Plumage.
Sandhill crane (Antigone canadensis) at the Whitewater Draw Wildlife Area near McNeal, Arizona.
Tag: McNeal
En silhouette.
Great horned owl (Bubo virginianus) calling a friend. To produce his series of deep hoots this owl dipped his head and lowered his entire body. I can only guess the posture allows the bird to fill its voice box with sound and air to project and direct the call.
Please click photo for an enlarged view.
Great horned owl (Bubo virginianus) at Whitewater Draw.
This is probably the most photographed owl in Arizona. Hundreds of people visit Whitewater Draw during the winter sandhill crane season, and this bird can be reliably found in the rafters of the work shed at the preserve. The owl seems completely inured to the people that gather under his perch for a better look.
The Whitewater Draw Wildlife Area is in Cochise County, near the town of McNeal, Arizona.
Typical pintail pose.
Northern pintail (Anas acuta) at the Whitewater Draw Wildlife Area near McNeal, Arizona.
The Resident G.B.H. on a tumbleweed platform. This is one of the most reliable birds I know.
At the Whitewater Draw Wildlife Area near McNeal, Arizona.
Yellow-headed blackbirds (Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus) at the Whitewater Draw Wildlife Area near McNeal, Arizona.
Sandies. Sunset.
Sandhill cranes (Antigone canadensis) at the Whitewater Draw Wildlife Area near McNeal, Arizona.
Untitled.
Yellow-headed blackbirds (Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus) settling in the bulrushes where they will roost overnight. I estimated the flock at about 2000 birds. At the Whitewater Draw Wildlife Area near McNeal, Arizona.
Resident G.B.H.
At Whitewater Draw, McNeal, Arizona. During crane season this bird gets easily lost in the crowd, but he’s always pretty much in the same spot. I also am a creature of steady habits, so I am always glad to find him at there.
Dithyramb 