Birding Site: Yuma Main Drain Most recent visit: 14 May 2011
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 Roseate Spoonbill |
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The Yuma Main Drain is part of the irrigation system in Yuma County. It takes irrigation run-off and funnels it south towards Mexico. Bird life here is sometimes a factor of water levels in the drain--when it's high expect Cinnamon Teal & wintering waterfow, when it's low expect more waders and shorebirds. It hosted a Tri-colored Heron the summer of 2004 and aThick-billed Kingbird from 2002-2011. This area is also good for Eurasian Collared-Doves, Osprey, White-tailed Kite, all the Yuma-area waders, sparrows, and shorebirds. In the early fall expect the cattails to die off, as they are spayed with herbicide to facilitate the water movement. |
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Map Key Brown lines are dirt/sandy roads Blue lines are water Green dots are trees Numbers refer to the sites listed below Click on thumbnail below for a full-sized location map |
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A couple of large cottonwoods plays host to a small rookery of Great, Snowy, and Cattle Egrets, and Great-blue Herons. There may also be nesting Black-crowned Night Herons hidden in the thick foliage; they certainly frequent the Main Drain. The cattails in the Main Drain below the cottonwoods are a good place for Yellow-headed Blackbirds, Common Yellowthroats, and Marsh Wrens. |
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This area along the drain has hosted a Thick-billed Kingbird from 2002-2011. It usually shows up late in the fall and leaves by the end of March. The kingbird moves around quite a bit, but is pretty reliable just before sunset.
Walk to the south side of Cty 11th Str and face south. To your right you'll see two large cottonwoods on the other side of a small lateral (canal). We think the kingbird roosts in there for the night. To the left of the cottonwoods, a telephone or electric wire crosses the lateral. The kingbird often flycatches from this wire. In front of the stucco-finished house to your left, look in the pecan tree. Sometimes the bird flycatches from there. But please DO NOT walk in their yard or property. As you look south, the kingbird may be on the very large cottonwood across the Yuma Main Drain. |
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This area along the drain often has exposed mud flats which are attractive to both waders and shorebirds. Black-necked Stilts breed, and in the spring, fall, and winter they are joined by Greater Yellowlegs, Least & Western Sandpipers, Wilson's Snipe, and occasionally Solitary Sandpipers. This spot was where Jeff Coker found a Tricolored Heron in 2005 and I had a Roseate Spoonbill in July 2007. When the water is higher, this is a good spot for Common & Hooded Mergansers, and all varieties of teal. In the surrounding fields, look for White-tailed Kite and sparrows, especially if you can find some hay or fallows fields. Some of the varieties to look for are Savannah, Lark, and Vesper. |
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Many areas along the Main Drain have thick growths of cattails that support a nice variety of birds in the summer and early fall. Look for Least Bitterns, Common Moorhens, and Yellow-headed Blackbirds. In fall and winter, if the cattails haven't been eradicated (to improve flow), you'll find Soras and wintering sparrows in them. |
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The deeper water in the drain south of County 10th Street attracts more ducks, and you may find Redheads, wigeon, and Gadwalls mixed in with the more common Cinnamon Teal. There are also many waders here; the Tricolored Heron visited this section of the drain in 2005. On the west side of the drain a marshy area often holds enough water for waders and waterfowl. |
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On the south side of the drain are some nice stands of Athel Tamarisks that host doves and grosbeaks. The north side of the drain has mixed farming and a date grove; look for Vermilion Flycatcher and Say's Phoebe here. The Tricolored Heron also hung out in the water here. |
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Getting to the Thick-billed Kingbird site from the intersection of I-8 and 4th Ave takes 10-20 minutes, depending on traffic :
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CommonCinnamon Teal |
UncommonBlue-winged Teal
(w) indicates wintering bird |
RareTricolored Heron |