We took off for a day trip to see the Sandhill Cranes in their wintering grounds here in Arizona. We knew there grounds near Willcox Arizona in an area known as "The Willcox Playa" and we knew there were guided trips but we are after all retired so we played it by ear. We took Interstate 10 to highway 191 south. We were about to give up when I stopped to get a picture of the Apache Power plant.
As it turns out across the street from where I stopped was the Apache Station Wildlife viewing area so we drove in and found a beautifully arranged and documented viewing area...
... with an elevated viewing platform.
The blue grey strip of what look like rocks were the Sandhill Cranes. While we were not close enough for a detailed picture...
... we could see the cranes flying in in groups and hear their constant chatter.
While these pictures are not great they give an idea of the size of the groups coming in to land, this group was about 50 of these large birds. Some stand 3.5 feet tall when relaxed and over 5 feet tall from beak to feet when standing tall.
We were a little disappointed by the distance and that we missed the larger flights...
...but with the binoculars they had there and with the naked eye it was an amazing sight. One of the volunteers there suggested the drive further South to the Whitewater Draw Wildlife area...
... when we arrived we found a short walk to the viewing platform and along the way I met this great guy and his dog Harry and he informed me the dog was a she so I figure Harry was short for Harriet. I thought this was cool since Sharyn's Grandmother was a Harriet.
Whitewater Draw is a desert wetlands perfect for water birds like teal, duck, Cranes and geese including the Snow Goose .
The setting is expansive and on great days like today it's like a work of art.
There are places along the walks and paths to stop and rest or sit and leisurely observe the wildlife.
The ducks were closer than the Sandhills...
... and the habitat went from small ponds all with teal and ducks...
... to very large areas of wetland terrain.
There were also raised platforms that jutted out a bit closer to the wild
... especially the ducks...
... with some great opportunities to catch a bird or two in flight...
... but then we had come to see the Sandhill cranes and there they were...
... much closer than at Apache Station...
... much closer.
There are two populations of Sandhill Cranes that winter in this area of Arizona. The Mid-Continent and the Rocky Mountain populations. The Mid-Continent population spends summers in Canada and Alaska and as far as Siberia with a stopover in Nebraska.
The Rocky mountain population spends their summers in the Inter-Mountain West (Idaho, Montana, Colorado, Utah and a few other states)
It is almost impossible to grasp exactly how many cranes we saw today but it is surely in the thousands.
I can't tell you how thrilling it was to be here today.
If you like birding this is a definite "must see" location if you come at the right time...
... it's a perfect spot for a wonderful day...
With an occasional surprise...
...as you walk along the edge of the calming blue water...
... or the golden grassy field.
Almost home we stopped to ask a couple from Alberta, Canada if they needed help since they were stopped on the side of the road. As it turned out they stopped to make a call. Better service than AT&T from their Telus network *lol*
Then we noticed these three little shrines...
...each one had votive candles inside...
...and were very interesting and unique as far as roadside shrines go.
Finally home we ate a great dinner Sharyn whipped up before finishing a Swedish, Knight Templar movie that was enjoyable.
Hummingbird Report - Matt's new hummingbird feeder has been up 3 days here in the hummingbird capital of America and still none have shown up.
Quote of the Day ~
"Bad days happen to everyone, but when one happens to you, just keep doing your best and never let a bad day make you feel bad about yourself" ~ Big bird of Sesame Street
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