Buenos Aires NWR--Aguirre Lake

Tips for Birding

Aguirre Lake is one of ten location-specific hotspots within Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge. Use the greater Refuge hotspot when you have a checklist that includes multiple locations.

Both Blue-gray and Black-tailed Gnatcatcher have been recorded;  birders may want to brush up on differentiating the species' calls.

Another identification challenge warranting preparation is presented by Mallard and Mexican Duck, also both found here.

Birds of Interest

The endangered Southwest Willow Flycatcher has been recorded here during August and September.

The threatened Yellow-billed Cuckoo has been observed during July.

Among USFWS-designated Birds of Conservation Concern for the Sierra Madre Occidental region, Sonoran Desert region, and Continental US, the following species have been listed multiple times for this hotspot over the recent 6-year period 2018-2023:  American Avocet (Aug-Sep), Willet (Jul-Aug), Lesser Yellowlegs (Aug-Sep), Pectoral Sandpiper (Aug-Sep), Gila Woodpecker (all year), Gilded Flicker (Mar and Oct), Verdin (Aug-Jan), Curve-billed Thrasher (Jul-Mar), Phainopepla (Jan-Mar and Aug-Oct), Lawrence’s Goldfinch (Feb-Apr and Jul-Oct), Chestnut-collared Longspur (Oct), Rufous-winged Sparrow (Jan-Mar and Jul-Oct), Black-throated Gray Warbler (Sep-Oct), Pyrrhuloxia (all year), and Varied Bunting (Aug-Sep).

Bell’s Vireo, a threatened species in New Mexico, with an endangered subspecies in California, is observed Apr-Sep.

3 Roseate Spoonbill, uncommon in Arizona, were photographed at the hotspot in August 2021.

About this Location

Pedro Aguirre, who ranched the Refuge area, built a low dam in the 1880s to catch rainfall runoff in order to water his fields and stock. Migrating waterfowl, wading birds, and shorebirds still use the resulting seasonal lake today when there is water. A walk around the lake (or lake bed) is about 1.5 miles on flat terrain. You may reach the southernmost point of the loop by taking the Ranch Loop Trail north from the Visitor Center, leaving that trail at its northernmost point, and crossing Aguirre Lake Road.

Directly north of Aguirre Lake proper is Grebe Pond, which also has a 0.8 mile loop trail around it;  this trail shares its southern arc with the northern arc of the trail around larger Aguirre Lake. Confusingly, the Grebe Pond loop trail is variously shown on maps as Arivaca Lake Trail, Aguirre Lake Trail, and Sonoran Trail. Note that Arivaca Lake is a totally separate hotspot not on the Refuge.

A parking and picnic area is located at the southeast edge of the loop around Grebe Pond (which is the northeast edge of the loop around Aguirre Lake). Nearest restrooms and drinking water are located at the Visitor Center.

About Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge

See all hotspots at Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge

Located in southern Arizona, Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge was established for the reintroduction of masked bobwhite quail and to restore the natural landscapes and native wildlife that depend upon it.

Spanning the 117,464-acre refuge are several distinct groups of plants and animals that are dependent on each other, also known as biotic communities. Visitors will enjoy the semi-desert grasslands that blend into the cottonwoods and willow that line river banks and wetlands within the refuge. Settled in amongst the grasslands and wetlands is a beautiful sycamore-shaded canyon of extraordinary diversity. Brown Canyon is home to 200-million-year-old volcanic rocks that support a distinct variety of plants and animals that have evolved within this amazing sky island ecosystem.

Established in 1985, the refuge was purchased under the authority of the Endangered Species Act. Open to the public, visitors can enjoy wildlife watching and photography, hunting, fishing, wildlife photography, and special wildlife-related events. It is one of more than 550 refuges that comprise the National Wildlife Refuge System, a national network of public lands and waters set aside for the benefit of wildlife and you!

Notable Trails

A map of the Aguirre Lake Trail trail is located here.

The Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge website has descriptions of trails ranging in length from 1.25 to 10 miles on the Refuge.

Features

  • Restrooms on site

Content from Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge Official Website, Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge brochure, and John Montgomery

Last updated January 4, 2024