The Phoenix Parks and Recreation Department in cooperation and partnership with the Army Corps of Engineers, the Flood Control District of Maricopa County, and with support from The Arizona Water Protection Fund as well as other key local sources of support, designed and is implementing an ambitious plan to reconstruct native riparian habitat and wetlands along a 5 mile stretch of the Salt River that runs nearly through the center of Phoenix, Arizona, USA. Previoulsy, this 5 mile stretch of river bottom from 19th Avenue on the west to 16th Street on the east was a dump site and had sand and gravel pits, too. The City of Phoenix is restoring this stretch of river back to the historical Cottonwood-Willow forest riparian type of habitat along with some Mesquite bosques. The results, so far, are truly outstanding!

The Rio Salado Habitat Restoration Area officially opened to the public in November of 2005. The park hours are from dawn to dusk. A map of the restoration area showing parking facilities may be downloaded in .pdf format HERE. Park rules may be downloaded HERE.

The heart of the Rio Salado Habitat Restoration Area lies at the Central Avenue staging area where Central Avenue crosses the Salt River. Facilities already in place include restrooms, drinking fountains, shade verandas, parking lot, and an attractive "showcase" pond. Staging areas with fewer amenities may be found at 16th Street, 7th Street, and 7th Avenue. At the time of this writing (May 2007) construction has been underway at the 7th Street staging area to add restrooms. Also, slated for the Central Avenue staging area are the Rio Salado Habitat Restoration Area headquarters and an Audubon Society education center.

The Central Avenue staging area is the site of many educational activities provided by park personnel and volunteers such as birdwalks, bike rides, interpretive walks, and arts and craft fairs. There are over 25 scheduled programs per year. Many of the benches and waste receptacles scattered around the park have been decorated by local school children and the local schools have sponsored nature studies for interested students.

Heavy plantings around the Central Avenue staging area, such as in the photo on the right, afford not only a glimpse into a habitat type but also provide pleasing backdrops for the visitor's eyes. The day I photographed the image to the right, another visitor stopped, examined the landscaping for a few minutes, and then turned to me and commented, "It's just like a Monet painting. Isn't it?" Yes, it is!

Besides restoring the Cottonwood-Willow forest riparian habitat type and Mesquite bosques between 16th Street and 19th Avenue, the managers of the Rio Salado Habitat Restoration Area also plan to restore other endangered habiata types that historically occurred along the Salt River bed. These additional habitat types include: Lower Sonoran Desert Palo Verde and Mesquite, Salt Bush/Quail Bush/Burro Brush, Aquatic Strand, and Wetland Marsh habitat types.

In addition to natural water runoff in the Salt River from rain storms, runoff water from the Phoenix City streets is channeled into the Salt River. The runoff channels are protected from erosion using large boulders in the runoff channels. Runoff water from Phoenix City streets keep water in pools under the bridges during the drier times of the year.

As a birding location, the Rio Salado Habitat Restoration Area will be hard to top, especially considering it is in the middle of a metropolitan area of over 3 million people. I had the good fortune to spend 5 days in February 2007 birding and photographing both sides of the river from 16th Street to 19th Avenue. For bird photography, this location leaves a lot to be desired. It is too difficult to approach the birds closely enough for effective photography. It does somewhat redeem itself if your primary interest is in capturing some species of birds in flight. Wading birds, waterfowl, and cormorants provided ample opportunities for in-flight photography. There are other locations more photography friendly than this area.

However, if your interest lies purely in viewing and recording bird sightings, you will find very few locations which are as easily accessible and/or offer as many species as the Rio Salado Habitat Restoration Area. Over 200 hundred species of birds have been recorded in the area. You can download a bird list for the area HERE.

In my experience, the best birding in the Rio Salado Habitat Restoration Area are the staging areas and sections of the Salt River between 7th Street and 7th Avenue. The plantings are most complete in these sections and offer the most varied habitat types. West from 7th Avenue to 19th Avenue can be good depending on how much water is in the river channel. I was treated to regular visits from a hunting Northern Harrier in this stretch of the river. The stretch from 7th Street to 16th Street is the least developed of the area. Some sparsely planted Mesquite Bosques in this section provide for few additional species compared to the rest of the area. There is a Burrowing Owl in an abandoned sand and gravel pit near the 16th Street staging area, though.

Do keep in mind that Phoenix, Arizona, USA is located in the middle of a desert. Summertime temperatures can easily soar to 115°F to 120°F in the shade. Any time of the year you visit the Rio Salado Habitat Restoration Area you should carry water with you to prevent dehydration and heat stroke, even in the winter but especially in the summer. Even in February and March, when I made these photos and birded the area, I found it necessary to carry plenty of water with me. Water fountains are located at the staging areas but, in February and March, the only water fountains that were operable were at the Central Avenue staging area. I would not count on the City of Phoenix to have the drinking fountains functional at the other staging areas just yet. At a minimum it is at leat 1/2 mile between staging areas and drinking fountains and it is .9 miles from the 7th Street staging area to the 16th Street staging area. These ditances are too far to walk, at least during the summer, without carrying water with you. Don't become a heat stroke statistic!