Sandhill
Cranes 2014
These large cranes are
found during the winter months in the Sulphur Springs Valley area of
Southeastern Arizona. They begin to
arrive on their migration as early as September and may stay as late as March. Most of the cranes are in the Willcox area
from November through February. We have been making annual treks to the area
the last few years and always have a good time exploring. The cranes are incredible to watch, though I
hear some of the locals are less than pleased with the noise they make and all of
us visitors cluttering up the area. We have
made this an annual trek depending on our work schedules and the weather.
Of course there is more to
see than just the Sandhill Cranes. The
area is home to several species of birds, as well as other wildlife. There are several areas to see the cranes,
but Whitewater Draw has always been the best in our experience. Cochise County is a birder’s paradise! The key to it all is to get out and enjoy
nature. You never know what you might
find.
Wings Over
WIllcox Birding and Nature Festival
“The Wings Over Willcox
Birding & Nature Festival takes place during the MLK weekend with daytime
and evening activities. The festival is a wonderful opportunity to see the
winter migrants and southwest bird species that are found in the Sulphur
Springs Valley. Our festival also provides many opportunities to explore nature
in Southeast Arizona through tours for photography, geology, archeology,
history, botany, agriculture, and ranching. A nature expo in the community
center has educational booths, live animal displays, and a wide variety vendors
with nature-related crafts and wares. Free seminars about many different topics
are offered throughout the day in the community center. Willcox is situated
east of Tucson, Arizona and is a scenic drive of about an hour and fifteen
minutes on I-10.” Go to their site to
see all of the information about the species you might see as well as when the
next festival is. In 2014 the festival was
held January 15tth – 19th. Make sure to take your cameras, binoculars,
and spotting scopes on the fun adventure!
Always be prepared for weather.
For more great info check
out the following links:
Cochise County Bird
Watching
Whitewater Draw Info
Sandhill Crane Info from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Sandhill_Crane/lifehistory
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Sandhill_Crane/lifehistory
To see more images head on
over to Shutterfly:
Thanks for looking. Feel free to leave a comment.
THE END!
8 comments:
Love the ragged tree reflections with the cranes and the duck butts poking up. Thanks for sharing-- including all the descriptions.
Howdy, and another fine set of photos/comments from your annual Sandhill Cranes trip to Whitewater Draw. Along with the cranes flying in and strutting on the sand, I enjoyed the individual bird photos, including the ducks in with their heads hidden in the water!
Terrific & thanks for shring, Betty Lou
Thanks for looking and for the comments.
Loved the shots of the ragged tree as well! Enjoyed seeing the pictures and your comments of them and the area.
Very well done. Thanks for sharing. Mary Jo
Good stuff! Love those sandhill cranes. Love the reflections. Nice grass shot too!
Joellen
Nice shots.
Love, David
Sweet!!
Linda J.
Thanks for more GREAT comments and to the 319 folks that have looked at this blog as of today! Fastest I have ever hit 300+ on any blog!
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