An Arizona Treasure

Sandhill Crane foraging	Impressive in every aspect, the birds are mostly shades of gray, with rusty brown patches which occur when the birds actually daub iron-rich mud on their feathers, making them the only species besides man to paint their bodies for decorative reasons. Their foreheads are covered with bare skin with a deep red hue, the adults having a white cheek patch.
Bald Eagle hunting Sandhill Cranes	We are lucky to have a large wintering population of sandhills right here in Arizona. Between November and February, several thousand of these beautiful creatures arrive at Sulphur Springs Valley in southeastern Arizona. Eating corn stubble and taking advantage of the mild weather, they spend the winter months at Whitewater Draw near the town of Elfrida, delighting bird watchers who travel great distances to see and hear the birds as they eat, loll, and fly from field to field. Besides the occasional birdwatcher, the only thing that seems to upset the birds is the approach of a bald or golden eagle. It's amazing to see twenty thousand or more sandhills take off in one group when one of them recognizes a large straight-winged bird entering the area, sometimes miles away and several thousand feet up in the air. The beautiful and haunting sounds of alarm spread as they take flight in an explosion of wings, legs, and long necks. The idea that there is safety in numbers is instinctive and if the approaching eagle chooses to press the attack, it will attempt to separate one or more cranes from the huge dense flock, not unlike a lion cutting target wildebeest from a larger herd.
Three Sandhills	The immature sandhill cranes can be differentiated as much by their vocalizations as by size or color. Amid the echoing calls of the adults are one or two little peeps, loud, but short and higher-pitched. How the parents keep track of their offspring in the huge cloud of birds is a mystery, but somehow they manage. As in all avian species, the first 12 months are the most critical, with the yearlings experiencing a high mortality rate. Considering that some of the sandhill cranes that you will see in our state will migrate to Siberia and back each year, it's amazing that any of them survive! One was tagged a few years ago and was tracked making the Siberian round trip twice before the transmissions were lost. For more information about sandhill cranes in our state, or for a wonderfully informative guided tour of their wintering habitat north of Bisbee, contact Sheri Williamson or Tom Wood, founding directors of the Southeastern Arizona Bird Observatory at sabo.org who will provide a birding experience never to be forgotten.

Panic launch

Sandhills on the ground