Greetings Birders,
On the morning of 20 Aug 2025, I birded four locations at Havasu NWR. The water in Goose Lake is currently very shallow, making it a prime destination for shorebirds, waders, gulls, terns, and pelicans.
I started at Catfish Paradise, some 31 miles north of Lake Havasu City. Two young GREAT HORNED OWLS were screaming, and COMMON YELLOWTHROATS were calling loudly from the marsh. A glugging/glumping in the marsh alerted me to an AMERICAN BITTERN, my first for the year. As the sun rose over the horizon, I was able to scope hundreds of gulls and AMERICAN WHITE PELICANS across the south end of Goose Lake. A small, dark gull turned out to be a FRANKLIN'S GULL. Several hundred AMERICAN AVOCETS were feeding in a different corner of the lake. A dozen FORSTER'S and a single CASPIAN TERN dove and then rested on a small island.
My next stop was the South Dike Road, where I was able to see many of the same birds from the south side of the lake. Here I got better looks at the shorebirds, and before too long had one SEMIPALMATED and several BAIRD'S SANDPIPERS, both WILSON'S and RED-NECKED PHALAROPES, and a calling SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHER. A single CANADA GOOSE flew in to claim the lake which bears its name.
At Five Mile Landing the lake was dry, and although I spotted some pools to the south, there was no vehicle access. At the northern end of the refuge, from the North Dike Road, there was more shallow water, but nothing was in it.
I headed back south and decided to look over the lake from the bluffs at Golden Shores. Here I struck gold, and found a large stretch of shallow water filled with teal, gulls, terns, waders, and shorebirds. I caught up with a previously reported WHITE IBIS, and scoped several large flocks of WHITE-FACED IBIS. Hundreds of WESTERN and LEAST SANDPIPERS lined the shores, as well as WILLET, LONG-BILLED CURLEW, and both yellowlegs. By morning's end I had spotted 17 species of shorebirds. There were no doubt more to be found, but the 100-degree heat was getting to me, so I called it a day. eBird reports with a few photos among them:https://url.usb.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/2h7-CR8vZmtgLyR2nh9fOs1kYiq?<domain...>
Good Birding!Henry D. <Detwilerhenry_detwiler...>, AZ
Finding Birds in Southwest Arizonahttps://url.usb.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/uy8CCVJz4qfPAz5G0hzhPsEuow_?<domain...> Birds at the Salton Sea and in Imperial County, https://url.usb.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/DLAGCWWA5rTyBNPJzIKizsoC0d1?<domain...>
