Bill Williams NWR

Just a short ways north of where we are staying is Bill Williams NWR. The Bill Williams River for which the refuge is named, extends a short 40 miles to the east and empties into the Colorado River at Lake Havasu. A portion of the river and its unique habitat are protected within the Refuge and offers a glimpse into what this landscape looked like hundreds of years ago.

There is a great deal of information on the Internet regarding Bill Williams NWR. This blog post is intended to picque your interest and prod you into further research and a visit. There is also a fascinating dirt/gravel road that is across the highway from the visitor center and follows the river eastward. It is a completely different perspective on the refuge. Great place.

The Bill Williams River empties into Lake Havasu in the upper left corner of this image crossing under the highway bridge that you can see in the distance. Lake Havasu opens to the left side of this picture and there were many boats on the water with people fishing.

You can see the vegetation that is on the jetty. It provides a great habitat for birds and other critters. There are a lot of small placards identifying the different plants that are along the trail.

Here is a Clarks Grebe. It is distinguished, partially, from a Western Grebe by the black line being above the eye while the Western has the black line through or below the eye. In talking with folks at the refuge in the past it seems that the majority of the Grebes here in the winter are Clark's.

This is a view along the concrete pathway that runs part of the way out the rock jetty. The first part of the pathway is smooth as you see in this image. Out a ways it turns to gravel and is gravel to the end of the rock jetty. It is a really well done walkway and provides excellent views along the way.

As you walk along the path there are various informative signs that provide information about the refuge and the flora and fauna you can find here. They are very well done.

Here is one of the fishing access points that are found along the trail. In the past we had spoken with a couple of people fishing and they claimed the fishing was great in the spring. The solar panels are used to provide light for fishing in the evening.

The three birds in this picture are called Goldeneye. The bird on the left is a male Common Goldeneye while the bird on the right is a male Barrows Goldeneye distinguished by different markings on the side and the crescent on the face as opposed to the round mark on the Common Goldeneye. The third bird in upper right is a female Common Goldeneye.

Be sure and stop by the visitor information center when you are there. They have a lot of great information and very helpful staff.

This is an Ash-throated Flycatcher. It was seen along the pathway. Like many other desert animals such as the kangaroo rat, Ash-throated Flycatchers don’t need to drink water. Instead they get it all from the food they eat. In the past a Nutting's flycatcher has been seen on the refuge, up river from the visitor center. That is a rare species for the United States and demonstrates how much of an attractant this environment can be. It is really worth a stop and visit at Bill Williams NWR.