From San Pedro River to Whitewater Draw

Our plan was to head to Whitewater Draw to see if the Sandhill Cranes had begun to return to the farmland that provides food for the thousands of birds that winter in the area. It's over a hundred miles from Tucson so we decided to stop at San Pedro River Conservation Area which is on the way just to be able to stretch and take a break from the car.

We were greeted by several majestic cottonwoods which are prevalent in riparian areas here in the south of Arizona. I was immediately amazed by the stature of the trees and the many different birds that were everywhere we looked.

This was the tree with the largest trunk which I would estimate to be at least 25 to 30 feet in circumference. It was simply magnificent with branches that were as large as many trees and I couldn't help be amazed that it had survived so many years in this place.

The San Pedro House serves as the gift shop/bookstore which is run by the Friends of the San Pedro River.

It boasts a pretty good reference library and has a great selection of books as well other gifts you would expect to find in a place like this. You can find more information on the San Pedro River here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Pedro_River_(Arizona)

The San Pedro House is nestled under this one tree that is quite impressive.

There is an extensive trail system the runs along the river and of course we couldn't resist taking a walk out along one of the trails to see what this place was all about. As you can imagine when you don't really have to be anywhere on the clock time sorta slips away and we ended up walking the trail for about three hours. It is a beautiful place with a huge number of species of plants, animals, birds, insects, reptiles, etc. We were greeted by the ever present signs warning that "snakes may be present" which makes you keep a close eye where you walk but we did not encounter any poisonous creatures during our walk.

We did see several hawks including this Red Tailed Hawk that was being harassed by a couple of Western Kingbirds. It put up with it for quite a while and then all at once decided that enough was enough and took to the skies with the Kingbirds hot on his tail.





The vegetation along the trail was quite high and in some areas we had to push the grasses aside but for the most part the trail was wide and easy to walk.

Butterflies are very hard to get decent pictures of because they seem to be moving most of the time. This Checkered White was cooperative probably due to the 50 degree temperatures in the early hours of the day.

We took half a dozen side trips on trails that got us closer to water. We saw several deer here that moved quickly away from us.

This dragonfly was hovering above the first pool that we were able to get right next to the water.

A Great Blue Heron was fishing on the other side of the pool and paid little attention to us as we were a good distance from him/her.



Insects were everywhere but there were almost no mosquitoes or biting insects the whole time we walked. This Queen Butterfly paid little attention to the Grasshopper that was right next to it.

I don't know a whole lot about grasshoppers but I thought this was a great shot that shows some interesting grasshopper behavior.

Sparrows! Sparrows were everywhere including Song Sparrow and Cassin's Sparrow. There are over thirty different variations of song sparrow in the west so it can be interesting trying to identify them.

The valley goes on for an eternity here in the southwest and mountains are frame the landscape here.





After our detour we headed to Bisbee for lunch and then off to Whitewater Draw to see if there were any Sandhill Cranes that had returned to their wintering spot.

For those of you who know Arizona you know that the sun at midday can be brutal even if the temperature is comfortable the sun is extremely intense. This would mean a purposeful walk around Whitewater as there is very little shade to be had.

The first pool was really quiet but extremely peaceful and very pretty. There were no Sandhills to be found.





On our second stop there were 50-60 ducks but still no Sandhills anywhere in sight.




As we moved toward the next location we heard the familiar call that we had hoped to hear.

The Sandhills had begun to return. Granted there weren't 40,000 but there were 30 or so and they made our trip worth while. They were several hundred yards away but I didn't mind because they were there and the season had begun and I knew there would be many opportunities to get some great pictures.





We will return often to record the Sandhill Cranes but in the meantime you can find more information on them here: www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Sandhill_Crane/id

Road To Madera

Today was one of those days that I just wanted to get out of the house to walk and enjoy the great outdoors. Living here in Southern Arizona during the summer can be a challenge especially if you don't like being cooped up indoors.
Today started out at 66 degrees and ended in the mid 90's which is considerably cooler than it has been in a while. With the humidity that accompanies the Monsoon noticeably absent being out is actually pleasant even at 95 degrees.

It is really inspiring to see the great expanse across the valley especially on such a beautiful day.
I'll let the pictures speak for themselves. Enjoy!

Whitewater Draw Conservation Area

We headed to Bisbee Arizona which is a copper and gold mining town that has transformed itself into a tourist destination and we weren't quite sure what to expect. We took a short drive thru Bisbee proper and I was surprised at two things I saw. The community itself is quite quaint and really very nice with a victorian flare and lots of shops and hotels. The second was the mine that is the most massive displacement of earth the likes of which I have never seen up close before. The holes in the ground were massive as were the mountains of earth that came out of them. I couldn't help but wonder what the area looked like before it was literally moved from one place to another. When I return in a couple of weeks I will take photos of Bisbee and the mine as we plan to spend a couple of days there.

Route 80 has some very beautiful scenery and passes through Tombstone Arizona which is the location of the famous OK Coral. Tombstone was pretty much closed as we went thru very early so it was hard to judge if it is worth a trip. I'm sure if you're into the old west you'd find it allot of fun.

I plan to return to Bisbee in October to check out the town and more importantly return to Whitewater Draw Conservation Area. We will make as many trips as necessary to document the Sandhill population for this blog. Last year they counted approximately 11,000 Sandhills at Whitewater and I look forward to seeing this for myself. There was no evidence of any Sandhills in the area yet so I am hoping that by the early October trip there will be lots.



On the road to Whitewater we saw quite a few of these tarantulas in the road as well a couple of groups of abandoned dogs. There were so many flycatchers that I lost count (dozens) and there were also many hawks along the road.

Whitewater Draw which is in Cochise County and is part of the Chiuauan Desert is an exceptional conservation area that is home in the fall and winter to Sandhill Cranes. It is rather remote but well worth the trip. The first pool was quiet but we had already spotted a Northern Harrier cruising the marshes and we could hear ducks in the next wet area.


There were pintails and many other ducks that moved away from us as we approached.

A large flock of blackbirds is a sure sign of the approaching change of season which I am looking forward to so I can spend allot more time out of doors in places like Whitewater Draw.

There were three immature White Faced Ibises that were feeding in one of the shallow pools.



The Northern Harrier does a fly by. It was visible most of the time we were there.

I love the different colors.


I think these are Greater Yellowlegs but I'm not 100% sure.


On our way out we decided to sit in the shade for a while and were treated to these two Great Horned Owls taking a nap.



I took this shot while I was sitting in line at the border patrol checkpoint on the way back north to Benson.

A Few Favorite Bird Photos

I enjoy trying to capture birds in flight or in their natural habitats. These are a few shots that I like allot. The first two of the Great Egret and the Black Phoebe were taken at Sweetwater Refuge in Tucson Arizona.
I see lots of birds when I'm in the field and I love getting a great shot. I shoot hundreds of pictures on a field trip thanks to the advent of digital photography which means I get some good ones each trip.
The Ferruginous Hawk Photo was taken at the Sonoran Desert Museums Raptor Free Flight Program in Tucson Arizona.
This photo of the Acorn Woodpecker was taken atop Kitt Peak which is a world renowned observatory located on the Tohono O'odham reservation in southern Arizona about 50 miles west of Tucson. The picture below is a Great Blue Heron taken at the Arivaca Cieniga in Arivaca Arizona about 10 miles north of the Mexican border where I spend as much time as I possibly can due to it's natural diversity. I recommend that you take a trip to Buenos Ares National Wildlife Refuge if you get the chance.

Two Evenings in Tucson Arizona

These shots were taken on two separate evenings on the spur of the moment. We are still experiencing the final throws of the monsoon season which can make for some spectacular skies and some really beautiful storms.
I have a tendency to chase after storms looking for the shot that will define the term "Monsoon" and I have a fair amount of success and of course many failures. These are a few shots that I like from this past week and I hope you enjoy them too.

The Neighborhood.
This is the first shot on the second night which was filled with lightning all around, periods of heavy rain and even blue skies and puffy white clouds.
The sun setting over Saguaro National Park from a spot in Tucson Mountain Park which is our back yard. Thousands of acres of saguaro forest with hundreds of miles of hiking trails, beautiful views and amazing wildflower blooms make this a great place to visit especially in fall and winter. If it's monsoon that you want to see you have to come in July and August and be able to put up with temperatures above 100 on a daily basis and humidity.




I am looking forward to cooler weather so that I can get out on the trails. Summer can be deadly in the desert as temperatures are frequently 106-110 and heat exhaustion and dehydration can quickly overtake the unprepared.