White Water Draw - Cochise County

This past week I rode along with some friends to the White Water Draw in NcNeal Arizona,  just east of Tombstone.. 

This is a combination of a shallow lake and wetlands that were formerly part of a large cattle ranch.  For more information, see these links: 

• ​Wildlife Viewing Areas
• The Wild Bird Store

The White Water Draw is a great place to see Sandhill Cranes in the winter months.  Last Tuesday was a windy day, limiting the number of birds in flight, with the cranes hunkered down for the most part. However, we did see a Northern Harrier Hawk on the hunt, photos below. 

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I am not sure if this is a male or female. The Cornell Ornithology Lab site shows Arizona as part of their winter range. This hunt was successful, but I was unable to catch any good shots with a critter in the birds claws.  

All photos shot handheld with a monopod and shoulder stock, Canon 6D with a Sigma 150-600 Contemporary series, at 600 mm, f 9.0, 1/2500 second, ISO 800.  I picked up more noise at ISO 800 than I expected, and keeping the bird in focus was a challenge. Post-production processing in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom.  

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There should be more cranes and migrating birds in January