While we are not serious birders, we like to watch and identify at least the birds that come through our own backyard. We will have quite a few new species to learn about here in southeastern Arizona, which seems to be a hotspot for birders. A few days ago, we drove about 10 miles west from Bisbee to the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation area. While the San Pedro River wasn't quite up to our expectations for a "river" (Mark calls it the Pee-dro), this area is home to 100 species of breeding birds and 250 species of migrant or wintering birds. That makes it an important wildlife habitat, wouldn't you say?
We saw some different birds but needed our friend Dave, who is a renowned Alaskan scientist and ornithologist, to help us identify them. Dave knows all birds and can identify them at a distant glance or by sound alone. Here you can see the trees growing near the river and the beautiful Huachuca mountains in the background:
On a second bird outing, we went east from Bisbee about 20 miles to the Whitewater Draw Wildlife Area. Here, over 30,000 sandhill cranes are spending the winter months. We saw these same guys a few years ago in the spring in Othello, Washington, on their way down. It's quite a sight, although my point-and-shoot camera couldn't capture them. You can see why they like this nice marshy draw, a total surprise to us in the middle of the desert.
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