The sandhill cranes are coming to their winter resting area in McNeal, Arizona, specifically named Whitewater Draw. I too drove to the area to see what was happening as winter officially begins in a week. The last time I was here it was February and I saw the birds roost at night and then take off just before sunrise. This visit I did not camp overnight.

I arrived and immediately noticed the water in the draw was higher than my previous visit. What this meant for observing the birds, they were further away and not so easy to individually see. Thus I spent more time capturing photos of them while in the air.

Of course there were other birds at the draw. Here are some of them:

On my way home, a short distance from the draw, I saw a new bird and stopped to photograph it … a ferruginous hawk!

It was a great day for watching birds!