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Some of those 34,000 Sanhill Cranes near Willcox AZIt was cold again today (for Arizona) at 34 F. Even though that is not freezing we had a momentary chill, when Ruth turned on the water for the shower. No pressure. Checking the hoses they were all showing good pressure, but on closer inspection the small filter (like in your kitchen faucet) was plugged with ice. (Metal tends to get colder than plastic) After a few minutes of warm breathing into the orifice, I managed to get the opening free. The water flowed.
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The temps gradually rose up to 72 during the day and later on the winds came up. We scouted the local lake, (Lake Cochise) and came up with a number of birds in that small lake. Then it was down AZ 186 to find those Cranes. Along the way the hawks were out in numbers as were the Meadowlarks and Ravens. There seemed to be no Cranes in any of the “appointed” fields.
Great Horned Owl in barn
After some 30 miles of driving along the fields surrounding the Playa (where the Cranes feed) we saw overhead a huge flock of them. They were soaring in their graceful, last circles with the updrafts. We continued on to Whitewater draw , where there were many bird types in the flats there and not too far away the Cranes had come down for their mid day rest. There were 10,000 of them to be sure. It was as a mass of gray against the shrub and brush. Lots of noise and although almost all were down, there were still a few that were coming in. From where we stood there were two huge groups of them, one as long as a quarter of a mile. It was a sight to behold, and makes one thankful for the Creation that we can enjoy. We ate lunch there, and were able to photograph a Vermilion Flycatcher (red and black), a few Canyon Towhees (new for us), a Ladder Backed Woodpecker, two Great Horned Owls and a Barn Owl almost in the same trees. There were some shore birds and sparrows, but those were the highlights.
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The temps gradually rose up to 72 during the day and later on the winds came up. We scouted the local lake, (Lake Cochise) and came up with a number of birds in that small lake. Then it was down AZ 186 to find those Cranes. Along the way the hawks were out in numbers as were the Meadowlarks and Ravens. There seemed to be no Cranes in any of the “appointed” fields.
Great Horned Owl in barn
After some 30 miles of driving along the fields surrounding the Playa (where the Cranes feed) we saw overhead a huge flock of them. They were soaring in their graceful, last circles with the updrafts. We continued on to Whitewater draw , where there were many bird types in the flats there and not too far away the Cranes had come down for their mid day rest. There were 10,000 of them to be sure. It was as a mass of gray against the shrub and brush. Lots of noise and although almost all were down, there were still a few that were coming in. From where we stood there were two huge groups of them, one as long as a quarter of a mile. It was a sight to behold, and makes one thankful for the Creation that we can enjoy. We ate lunch there, and were able to photograph a Vermilion Flycatcher (red and black), a few Canyon Towhees (new for us), a Ladder Backed Woodpecker, two Great Horned Owls and a Barn Owl almost in the same trees. There were some shore birds and sparrows, but those were the highlights.
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Vermilion Flycatcher
By that time the Battery on the camera had begun to sputter as we had left the camera in the car overnight and that always drains the battery. So we started back to the Park a bit early (1:30). That lovely drive was not without it’s distractions as about 35 miles out of Willcox, the left front t wheel started to make a rolling, scraping sound. Even after stopping and examining every possibility, I could find no [problem. It had to be in the wheel,,,right? So driving cautiously at 34-40 mph , we limped back to town and were able to find a shop that did wheels and tires with a good, experienced, wheels mechanic. He dropped us off and…well
The car will be fixed and delivered to us tomorrow so we won’t get away before noon. We found out that there were two brakes that needed complete rebuilding as one was practically falling off. We were blessed , again. Stay tuned tomorrow to get the whole picture and if we get to phoenix by nightfall. Love, Jim and Ruth
The car will be fixed and delivered to us tomorrow so we won’t get away before noon. We found out that there were two brakes that needed complete rebuilding as one was practically falling off. We were blessed , again. Stay tuned tomorrow to get the whole picture and if we get to phoenix by nightfall. Love, Jim and Ruth
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