As fledging bird lovers, we knew that we wanted to visit the Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch in Gilbert, Arizona when we were staying in the area. If you are thinking of exploring the Riparian Preserve, here’s what you need to know…with lots of bird puns and bird jokes.

Where Is the Riparian Preserve?

The Riparian Preserve is located on the corner of Greenfeld and Guadalupe roads about a mile south from the Mesa, Arizona border. The preserve is also is adjacent to the Eastern Canal Trail so many visitors can have a direct flight to the preserve by bike or on foot. Regardless of how you get to the preserve, you are always in for a tweet!

How Did the Riparian Preserve Get Created?

Once upon a feather, the area was just a dry and barren land, but thanks to a group of water conservation and dedicated bird enthusiasts, they saw the potential to make it a true nest-ination for our feathered friends.

You see, in 1986, the Gilbert City Council decided that it wanted to reuse 100 precent of the city’s effluent water. When the stored the treated wastewater in a pond at Cooper and Elliot roads, the city officials also noticed that the pond attracted birds. And of course, birdwatchers also flocked to the area.

When the city needed another wastewater storage facility, it created the Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch in 1999. The 110-acre Riparian Preserve consists of (1) seven water recharge basins or “ponds” and (2) a dedicated fishing pond known as “Water Ranch Lake.” Treated water is delivered to the ponds through a series of pipelines and is distributed to the various ponds and channels via a network of valves and gates. The treated water in the ponds percolates into an aquifer where it is stored for future use. Visitors can explore the Riparian Preserve through a network of 4.5 miles of trails.

During my visits, my feathers got a little ruffled when I saw that a couple of ponds were nearly dry when they had been full just days before. It turns out that the city drains the basins periodically to allow a tractor to turn over some of the dirt at the bottom so that the soil is not as compacted and it can better absorb the water.

How Busy is the Riparian Preserve?

The Riparian Preserve is a fairly busy place. The parking lot is fairly small, but there is additional parking next door at the Gilbert Library and direct access to the Riparian Preserve trails from the library.

On most days that we visited the Riparian Preserve, we would encounter large groups of children around mid-morning. So, be prepared to hear a lot of "Wow, look at that bird!" and "Mom, Dad, come see this one!" I also really enjoyed overhearing some of the children’s questions., like: "Why do birds fly?" "Where do they go when it rains?" "Do they have families like we do?" And my personal favorite, "Do birds have birthdays?"

What Kind of Birds and Wildlife Are at the Riparian Preserve?

Have I mentioned that the Riparian Preserve is an absolute nest-cessity for any bird and animal lover?

The ponds and lake at the Riparian Preserve support a variety of plant and animal life, and each of the ponds are designed to mimic natural wetlands and are engineered to create a complex ecosystem that includes shallow water areas, deep pools, and areas of emergent vegetation. For example, one area was designated as a “cottonwood-willow riparian forest” with several cottonwood trees actively shedding their “cotton” during a couple of my visit. The different habitats support a diverse range of aquatic and terrestrial species, including birds, fish, turtles, and insects.

Bee polinates a coneflower at the Riparian Preserve in Gilbert, Arizona

As we migrated our way through the Riparian Preserve, yellow coneflowers dotted much of the 4.5 miles of trails. Bees, humming birds, dragonflies, and other pollinators danced among the flowers. Perhaps the most abundant non-bird creature were the dozens and dozens of desert cottontails. We saw them by the carton.

At a couple of the ponds, we spotted a great blue heron, great egret, and snowy egret. The black necked stilt, long billed dowitcher, least sandpiper, killdeer, and avocet all bobbed up and down at a few other ponds. There were two areas of the Riparian Preserve that stood out for me:

First, near the parking lot of the Riparian Preserve, there’s some covered outdoor gathering spaces as well as a dozen or so Saquaro cactuses. There, we saw several starlings, gila woodpeckers, and doves were making their home in the Saguaro cactuses

Second, as we walked southwest to Water Ranch Lake (a/k/a Arizona Fish and Game Community Fishing Pond a/k/a “Duckingham Palace”), we were greeted with hundreds of ducks that were as friendly as Daffy. Because visitors are allowed to feed the birds in this area of the park, the ducks and pigeons didn’t mind getting close to anyone. I nearly quacked aloud when I saw a Mallard with this cotton-ball like tuft on its head chasing another duck. After I watched this game of fowl play for a few minutes, I noticed that an American pekin also had a similar tufted crown. Turns out, these were both “crested” ducks who were heterozygous for a dominant genetic mutation causing a deformity of the skull. The exact origin of the Crested duck is unknown, but they have been around since before the 1600s.

Bird Joke: What’s another name for a crested duck? A quackhead.

When Is the Best Time to Visit the Riparian Preserve?

During our visits in March and April 2023, Arizona was experiencing an unusually wet and cool spring. Although our time at the Riparian Preserve was usually in the early morning when the bird watching is considered to be the best, the 70-85 degree temperatures allowed for some good birding almost any time of day.

Bird Joke: What did the birdwatcher say when it was so hot outside that they could barely see the birds through the heatwaves? "I'm having a hawk-ward time spotting anything!"

Observatory at the Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch in Gilbert, Arizona

On Friday and Saturday evenings, the Gilbert Rotary Centennial Observatory at the Riparian Preserve is open to the public. I suspect that as the days get hotter, the cooler evenings would be a great time to great time see the birds and stars.

Bird Joke: What did the bird say when it looked through the telescope? "Eagle-eye!"

Bird Joke: What do you call a group of birds that loves astronomy? The Night-Owls!

How Much Does it Cost to Visit the Riparian Preserve?

You can go on the cheep. Its’ free.

Shorebirds at the Riparian Preserve in Gilbert, Arizona

Should You Go to the Riparian Preserve?

I highly recommend taking a stroll through the Riparian Preserve if you want to have a hoot with some of the coolest birds around. It's a place where you can really spread your wings and enjoy the natural beauty of our feathered friends. So why not flock to the Riparian Preserve today? You won't egret it!

Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch in Gilbert, Arizona