Survey shows near record sandhill cranes

A recent survey by Arizona Game and Fish Department biologists show near record number of sandhill cranes in the Sulphur Springs Valley area of southern Arizona, just in time for the annual Wings Over Willcox celebration this week.

Biologists recently counted 30,570 sandhill cranes in five areas: the Willcox Playa, Crane Lake, Whitewater Draw, Safford Valley/Duncan, and Bonita. The record number of cranes counted, 31,443, occurred in 2004. Back in 1978, the annual crane survey only found 4,264 birds in the general Willcox Playa area of southern Arizona. There has been a steady increase since the first survey was conducted.

The survey results come just in time for the 13th annual Wings Over Willcox Festival on Jan. 12-15. “You don’t have to be a lifelong birder to be awed by the eerie sound of thousands of sandhill cranes calling to one another in the pre-dawn light,” says an article in the January-February edition of “Arizona Wildlife Views” magazine, which is published by the Game and Fish Department.

For more information on the festival, call (800) 200-2272 or visit wingsoverwillcox.com. You can even register for tours online.