If you are up for a bit of a drive to the east, Boyce Thompson Arboretum on the way toward Superior/Globe is well worth a visit. That could also be combined with a trip toward the northeast along the Salt River and/or Verde River northeast of Mesa. Also up in that direction is Lost Dutchman State Park.
More local to the Phoenix metro area, the Riparian Reserve at Water Ranch in Gilbert at the intersection of North Greenfield Road and East Guadalupe Road offers some great birding opportunities. It is a series of over half a dozen water reclamation ponds filled to various levels to provide some diverse habitats. Plus, it's not too far from Tempe, about 17-miles or 25 to 30 minutes depending on traffic.
I have a brother who lives in Phoenix, and one who used to live in Queen Creek, so am more familiar with the eastern portion of the Phoenix metro area.
Good luck, and enjoy the birding out there.
Ken Sejkora
East Falmouth, MA
<kjsejkora...>
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From: <massbird-approval...> <massbird-approval...> on behalf of Bennet Porter <bennet.porter...>
Sent: Sunday, March 2, 2025 12:40 PM
To: Massbird <massbird...>
Subject: [MASSBIRD] Phoenix/Tempe AZ
Hi all,
I'm heading to Tempe in a couple of weeks for a work event and should have one afternoon and one morning that I hope to put to some good birding use. Any ex-pat Massbirders out there, or folks who know the area that can recommend some places to go? I haven't been to AZ or the southwest in general since I started birding so most of the birds are going to be novel to me.
