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Shortly before Christmas we made a trip out to the Willcox Playa area, roughly 85 miles southeast of Tucson, for some birding. If we had traveled down there just to see the Sandhill Cranes we would have been mighty disappointed since the cranes did not oblige us with close-up views. As we climbed out of the car at our first stop that morning, the Arizona Electric Power Cooperative (AEPCO) Apache Station Wildlife Area, our breath was the most visible thing in the air. Other than the indifferent coyote that wandered by we could see no signs of life from the viewing platform. We could hear cranes, though, the sound of their loud clacking calls can travel for miles—it is common to hear them as they fly by and yet never see them.

As the warm sun burned off the low-lying fog, distant ponds came into view revealing a small passel of Sandhills. Though far away and few in number we were happy to see them since they represented a much larger population that winters in the agricultural fields and wetlands of southern Arizona. Last year over 36,000 Sandhill Cranes were counted with the number expected to increase each year. Only the Muleshoe National Wildlife Refuge in Texas has a larger wintering population.

The roughly 4’ tall birds migrate down to warmer climes from Canada, the Rocky Mountains, with some even coming from as far away as Siberia. There are two separate species of Sandhills: Greater (Grus canadensis tabida) and Lesser (Grus canadensis canadensis), both are present in the winter. Even though the differences are relatively subtle to the common observer the birds actually diverged genetically roughly two million years ago. That estimate isn’t based on just genetics either, the fossil record of Sandhills extends back 2.5 million years to the Pleistocene epoch—compare that to the record of most living bird species at 1.8 million years. Those birds have obviously figured out how to survive!

Leaving AEPCO we drove slowly south towards the Whitewater Draw Wildlife Area, checking the top of every fence post and phone line along the way. There wasn’t much traffic so we had plenty of time look for the many species of hawks that also winter there. As we neared the Draw it was clear that raptors were going to be the center of our attention that day—they were everywhere, and so many different species of them! We read somewhere that one can count close to a hundred birds of prey from close to twenty species in the Sulphur Springs Valley during the winter months. Our count was 75 from 10 species, and we were only there for the morning!

First up was a Red-tailed Hawk, a dark morph—one of several morphs and subspecies known in the region. By the end of the day we tallied over 40 Red-taileds! We were thrilled to get fairly close to both a Prairie Falcon and a Ferruginous Hawk. Several Northern Harriers cruised the fields while American Kestrels clung to telephone lines, bobbing their tails for balance. Greater Roadrunners dashed madly across the highway while Western Meadowlarks watched from their barbed wire perches. Loggerhead Shrikes were our third most populous bird that day (after Sandhills and Red-taileds). Like the kestrels they too used the phone lines to scan the fields below for their prey (in this case mostly grasshoppers).

Reaching the wetlands at Whitewater our first stop was the barn to look for the Great Horned Owl that usually roosts there. Sure enough, the owl was present—there was even enough light for me to shoot a few photos. Leaving the barn we headed to the willow thicket where the Barn Owls roosted (based on their names it seems like the owls should switch places). From last year’s trip we know how well camouflaged the owls can be so we were patient.

Our method for finding birds hidden in thick brambles of branches is very scientific—we look for their poop! If we spot a large white blob, looking carefully into the branches above it can often yield a camouflaged bird. We peered, we scanned, we scoped and finally just as we were about to give up Lance spotted a Barn Owl. A few minutes later I found another one. We were satisfied, though we later learned that a few days after our visit a whopping 43 Barn Owls were counted roosting in the willows.

Leaving the willows we walked through the scrubby brush picking up a rowdy flock of White-crowned Sparrows, a curious Vesper Sparrow, a small covey of Gambel’s Quail and a Say’s Phoebe. A trip around the smaller pond added several species of ducks to our growing list. At the south end of the other pond we noticed a large brown bird standing awkwardly in the water. A peek through our bins (birderspeak for binoculars) helped us identify it as an immature Bald Eagle dining on duck. A half hour later the eagle flew up into a nearby dead, craggy tree and sunned himself (contentedly?). Apparently the tree is a popular eagle hangout as other birders have posted photos of this perch with stunning white-headed adults sitting on it.

In the shallows we picked out a few Killdeers, two Greater Yellowlegs, and a juvenile Spotted Sandpiper. Sharing the willows along the pond’s edge were a brightly colored Common Yellowthroat, an aptly named Vermilion Flycatcher, a striking Black Phoebe, and a not so vibrant Ruby-crowned Kinglet. Our last bird at Whitewater Draw flew in just as we were leaving, a Ladder-backed Woodpecker. It was roughly mid-day when we started on our return trip to Tucson. We were both bummed to be leaving so soon but the road home had a few surprises in store for us.

As we traveled west towards Hwy 80 (that would fling us on to I-10 at Benson) we passed a Crested Caracara. We were still oohing and aahing over that odd looking long-necked bird when a pair of Chihuahuan Ravens swooped in front of us calling raucously. Following their trajectory we quickly discovered the objects of their concern: three Golden Eagles hunkered in a mesquite tree. The eagles were attempting to discourage the ravens by working themselves deeper into the tree’s scraggly, leaf-less branches. As we watched, one eagle took off, rising high and flying fast with the two ravens in hot pursuit. As soon as the ravens were gone, the other two eagles flew off in the opposite direction. The ravens outsmarted them by abandoning the first eagle and wheeling in mid-air to chase the newly aloft birds that were flying lower and slower. The chase took the birds far out of our sight. Now that’s a great way to end a day of birding!

Earlier in the month we took advantage of a few of the warm December afternoons and birded along the Santa Cruz River and of course, stopped in at Sweetwater Wetlands. Our visits were filled primarily with close-up looks at more common birds although we did see our first American Pipits, which winter in the more southerly states. Sound like smart birds to me…

While at Sweetwater something flew overhead that caught our eyes: an E-3 Sentry, a surveillance and communications plane that is part of the United States Air Force airborne warning and control system (AWACS). The landing gear was already down so we figured the plane must have been heading to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in southern Tucson. After it left our sight we returned to watching avian flights but the image of the plane stayed with us and prompted me to do some research once we returned home. The most interesting thing I learned about the plane has to do with birds so it is appropriate for today’s topic.

Sixty-eight E-3s were built and sold for roughly $270 million (in today’s dollars) each—the US purchased 34 of them with the majority of the rest going to NATO. E-3s around the world have logged thousands of miles and have been flown in and out of combat situations without incident except for two instances, both of which ended in complete loss of the planes. In September 1995 a US E-3 crashed after taking off from Elemendorf AFB in Alaska killing all 24 crew members on board. Less than a year later a NATO E-3 crashed during a takeoff attempt in Greece. In both cases the culprit wasn’t a technical difficulty or human error but BASH: Bird Aircraft Strike Hazard. In Alaska the plane’s engines were knocked out by Canada Geese, in Greece gulls did the damage.

We had heard of avian-plane accidents before, after all the first bird-plane strike was reported by Orville Wright in 1905! But we were under the impression that the aircraft usually survived. According to experts most bird-plane collisions cause little damage to the aircraft (though they are fatal to the bird). Serious accidents occur when birds hit the windscreen (at times even breaking the glass) or are sucked into the engines. Though small birds can do quite a bit of damage (especially in large flocks) the magnitude of impact increases dramatically when a larger bird, such as a ten pound goose, runs into a jet that is flying at speeds over 100 miles per hour.

Of course, just last week a flock of Canada Geese catapulted into world news when it brought down a large Airbus A320-214 just five minutes after takeoff (US Airways Flight 1549). The flock knocked out both of the plane’s engines forcing an emergency landing on the Hudson River in New York. Thankfully the pilot was able to land the plane safely in the water and all 150 passengers plus the five crew members survived with minor injuries. Truly an amazing story!

Photos: View our photographs from Birding in Southern Arizona.

Dates: We visited Willcox and Whitewater Draw on 12/22/08.