Oxbow Campground 1/04/2018

I moved to Oxbow Campground to be closer to Cibola NWR. Now I am only 5 miles away! This campground is located just over a bridge that crosses the Colorado River. Usually that means you would be in California as the river is the dividing line between the two states but this is still Arizona In this situation, the river historically made a large swing to the west which was referred to as an Oxbow, hence the name of the park. As part of the efforts to minimize flooding, dams and levees were built all up and down the river. A number of curves in the river were straightened but old borders were left in place. Here is a view of my camp from across the river.

This is the view when I step outside!

This is a BLM campground which only costs me $7.50 a night with my senior discount. It has a 14 day stay limit in any 28 day period which means you have to leave for 2 weeks before staying another 14 days. I actually purchased and annual pass for $75 which is good at multiple sites in the Quartzsite to Yuma area. I will use the pass to stay at Imperial Dam just north of Yuma next. Not all sites have waste dumps, potable water or showers so you have to plan your moves to take advantage of sites that do. Depending on the facilities at each site I can go 10 to 14 days without needing to empty waste or refill water. Just over the bridge are Alfalfa and cotton fields. They are harvesting and bailing both right now.

There are round bales like these and boxcar size rectangular bales as well. This campground has plenty of birds including a pair of Great Horned Owls.

In 30 minutes I identified 18 other species besides the owls. I saw my first spotted towhee since leaving the Oregon coast! After setting up camp I headed over to Cibola NWR for more birding. This time of year there are 1000's of ducks and geese. The pic below is just a small glimpse of what you might see if you visit.

Besides ducks and geese there are plenty of other birds both large and small. I identified a Black-and-White Warbler. Another new Life list bird. To see a complete list of birds and pics from my 2 reports for today, click these links: Oxbow Campground list and Cibola NWR list