THEY CALL US SNOWBIRDS, WE CHILL AVERSE SENIORS who migrate to places like Arizona and Florida for the winter. But this season we could be coming for the snow, not from it. Despite the fifty and sixty degree days, nighttime temperatures often fall below freezing — tonight’s low will be 19° and it doesn’t look any better for the rest of the week — so we will be disconnecting the water supply before we go to bed.
Sandhill cranes by the thousands
Other birds flock to southern Arizona, too, sandhill cranes being the most popular. Squawking flocks vee their way overhead every morning, heading for the grain fields. We will be gone before the Willcox Crane Festival but we will likely take part in the New Year’s Day bird count.
Merlin with breakfast
White Water Draw is a-buzz with northern harriers, sparrows and colorful pyrrhuloxia and we watched a merlin pluck a sparrow that it had just snatched mid-air. But the most beautiful area is Chiricahua National Monument, pine-clad mountains and the nicest tent camping sites we have ever seen. Too cold for us, though. Connie did see her first Montezuma quail as we were driving out.
