On my way back from the Chiricahua Mountains I have to pass right by Lake Cochise. So, it has become a mandatory stop. There wasn't much going on on the lake; a few coots, northern shovelers, and mallards, but no shorebirds, herons or egrets. HOWEVER, between the lake the the golf course there is a dirt road that takes you to some wetlands. There to my surprise were several thousand Sandhill Cranes. Now, I am used to seeing 50 or so there but not thousands. The front page story in today's Arizona Daily Star was about Whitewater Draw where I am used to seeing thousands. Evidently, the pump at Whitewater Draw has failed and the ponds have all dried up. Hence, the 30 - 40,000 Sandhill Cranes that winter here in Southern Arizona needed to find a place with water. So Lake Cochise is there home for another couple of weeks until there fly north. Here are a few photos I just took:
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