Whitewater Draw with Luke Safford

Whitewater Draw with Luke Safford

Friday, December 5, 9am – 1pm

$35/member, $50/non-member

Trip Difficulty: Easy. Around 1.5 miles of easy walking on well packed, flat paths, along with possibly walking on some gravel roads.

An oasis in the middle of the Chihuahuan desert grassland, Whitewater Draw is known for its amazing numbers of wintering Sandhill Cranes (10,000+). We probably won’t see that high of number, but we should still see plenty! This Important Bird Area is the winter home for many species of waterfowl (Snow Goose, Northern Pintail, possible Ross’s Goose) and raptors (Northern Harrier, Ferruginous Hawk, possible Bald Eagle) among the many other species found in this marsh/desert habitat. We’ll also bird Coffman Road for Scaled Quail, raptors, thrashers, and sparrows. Carpooling to location will be arranged among participants and we’ll be leaving the Tucson area at 7am to arrive at Whitewater about 9am. Plan for cool weather and please bring a lunch to enjoy at the Draw. A folding chair would be good to bring too. Limited to 12 participants.

Leader: Luke Safford

Header Image: Sandhill Crane by David Kreidler