Whitewater Draw - water in the dry desert
A winter haven for thousands of Sandhill Cranes, geese, ducks and other birdlife.
Lesser Sandhill Crane (far left), and Greater Sandhills
Estimated crane population exceeds 6,000 birds
Hundreds of people come to see the cranes
Flocks of ducks like these Pintails feed in the shallows.
Northern Pintail drake
Cinnamon Teal
A Golden Eagle flies low overhead...
Hazing the cranes and Snow Geese.
Always a sight to behold..
Cranes return around noon and again at dusk after feeding in area agricultural fields
Also with accompaning cacaphony of sound.
The cranes and geese spend the night standing in the water away from roaming coyotes and racoons
We spent the night listening to crane talk.
Wilson's Snipe feeding
Snipe "cat nap" from their feeding activity, but always alert.
Long-billed Dowitchers
Virginia Rails heard and occasionally seen
Standing in the midst of cyclic tornado of rushing wings and calling of Yellow-headed Blackbirds returning to their roost.
Thousands of Yellow-headed Blackbirds descend to the rushes and cattails.
At dawn, the birds leave in waves to feed in area fields.
Dragoon Mountains covered with snow
The area owl preserve, produced three Barn Owls in this photo of the five observed plus a Great Horned Owl
Barn Owl
Say's Phoebe and Vermilion Flycatcher share a perch
We drove down some area gravel roads and found this Bendire's Thrasher...
and this distant Ferruginous Hawk on an irrigation rig...
And a Loggerhead Shrike.
We drove around the southern end of the Chiricahua Mountains and backup the eastern side into Portal and the Cave Creek Canyon National Forest. One of our favorite scenic birding areas.
Caves....
Creeks..
Waterfalls..
Canyons...
and birds - Woodhouse Scrub-Jay
Black-throated Sparrow
Hermit Thrush
Canyon Towhee
Ladder-backed Woodpecker
Cactus Wren gathering feathers for it's nest
Gambel's Quail eating oranges, peanut butter and birdseed.
Blue-throated Mountain Gem hiding in the shade
Finally displays gorget in very close range - camera needs three feet, not one.
Antelope Squirrel
Javelina snuffling up birdseed
Western Screech Owl soaking up sunshine after a cold night
Snooze time
Time to leave the high elevations for lower mountains of Texas.
Love & Prayers,
Ty & Ida Baumann
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