SANDHILL CRANES, WILLCOX, ARIZONA
February 2021
Honestly, it felt like we had been transported to Africa
though, actually, it was Southern Arizona, just outside the town of Willcox. Tens of thousands of Sandhill Crane overwinter in the Sulphur Valley, and at least 20K had come to the ponds at the "Playa". It's hard to grasp just how many birds are here, until suddenly at sunset they fly off, en masse directly over one's head. The sound of thousands of beating wings and calling cranes was heart-stopping, a life-time experience I highly recommend. Just don't wait too long, as the entire congregation will be moving to their Northern climes sometime the first week of March.
February 2021
Honestly, it felt like we had been transported to Africa
though, actually, it was Southern Arizona, just outside the town of Willcox. Tens of thousands of Sandhill Crane overwinter in the Sulphur Valley, and at least 20K had come to the ponds at the "Playa". It's hard to grasp just how many birds are here, until suddenly at sunset they fly off, en masse directly over one's head. The sound of thousands of beating wings and calling cranes was heart-stopping, a life-time experience I highly recommend. Just don't wait too long, as the entire congregation will be moving to their Northern climes sometime the first week of March.