resort
(Click
on the map for aerial photo)
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Red numbers
correspond to
the birding suggestions on the left
Blue areas are water (canals, rivers, ponds, marshes, etc.)
Green
dots are trees
R
= rest room (next to the Hidden Shores RV store) |
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Some
of the POSSIBLE Sightings
-
unusual birds
highlighted in dark red
- (w)
indicates wintering bird
-
(b)
indicates breeding bird
Migrants:
Warblers
-Hermit, Black-throated Gray,
Lucy's, MacGillivray's, Townsend's, Virginia's, Yellow-rumped (w), Wilson's, Nashville,
Orange-crowned (w), and Yellow
-Common Yellowthroat (b,w)
Flycatchers
-Western Kingbird (b)
-Ash-throated Flycatcher (b,w)
-Western Wood-Pewee
Other Migrants
& wintering (w) Species
- Northern
Harrier (w)
- Merlin (uncommon w)
- Cooper's & Sharp-shinned Hawks (w)
- Red-naped Sapsucker
- Swainson's & Hermit thrushes
- Bullock's Oriole (b)
- western swallows (b,w)
- Lazuli Bunting
- Blue Grosbeak (b)
- Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (w)
- Black-tailed Gnatcatcher (b,w)
- Lesser Goldfinch (w)
- Bendire's
Thrasher
- Bullock's Oriole (b)
- Hooded Oriole (b)
- White-crowned Sparrow (w)
- Lincoln's Sparrow (w)
- Chipping & Lark Sparrows (w)
- Dark-eyed Junco (w)
Year-round
breeding Residents:
- Pied-billed
Grebe
- Common Moorhen
- American Coot
- Clapper Rail
-
Turkey Vulture
- Barn Owl
- Great Horned Owl
- Red-tailed Hawk
- American Kestrel
- Osprey
- Spotted Sandpiper
- Greater Roadrunner
- Turkey Vulture
- Gambel's Quail
- Ladder-backed Woodpecker
- Gila Woodpecker
-
Loggerhead Shrike
- Black Phoebe
- Vermilion Flycatcher
-
Great-tailed Grackle
- Black-tailed Gnatcatcher
- Verdin
- Song Sparrow
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TRIP REPORTS
(Web Pages)
These pages give you some
idea of the birds that you can find in this location.
Birding
Trips
Osprey along the Colorado River
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