We made our first visit to the Riparian Preserve at Gilbert Water Ranch (GWR) on Tuesday. Friend and fellow photographer, Dan Olson of Hot Springs Village, was kind enough to provide us with the names of several great places to bird/photograph in southeast Arizona. This was the first he mentioned. The GWR is a 110-acre wetland and wildlife sanctuary having 7 ponds along hiking trails, one recreational urban fishing lake, and one floating boardwalk. It was dedicated on October 9, 1999. It is located in the City of Gilbert, a suburb of Phoenix. It is a birding and photographer’s paradise. Many species of birds either winter here or stop on their migration route. It was an awesome place!