Big Birding

Sunday Nov 14
East again today to Willcox AZ to see the Sandhill cranes, wintering in the Willcox Playa area. We rode our bikes about a mile and a half into one area maintained by the Arizona Game and Fish Department. As we approached a small area filled with water, hundreds of cranes lifted off and circled over us, calling constantly to each other. We thought this was a great sighting. Little did we know…
We left this area and drove south west into farm country. Lots of big open fields, with irrigation equipment. A large corn field, uncut. Off to the left a big swarm of cranes was lifting off the field. We guessed maybe 2000 cranes. Then another and another. Thousands and thousands of the beautiful big birds winging over us. Our next stop was an established viewing platform at the Apache Station Wildlife Area, overlooking a large flat grazing area. The birds were a quarter mile away but you could see them well with the binos. And there were thousands and thousands more. Some estimates put the total at 30,000 birds wintering here, from Alaska, Canada and Montana. They eat whatever is available, starting on grasshoppers. When the grasshoppers are all gone, they start into the corn laying the fields, eating a pound and a half every day.