Birds and hikes
On last Thursday we went with Dwight and Carol to Whitewater Draw, southeast of here about 100 miles by road, to see the Sandhill cranes. They winter there, by the thousands. (We went through Tombstone on the way.) They are grey and quite large. We arrived in late morning and the cranes started arriving, after having spent the morning out foraging, at first in small groups . More small groups could be seen coming in towards the pond from a distance at different altitudes. The circled overhead like planes stacked up over a major airport.
The flocks grew in size and then, led in by a small gaggle of Arctic and Rosser geese, began to land. After an hour or so, there were thousands on the ground, grouped tightly together and making quite a bit of noise. Sometimes they would startle and bunches would take off, often to circle and land again. Quite neat.
In addition to the cranes, we also saw some barn owls and a couple of bald eagles.
On the way home we went through Bisbee, an old mining town now inhabited by former hippies and other alternative lifestyle types. It looks to have lots of art galleries and a huge hole in the ground, left over from its copper mining past. We didn't stop, but will definitely be back there one of these days.
On Saturday we hiked in the desert at Suguaro National Park East with our Sahuarita hiking group. Very nice. I got to wear my new Indiana Jones hat.
On Saturday, too, Anne Buddenhagen and her husband Frosty Glass (yes) were here for dinner. During cocktails, we were on the patio and a bobcat walked past our back fence and eyed us boldly. It was a little scary. But also a new sighting for our menagerie. Also, an owl flew into a tree in our arroyo and posed for a few minutes before flying off to dinner.
A few days before the bobcat, we saw a coyote walk by just beyond our wall. No photos, unfortunately, of either creature.
Note that the close-ups of the cranes and the owl are pictures Dwight took through his spotting scope.
The flocks grew in size and then, led in by a small gaggle of Arctic and Rosser geese, began to land. After an hour or so, there were thousands on the ground, grouped tightly together and making quite a bit of noise. Sometimes they would startle and bunches would take off, often to circle and land again. Quite neat.
In addition to the cranes, we also saw some barn owls and a couple of bald eagles.
On the way home we went through Bisbee, an old mining town now inhabited by former hippies and other alternative lifestyle types. It looks to have lots of art galleries and a huge hole in the ground, left over from its copper mining past. We didn't stop, but will definitely be back there one of these days.
On Saturday we hiked in the desert at Suguaro National Park East with our Sahuarita hiking group. Very nice. I got to wear my new Indiana Jones hat.
On Saturday, too, Anne Buddenhagen and her husband Frosty Glass (yes) were here for dinner. During cocktails, we were on the patio and a bobcat walked past our back fence and eyed us boldly. It was a little scary. But also a new sighting for our menagerie. Also, an owl flew into a tree in our arroyo and posed for a few minutes before flying off to dinner.
A few days before the bobcat, we saw a coyote walk by just beyond our wall. No photos, unfortunately, of either creature.
Note that the close-ups of the cranes and the owl are pictures Dwight took through his spotting scope.
posted by arthurandjane at 4:28 PM
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