On this day… we were in search of the Sandhill Cranes that were supposed to be at their usual winter lodging in Soccoro, NM but they were AWOL. One of our birding friends said they had been seen in the Sulphur Springs area in southern AZ. The plan was to get up early and travel down to Wilcox, AZ (part of the Sulphur Springs Valley) and see the Sandhill Cranes as they make their yearly pilgrimage south for warmer weather. After waiting for a Starbucks in Safeway, gassing the truck up, catching an on-the-run breakfast; then getting behind a school bus – our journey south to view the birds was already behind schedule. The Sandhill Cranes take off at sunrise and return at sunset – there was no way we were making the ‘take-off’ this morning!
Instead Patti suggested we go down to Wilcox that afternoon, watch the Cranes come home to roost and then get up early the next morning and catch their take off. So this was the plan we opted for. Thank You Patti, for saving the day (and the stress).
We stayed in a nice motel (Arizona Sunset Inn) in Wilcox, we highly recommend this motel. The motel was newly renovated and upgraded. The owners were very nice and have had the motel for about a year. All the towels and bedding were new and the rooms were freshly painted – everything was just NICE. There were quite a few people staying at the motel and we wondered if they were all ‘birders’. Maps and directions were provided by WOW ‘Wings Over Wilcox’, detailing the popular birding haunts. Maps were very helpful… Thank You
The first Sandhill haunt we checked out was the Wilcox Playa Wilderness Area, just south of Wilcox, AZ. As we arrived a perpetual camper was set up just off the road in his truck with a tarp as a makeshift topper shell. He was friendly enough and said he was just hanging out till the 10th of February to get his Social Security check. Another Gypsy meeting on the road. After we parked the truck, I took off down the trail to see what I could see… I kept walking and walking and walking, I saw no lake (and I was sure Sandhill Cranes needed water to lounge in), no birds just sand and low lying shrubs. After what I thought was about 2 miles I finally saw the lake and it was at least another mile off in the distance. At one point I couldn’t get any closer to the lake – it was all cabled off and it was impossible to get any photography shots, even if there were birds by the lake. Needless to say there were no Sandhill Cranes here and just a handful of ducks off in the middle of the lake.
Sooooo, after walking back to the truck and Patti, we traveled further down south, passing a border patrol checkpoint (nearly to Douglas, AZ – which is right on the border), to the Whitewater Draw Area, which had been reported to have the Cranes residing there. When we arrived there were lots of cars in the parking lot so we figured the Cranes must be here somewhere…
The Cranes were so far away that it was impossible to get a decent photo, without having a $20,000 camera lens to bring them up close. They were just dots on the horizon. I enjoyed watching them and waiting for the award winning photo that never materialized, LOL.
I did find a nearby model (Sand Piper) willing to let me take her picture and her reflection, (actually I don’t know if it was male or female). A very willing subject!
Oh, if I have mislabeled any of the birds or fowl, please let me know. I am a novice birder and wouldn’t want to lead anyone astray. I won’t be upset, I will be very thankful!!!
We enjoyed watching the birds, fowl and people with all their antics. As the sun settled in the west we headed Gypsy back to Wilcox for a bite to eat and a good night’s sleep – oh yeah, the beds were very comfy. On our way back to Wilcox we saw this old ruin and couldn’t pass up the opportunity to snap a couple of pics.
The next morning we were ‘wheels up’ for Safford, once again…
“See you in the funny papers…” as my father used to say.
