Quigley Wildlife Management Area & Baker Tanks
Apr 21, 2001, beautiful morning, 60-80, increasingly cloudy & cool as noon approached
Yuma Birding & Nature Festival Trip, Henry Detwiler & Mark Brown

A trip with nineteen adventurers from the Yuma Birding and Nature Festival to visit Quigley Pond, the Gila River, and Baker Tanks.  
61 species total (list is at bottom of page)

Tina, our fearless driver, had us loaded up in no time, and just after 6:30AM, we took off to the East.  Mark Brown brought up the rear in his Game & Fish pickup with two additional guests.  Another beautiful sunrise over the Gila Mountains gave way to a fine morning.  

Minibus on the way	Our first birding stop was at Quigley Pond, an oxbow off of the Gila River, now managed for wildlife by Arizona Game and Fish.  We were atop a sandy cliff,  giving us a bird's eye view of the marsh and ponds below.
We played a Sora tape and the Sora rail answered.  We played a Virginia Rail tape and the Sora answered.  We played the Clapper Rail tape and the Sora answered.  Oh well!	Green Heron on Gila River
Gila River	Mark explained the history of Quigley Pond, how it is gradually filling in and becoming nothing but marsh, and how Fish & Game is trying to keep some of the ponds open.
The moist soils unit in the Wildlife Management Area had Western Meadowlarks, a Mallard, and Common Ground Doves.  In the adjoining willow grove we saw Wilson's & Yellow-rumped Warblers.  Then it was on to the Gila River.

Quigley Pond

Yellow-headed Blackbird	Cinnamon Teal, a single Blue-winged Teal, Shovelers, and an American Wigeon were feeding in the shallows.  From the levee we watched a Great-blue Heron feed its young while several Great Egrets perched in the trees nearby.
As the clouds built up in the West, we moved further down the river and spotted a Common Snipe, Greater Yellowlegs, Yellow-headed Blackbirds, and a beaver.
Our final stop was south of  the interstate at Baker Peaks & Baker Tanks.  On the sandy road we screeched to a halt to examine this "Horny Toad".	Desert Horned Lizard
Baker Tanks	In a well-vegetated wash, we were thrilled to see thousands of Painted Lady & Monarch butterflies fluttering about.  Another mile down the "road" we reached Baker Tanks.
Whiptail lizards greeted us upon our arrival to Baker Tanks, along with a few lingering wildflowers.  Erosion has cut a small but scenic canyon through the hard sandstone bedrock to create a natural tank for rainwater.	Baker Tanks
As we drove home over Telegraph Pass, cold rain and winds pelted our minibus.  But still, we had stayed dry and found lots of interesting birds and other wildlife!