Birding in Sulphur Springs Valley

A winter trip to Sulphur Springs Valley has become a tradition that even Randy and the dogs look forward to. We cruise through the SE Arizona grasslands, pass Tombstone and then head for Whitewater Draw, where thousands of Sandhill Cranes rest and feed in the harvested fields. This year we had heard that there would be fewer cranes than in other years because of a lack of water in Willcox Playa, the main draw for the cranes.  But on Christmas Day there was a gray band of thousands of birds on the ground at Whitewater and endless chains of incoming new arrivals appeared constantly in the northern sky.

While I went exploring, Randy just wanted to sit and listen to the raucous calls of the cranes and mysterious rustlings in the reeds. When I came back with pictures of hunting Northern Harriers, frustrating sparrows, law-abiding shrikes, fighting coots and singing Marsh Wrens he had been watching (without binoculars) a 'big guy that was foraging in the cat tails for 'hours' ' and two little black guys stirring up the mud.

I was happy to find two little Sora Rails and started shooting away, but Randy kept pointing at the bank right in front of him to make me look at the 'big guy' - it took several attempts at triangulation to make me recognize the still shape of a stocky, extremely well camouflaged heron: an American Bittern.

He was only about 12 feet from us in an upright, frozen pose that makes him really look just like part of the bleached dry cat tails. I kept loosing him when I changed cameras, even after I knew his location.

Finally he began walking around, searching and catching food. Even though he resembles Night Herons and Green Herons, his behavior sets the Bittern apart. He nearly never exposes himself by climbing up the bank or into the branches of trees like they would - he rather stays hidden in full view among the reeds on the ground.

I had an equally close encounter with a Least Bittern while I lived in Gainesville, Florida (still searching for the slides to add the image here) and I once saw an American Bittern at Sweetwater in Tucson from a distance. Otherwise, their booming deep calls were all I could remember from Northern Germany.

Beautiful views of a Yellowlegs were nearly anticlimactic after this. But the winter guest from the tundras of northern Canada knew how to put himself into the right light in the smoothly reflecting water.

 I think it's a Greater rather than a Lesser because of the long beak.

After giving the dogs a good run in the grassland (and waiting for the two 'pups' to return from an extended visit to a not so nearby farm) we headed back towards Tucson. Going north towards Interstate 10 we enjoyed the low light on the sculpted Mustang Mountains and views of  gleaming snowfields on Chiricahuas, Huachucas and Pinalenos.

More avian excitement awaited us among the artesian ponds and swampy meadows of Benson: The meadows were literally black with birds from a distance, but swarms flying up and billowing over the road, turning in unison against the light showed their yellow heads for a moment, before swinging into the other direction and turning into a black cloud again.

Yellow-headed Blackbirds - many thousands of them. The pictures were taken as the sun just sank below the horizon, changing the color palette abruptly from warm golds to hues of icy blue.

Thousands of Wintering Cranes and Geese at Whitewater Draw , Cochise County

Sandhill Cranes at Whitewater Draw, Cochise County

Two kinds of snow birds flock to Arizona every winter and I like them both. Mostly retired sun seeking human winter visitors bring their appreciation for Arizona's natural beauty (and my paintings thereof). Our seasonal outdoor art markets would not be possible without them. Their  midwestern calm might also effect the usual cowboy attitude around here somewhat...They certainly slow down the traffic on the roads.
But - the snow birds that I really love arrive here on their wings. 

Formations of Sandhill Cranes and Snow Geese begin to appear in October. The geese have left the arctic tundra of their breeding grounds in Alaska and followed the western migration routes, that distribute the migratory flocks to winter quarters in New Mexico, Arizona and California. Some continue to northern Mexico. Eastern populations follow the eastern migration paths to Texas, the golf states and Florida.The sandhill Cranes wintering in Arizona represent the Rocky Mountain and the Mid-Continent populations. They made the journey in high altitude flights with few interruptions.

Roosting area at noon

In Arizona, Cranes and Geese settle mainly in Sulphur Springs Valley of Cochise County, especially in the Playa around Willcox and at Whitewater Draw north-east of Tombstone. There they find flat, shallow-water roosting areas close to harvested grain fields for feeding. While the habitats of the Sulphur Springs Valley are less divers and the numbers of birds are smaller than in Bosque del'Apache in neighboring New Mexico, Whitewater Draw is still a great place to watch ten thousands of birds up close. The birds spend the night at the roosting area, fligh off at sunrise to spend several hours feeding in the fields and return before noon to the roosting places and rest there.

Much more sporadically than in the morning, groups of birds fly off for some afternoon feeding.

During this coming and going it is obvious that family groups are staying together and the 1st year juveniles are still with their parents.

Sandhill family, two youngsters on the left.

There are always predators hanging around great accumulations of birds. At Bosque de l'Apache I watched coyotes stalking the geese, jumping meters off the ground to grab the birds that  were slowly gaining height,  too slowly it turned out. Over-flighing eagles send everybody into the air - and the bird watchers off their chairs. I particularly love the light flashing off thousands of geese turning in unison.

 Last Sunday, a bobcat had been seen in the morning, but by noon all birds were resting rather quietly. Only a lonely female Northern Harrier tried to scare some ducks out of the reeds, a Cooper's Hawk was watching from a tree and a Redtail rode the thermic in the distance.

Northern Harrier

Young Cooper's Hawk

Red Tail Hawk

At Withewater Draw the Arizona Game and Fish  Department maintains viewing platforms and conducts regular counts of the wintering birds.The results are posted at the entrance to the area.

 All 30,000 cranes seemed to be in residence last Sunday afternoon, while there were much fewer geese than in other years.
Of this day at Whitewater Draw I'll always remember the sounds: the constant croo-crooh calls of the cranes, from the ground, from the air announcing new arrivals, the deep whomp, whomp of their powerful wings, and the fast crescendo of wing beats when groups of ducks took to the air.