ASU Research Park

A great group of gals showed up for this Desert Rivers Audubon field trip with Kathe Anderson.  We met at the south end of ASU Research Park (Warner Rd. and S. River Parkway, just west of the 101 freeway). It was a c-c-c-cold morning and my b-b-b-batteries were near dead, but I managed to get a shot of the Cooper's Hawk we encountered at the start of our walk, still holding her recent kill.  Later we had beautiful views of an Osprey flying low right over us.  We didn't see much in the way of ducks - a few Mallards/domestic, Ring-necked Ducks, and Lesser Scaup.  One Pied-billed Grebe was mixed in with alot of Coots.  A lone Green Heron crouched by the chilly shoreline.  My favorite were the Belted Kingfishers swooping down and around and then diving into the water.  We followed the sidewalks that surround all three ponds at ASU Research Park.  Some parts are steep, so anyone using a manual wheelchair will need a good set of muscles and an even better set of brakes!