Rousseau Sod Farms

Fast Flight Facts

Target Species:  Longspurs, raptors, and rare grassland species

Elevation: 1300'

Habitat:  Sod farms, fields

Overall Birding Rating: 3

Difficulty: 1 (Easy)

Birding Type: Car birding, Get Out and Scan, Walking and Scanning

Facilities:  None

Fees/Ownership:  None/Rousseau Sod Farms and Indian Reservation

Closest Town or City/How far from Phoenix:  Scottsdale /14 miles northeast of Phoenix

Getting there:  Alma School Road all the way north and then various dirt roads throughout the farm

Overview:  The Rousseau Sod Farms, which are located on the east side of Scottsdale, are a one of a kind birding location on a Maricopa County scale.  These sod farms give birders easy chances at a few species that are extremely hard to find elsewhere inside of the county.  The open grass fields surrounding the sod will give the birder the feeling of birding out in the prairie.  Uncommon to rare grassland birds are reliable to find at this location at different times of the year.

Perhaps the Rousseau Sod Farms are the most famous for seeing longspurs annually in late fall.  These include Chestnut-collared Longspurs in high numbers, often with the uncommon to rare McKown's Longspurs, and sometimes the rare Lapland Longspur.  By carefully searching these farms and fields during the beginning of November, one will have a good chance of seeing several, and if lucky, maybe these three longspur species.  American Pipits are here in very high numbers in winter seasons by the hundreds, and if the birder is lucky, perhaps the rare and elusive Sprague's Pipit may be seen.  At times, Mountain and Western Bluebirds may be found.  Horned Larks are often abundant, and Savannah Sparrows are common.  This locale is also great for viewing raptors, especially falcons.  Peregrine and Prairie Falcons, as well as Merlin and American Kestral, are often viewed here easily, mainly during the winter months.   Look for them in surrounding fields or perched in the fields.  Other raptors in the area will include Osprey, Northern Harrier, and Burrowing Owl.  A few ponds in the area will also attract waterfowl. 

Birding tip:  There is a lot of ground to cover at the Rousseau Sod Farms, which good birding is found along three miles wide of the area's boundary.  By looking at the maps under the "Pages" section on this page, one can see a good overlook of the area, which has many roads and side roads intersecting with each other.  Drive through the area slowly, and scan the fields often for different birds.  Longspurs can mostly be found in the open short grass and weedy fields, although they are worth checking for on the sod, which is often preferred by hundreds of wintering American Pipits.  Driving the routes make your car a nice blind, but walking along the fields are often a lot more productive, where the grassland birds may be surprisingly cooperative at times.  Longspurs will land in tight weed and grass patches and are almost impossible to see at times unless at a close distance.  By knowing longspur flight calls, it helps to locate them too.

Directions:  From the Loop 101 (Pima Freeway), take E Chapparal Rd 1.8 miles east to N Alma School Road.  Take N Alma School Road 1 mile north to McDonald Dr (which is the main road through the Sod Farms).  The Sod Farms have a width once driving on East McDonald Road for three miles, which often has good birding along the entire stretch.  Another way to access the Sod Farms would be to access N Mesa Dr. from Highway 87 (Beeline Highway), and take Mesa Dr. 2 miles north to the farms.  See the maps under the pages sections for birding routes once you reach the Rousseau Sod Farms. 

Pages:

Rousseau Sod Farms Maps

Rousseau Sod Farms eBird Data

Scenes and Sights from the Rousseau Sod Farms:

Birdlife of the Rousseau Sod Farms:

Sprague's Pipit (rare in Maricopa County)

Chestnut-collared Longspur

McCown's Longspur (rare in Maricopa County)

Prairie Falcon

Mountain Bluebird

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