AZ-Havasu+National+Wildlife+Refuge--Pintail+Slough+North+Dike

Also, see Havasu National Wildlife Refuge
 * =Birding in Arizona=

Mohave County
=Havasu National Wildlife Refuge= =Pintail Slough= =North Dike= Topock, Arizona 86436 Havasu National Wildlife Refuge website Havasu National Wildlife Refuge map

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Havasu NWR--Pintail Slough/North Dike
Coordinates: 34.8360021, -114.5187539 eBird links: Hotspot map View details Recent visits My eBird links: Location life list Submit data

About Pintail Slough
Pintail Slough is an excellent area to view many species of birds that utilize the wetland habitat. Visitors might catch a glimpse of a coyote following a refuge road or a jackrabbit darting into the bushes. Extremely lucky guests may spot a bobcat walking along the edge of a field. Starting a wildlife watching trip early in the morning or in the evening hours will increase your chances of viewing the variety of wildlife at Pintail Slough.

Pintail Slough is an extensively managed area at the northern end of Havasu National Wildlife Refuge. It consists of eight moist soil units, four agricultural fields and several riparian areas with cottonwoods and mesquite trees. Refuge staff manages water levels and vegetation within the moist soil units to provide ample habitat for migrating birds winging over the desert landscape. The agricultural fields are planted with an assortment of vegetation to provide food for quail and doves. Although there is no access by vehicle or amenities, guests can walk over eight miles of quiet roads surrounding the moist soil units and the fields.

The Pintail Slough hunt unit is open only to permitted hunters on Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday, from one and a half hours before sunrise to 1pm MST during the Arizona waterfowl season, including the Youth Hunt. Other refuge visitors are not allowed in the unit during the hunt for safety reasons. From Havasu National Wildlife Refuge Wildlife and Photography webpage

About North Dike
The view from North Dike offers glimpses of a wide variety of active wildlife, including foraging white-faced Ibis, ospreys hunting overhead, swooping cliff swallows, swimming beaver and resting rattlesnakes. Although there are no facilities, visitors to North Dike can park in the lot and walk down the access road along the northern end of Topock Marsh. If guests arrive early enough, a rousing chorus of red-winged blackbirds will bring the quiet morning hours to life. Binoculars or a spotting scope and a camera are recommended equipment. From Havasu National Wildlife Refuge Wildlife and Photography webpage

About Havasu National Wildlife Refuge
Historically, the Lower Colorado River wound its way through desert valleys and canyons surrounded by dense riparian forest. Periodic flooding rejuvenated the landscape into a mosaic of willow and cottonwood trees and brought the dry desert to life. Wildlife thrived in the backwaters and forested habitat supported by the mighty river. However, with the construction of the Hoover Dam in 1936 and several other dams along the lower Colorado River, the natural restoration of the desert riparian habitat ceased.

The Havasu National Wildlife Refuge protects the remaining native riparian area and the surrounding desert upland and manages the landscape to provide habitat for endangered species and neotropical migrants. The distinctive kek-kek-kek of the Yuma clapper rail echoes across the 4,000-acre Topock Marsh. Endangered razorback suckers swim in the backwaters of Beal Lake. Bell’s vireos buzz in the surrounding vegetation and hundreds of waterfowl descend into Pintail Slough, a restored wetland. Doves and snow geese rest in the agricultural fields planted with wheat, rye, and millet. Coyotes, foxes, and bobcats cross the roads searching for rabbits and mice. Desert bighorn leap nimbly from steep rock faces along one of the last remaining natural stretches of the river, the 20-mile Topock Gorge. Elusive mountain lions roam and thousands of bats emerge from historic mines in the 17,600 acre Wilderness Area.

Havasu National Wildlife Refuge is a birding hotspot with 318 bird species relying on the diverse habitat. Western and Clark’s grebes perform synchronized dances in the waters of Topock Marsh and Beal Lake and nest in the emergent vegetation. Native stands of Freemont’s cottonwoods, coyote willow, and Goodding’s willow provide breeding and stopover habitat for many species of birds, such as the summer tanager and yellow-billed cuckoo. Mesquite and salt cedar thickets support ash-throated flycatchers, Bell’s vireos, and Abert’s towhees. Upland desert areas are filled with coveys of Gambel’s quail and darting greater roadrunners. Peregrine falcons plummet up to 150 miles per hour between the cliffs in Topock Gorge. From Havasu National Wildlife Refuge web site

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media type="custom" key="28026173" || L826480 US US-AZ US-AZ-015 34.8360021 -114.5187539 Havasu NWR--Pintail Slough/North Dike