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Published: January 26th 2024
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Today was sunny at last, but still chilly. We aimed for Whitewater Draw, an area where thousands of sandhill cranes have been gathering since the late 60s in their migration to Nebraska and parts north. They leave the wetlands for the fields at day break and return around noon, so we knew we didn’t need to rush there. Still, it was going to be a two hour drive….
So we stopped in famous Tombstone for a looksee. My oh my it was so commercial, but would indeed have needed an hour to do it all. Our aim was the 25 min historical overview at 10, but we are out of season and it wouldn’t start till noon. So we bought a ticket to see the OK corral anyway – where metal cut out figures of Wyatt Earp and his 2 brothers and Doc Holliday faced off against the baddies. The thing that was so amazing was how closely they stood to each other, like 10-15’!! There were also historical relics, like carriages and saddles. The 2 blocks or so of the restored center of town looked quite authentic, with wooden raised pavements, mud roads, saloons and shops. Lots of outfits
and hats and boots and other gear, if you wanted it. A trolley could take you around to all the sites, including the cemetery Boot Hill.
About another hour to the draw and it did not disappoint. The noise! The chaos! It seemed like some of the Sandhill Cranes got separated from their loved ones and would call out to each other. When it was just a few it really did remind us of the Marco – Polo game we used to play in the swimming pool. It was also fun to see their “landing gear” – their long legs just hanging down loose until it was time for a quick deceleration. Evidently they mate – and we saw one pair “joined at the hip” indeed.
There were many other ducks – especially the magnificent and regal Northern Pintail.
The big news was discovering a MARSH WREN – lifer #5 this trip. And we ran into our friend from last year Yvonne, with her friend Diane. So we all got to see the wren.
One thing that has also been fascinating – how far away people come to this area for birding. We chatted with a
man from Alaska – had driven down with family for medical reasons, decided to stay a few months. They were driving an old pickup with one of those cab ccap things. It will take 4 days of solid driving to get to Bellingham WA, then they catch the ferry to Sitka.
We returned a different way, using the expressway for some time, and finally passed a roadside stand for pecans. The trees are everywhere, but this is THE first time we saw them for sale.
We tried to see the local water treatment plant but they closed just minutes before we arrived – a must for another day 😊 So we drove up to the visitor’s center of the Whipple Observatory. It was getting chillier and we heard no birds so we didn’t stay long. Instead we drove to the very end of our dead end street, only to find that it accesses the Elephant Head Biking Trail. So technically we could walk to Madera Canyon 4 miles away, and then maybe hitch a ride up the road into the birding area. Instead cars have to go a round about way in, but no doubt we will too.
One photo I’m including is from inside the car as we passed hundreds and hundreds of rows of pecan trees. One day we saw them getting trimmed, or the nuts knocked down – we couldn’t tell.
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