fautrever.com

We set off a bit later in the day than we had hoped, sometimes life just gets in the way. It was a chilly but sunny morning as we hit I-10 heading east. We thought we were dressed appropriately in jeans and long-sleeved shirts but soon we would be dreaming of shorts. In Benson we turned off I-10 onto AZ 80 heading south. I found it interesting to learn that AZ 80 is the only intact section of the old US 80 in Arizona. It was also known as “The Broadway of North America” and was once as popular and important as Route 66—it just didn’t have a song.

Commissioned in 1926 the road once connected Tybee Island in Georgia with San Diego, California. At the time US 80 was created, roads were developed to link important communities together and in southern Arizona it did just that. After entering Arizona from New Mexico US 80 veers south down to Douglas, on the border with Mexico, before curving back up and running through downtown Bisbee. After Bisbee the road continues northwest becoming the main street in Tombstone before finally reaching Benson. From Benson I-10 roughly parallels old US 80 into Tucson. Once in Tucson the highway turns into what is now 6th Ave and south Oracle Rd. A small section of the road on the southside of town is still called Benson Highway.

In the 1970s the road was decommissioned and bypassed by the emerging network of Interstates. Since Interstates were designed to move goods and people quickly across the country they favored straight lines even if it meant bypassing entire towns. In Arizona, I-10 shoots across the southern portion of the state in a fairly straight line except when disrupted by mountains. The new road did not negatively impact Douglas, Bisbee, or Tombstone since their boom days were long over. In fact, being bypassed by the big Interstate was probably a good thing for the towns as they were able to retain their small town feel and historic presence which make them so popular now.

It was mid-day by the time we turned off AZ 80 near the small community of St. David. A small monastery of the same name allows birdwatchers access to its ponds and a section of the San Pedro River. As one might guess, we did not have much luck with birds in the middle of a warm day, although we did score a busy Spotted Towhee and a small flock of Dark-eyed Juncos. The highlight of our short visit came when we ducked down to the river.

Just beyond a noisy Black Phoebe’s perch on a dead snag in the water, two coyotes entered the stream. Pausing briefly to look our way (I think we were downwind), the coyotes crossed one at a time. We were afforded good views of them as they slowly strolled through the clear water; the lead coyote even nonchalantly took time for a drink. With their thick, shiny fur they looked quite healthy and they were completely unconcerned as we followed behind them up the bank. It seems that last summer’s rains produced a lush undergrowth of plants and grasses that led to a bumper crop of rabbits, which in turn has kept the coyotes quite well-fed.

After slowly driving through Tombstone (no time to stop) we left AZ 80 and wound our way through rolling hills toward Elfrida. Never heard of it? Don’t worry, we weren’t actually going to the small agricultural community, we were heading to Whitewater Draw Wildlife Area near the town. The Wildlife Area drew us since it is the largest wintering ground for Sandhill Cranes in Arizona. Heck, as of the past few years southern Arizona is the winter home to more Sandhills than the famous Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge in New Mexico. This year Arizona Game and Fish counted a record high 22,367 Sandhills at Whitewater Draw. Seeing as how the birds never seem to stand still I’d like to know how they counted ‘em…

The Wildlife Area sits in a low point in the Sulphur Springs Valley where rainwater and runoff collect in shallow ponds and lakes called playas. The water in the playas has no outlet except evaporation and in wet years the playas attract a huge amount of wildlife. Thankfully, when a 1,500 acre cattle ranch went up for sale in the valley in 1997 the state snapped it up in an effort to protect this precious habitat. Much of the Wildlife Area is off limits to the public but the parts that are open are wonderful for bird watching.

Bookended by ranch houses the Wildlife Area offers three or four ponds in the midst of agricultural fields. According to a ranger with Arizona Game and Fish more farmers are growing corn in the area which just-so-happens to be the Sandhill Cranes favorite food. The cranes don’t pose a threat to the farmer’s crops, they just glean the fields after harvest gobbling up dropped kernels of corn. As well as insects and any small amphibians they might find.

The birds that get the most out of the fields are the numerous raptors that winter in the area. Everything from several species of owls, to Golden Eagles to American Kestrels, Northern Harriers, Cooper’s Hawks, ubiquitous Red-tailed Hawks (of all morphs and subspecies) to the very threatened Ferruginous Hawks. Every tall tree, post, or pole seemed to be topped with some kind of feathered hunter. We literally lost count of all the Red-taileds we spotted, must have been close to a hundred!

We could hear the Sandhills from the car as we entered the parking area. In a pleasant twist the area not only offers free admission but also free camping with picnic tables and an outhouse. Although there is no running water or electricity, just having the ability to drycamp there is amazing since the Cranes begin their day at dawn. We have seen Sandhills before, so we struck out across a field to a grove of willow trees. We’d been told there were owls who roosted in there and we wanted to see them for ourselves.

It took us forever to find just two well-camouflaged owls. I was beginning to lose heart when Lance spied large white splats of poo. Figuring that owls are creatures of habit we followed the splats up from the ground and limb to limb until we finally focused on a broken branch. Actually, our broken branch turned out to be our first Barn Owl. What a face on that bird! We watched the owl for at least ten minutes and he only moved once when he blinked. Another 15 minutes of squinting and a gray blob turned into a Short-eared Owl, another first for us.

Clearly the owls were not concerned about our timetable! Mindful of the late hour, Lance and I tore ourselves away and began our tour of the ponds. Northern Shovelers, Blue-winged Teals and a few Mexican Mallards dominated the first pond. A Vermilion Flycatcher claimed the airspace over it. Next up was one Spotted Sandpiper, one Black-necked Stilt, one Loggerhead Shrike, one Marsh Wren, and one Says Phoebe. As we finished our loop we came closest to the Sandhills. They are so striking!

A few of them were as curious about us as we were about them, tilting and craning their heads to get the best view. Intermingled were a handful of Ross’s Geese, Snow Geese, and Greater White-fronted Geese. Unfortunately for us, they were so far away we had to ask someone with a scope for help. As with any pocket of water we have seen in the U.S., there were American Coots. Hopping around near our feet were several White-crowned Sparrows and Savannah Sparrows. They are such busy little birds!

After a shortcut through some fields we were back on AZ 80, this time heading north. Sometime before crossing into New Mexico we passed a monument honoring the spot where Geronimo surrendered. What a story that is, one for another time though. It was a long lonesome stretch of highway, we only saw two other cars!

On our left the Chiricahua Mountains loomed with their pine-topped peaks. Off in the distance to our right we were lucky to spot eight Sonoran Pronghorns. Severely endangered there are only 100 or so remaining in Arizona. Researchers discovered that though Pronghorns are incredibly fast, they can’t jump. Their bodies aren’t built for it. They can however, scramble under fences, something lumbering cattle cannot do. In an effort to improve Pronghorns’ chances of survival cattle ranchers are being asked to remove the bottom strand of barbed wire from their fences.

Pulling into the small town of Rodeo, New Mexico, it is hard to imagine it was once a bustling frontier town. The railroad used to run right through here and Rodeo was a main shipping point for the area’s cattle ranchers. Ranchers used to herd hundreds of cows into town, sell them, load them on the train, and then spend a night or two squandering their money. It was short-lived. Now a few businesses survive by catering to the needs of the random wandering tourist and the scattered locals.

Our own experience with Rodeo is fairly intimate since we have family in the area. My aunt lives in Rodeo and we stayed overnight with her. Dinner was at the Rodeo Tavern, a classic old building with a dining room in the back. The mural around the room was painted about 50 years ago and thankfully is still in pretty darn good shape.

The next morning as we wandered my aunt’s yard we spotted a nice sized group of Scaled Quail and, if we have correctly identified it, a Bendire’s Thrasher. I was able to snap a few good shots of the bird but I was undecided about its identity until I listened to a recording of the bird’s song. (Bendire’s are very hard to tell apart from Curve-billed Thrashers.) I distinctly remember the thrasher singing a phrase that sounded like “pretty bird, pretty bird” and that song matches the Bendire’s.

Here’s a funny connection to Tucson for you. The Bendire’s Thrasher was discovered in 1872 by Lieutenant Charles Bendire who was stationed with the U.S. Army at Fort Lowell. Fort Lowell, which at the time was miles from town is now completely surrounded by the city of Tucson. In keeping with the custom of the time, Bendire saw an unusual bird, so he shot it and sent it off to the Smithsonian. It was a female and the researchers couldn’t be positive so they asked Bendire for more information. He promptly shot a male and raided a nest. Bendire sent the carcass and his notes about nest construction and egg color to Washington D.C. It was later determined to be a separate species and they named it after Bendire. And that is how we spent last weekend.

Photos: View our photographs from Whitewater Draw, Arizona.

Notes: We visited Whitewater Draw Wildlife Area and surrounds on 02/09/08 and 02/10/08.