2021 Whitewater Draw, AZ

 

This past week I returned to Whitewater Draw in AZ

Many many Sandhill Cranes!

to view the Sandhill Cranes. I understand over 20k are there and I can easily believe it.

 

A typical day for them starts out between 0600 and 0700 when they fly out to the harvested fields to feed. The farmers receive a supplement from the AZ G&F department to leave some for the cranes. I was out each morning by 0630 to hear and watch them. They are all making noise and it is

Before sunrise, many had already flown out

almost a roar as they start to leave. Of course the temperatures were about 20º so bundling up was required, there was ice on the water in spots! Until the sun rises it’s almost pointless to try to get any decent images but I always had my camera with me.

Early morning sun lights this one up

 

Between 11 am and noon the birds return by the

Returning at mid day

thousands, literally! You see them in the distance as they fly towards you and their roosting place to rest and get water. As the groups of cranes get closer they fly at different elevations, swirling around preparing to land.

Different groups of cranes at different elevations as they return at mid day

 

 

It is an awesome sight!  They hang around for a few hours then may fly out again, returning around sunset.

Late afternoon, some returning

Late afternoon

 

 

 

 

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2020 Moose, final

Early one morning I found this bull and cow at the far end of the campground, between the trees and the road. He was patiently courting her, with not much going on, really. Then along came a younger bull.  The mature bull chased that would-be suitor away to the west and then both he and the cow laid down.

The younger bull was not discouraged and tried another approach, going behind us and easing through the trees to the east of the bull and cow this time.  The mature bull was up and

after the persistent one yet again. The  younger one backed  off.

 

Then from the west came another bull, this one was big and mature and definitely not one that would simply turn away.  This  time  they  went  through their  ritual  of  walking near each other while tilting their heads. This seems to be a bit of a threatening action, very slowly done. This went on for a few minutes then each turned 90º towards the other and they were engaged instantly.  

The action went on for a few minutes then the loser disengaged and left. It was very intense while they were together and it ended as quickly as it began. There wasn’t a second go ’round that I saw.

There is a great deal of respect demonstrated between all the moose, between the bulls and cows, bulls and bulls or cows and cows, though the latter will mix it up a bit once in a while. Not sure if that is jealousy, competitiveness or protecting a calf.

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2020 Moose, two

Monday morning started off well with this bull following a cow and calf.  The cow and calf headed to the river and we followed. Eventually the bull followed then to the river.

 

 

 

Then another bull crossed a bit further downstream followed by yet another cow and calf.

 

 

 

While this was going on an additional two bulls crossed upstream (behind us). I didn’t get any photos of them worth keeping.

Tuesday morning was bit slower with just a couple of bulls moving around. The younger bull went  down  to the river when a larger bull came by.

 

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2020 Moose, one

The moose have arrived!  These days I’m up and out by 0700 and back to the trailer about 10 am, getting in lots of steps following the moose. This year,because  of  the  high  number  of   cars parked in the overflow area (really the amphitheater parking lot) they seem to be spending more time between the campsite loops and the river or at the river. Usually the grove by the amphitheater is a regular hangout for them.

Early  morning (once the sun is up) provides nice light and sometimes tender moments cam be seen.  Once a bull comes around the cow is distracted by him and often the calf is left to catch up when it can. Sometimes crossing the river isn’t enough, the bull follows and the cow takes to the river again.

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2020 September Elk

The last evening in September I went back to see the elk and was rewarded with quite a
show as two handsome bulls battled for the cows. They came so close to me I was thinking I’d soon be jumping into my van but the settled on a spot just far enough away so I was not too worried. They moved around quite a bit and engaged 3 times we were able to see.

 

This is a link to a video on youtube, it includes action and sound of the bugling

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2020 End of September

Last Saturday it was very overcast with rain every once in a while.

Barn on Mormon Row

Rain down here in the valley often means snow on the mountain tops and sure enough there was fresh snow up high. Since Sunday night was very clear I headed out to see if I could capture the moonlight on the mountains at a couple of favorite spots. The effort paid off with a couple of really nice images.

A friend  who  was  camping  here  told  me  about  a good spot  for  viewing elk.  She  said  a  good time is early morning so I went there so early it was too early for photos. But as I parked I could hear several bulls bugling and even the sound of antlers clashing. Wow! Where’s that sun when you need it?! Once it got lighter and I had the camera out I did see a bull with his harem. There were a couple of other bulls nearby but all were rather far away. 

Chasing in interloper off

I went back last evening and the elk were out but again rather far away. I will return to the location.

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2020 Moose story

Out for a morning stroll

A lot of my pleasure being out here is simply watching the animals interact. Every once is a while I get to watch a story play out and even manage to capture it with my camera. On a recent morning a handsome bull was walking along the river. He crossed then returned

On the north side of the river a cow with her calf lures him back

to the north side (near me). Lo & behold, a cow & calf had been feeding in the willows.

He’s mature enough to know she’s really not ready for him so he laid down for a bit. Then two younger bulls, full of themselves and not a

The big bull was up and waiting to greet the two younger bulls.

lot of sense came around. The lady in the photo was taking a serious risk for want of some photos.

After a while the big bull crossed to the south side of the river and one of the younger bulls pursued the cow without any luck. I left while that was going on. She was not happy and while the observers

Lordy! That kid is coming this way!

(including me) were high up on the banking I knew we were not making it any easier on her simply with our presence.

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2020 Moose and calf

One recent morning there was a moose cow with her calf right in the middle of the loop where I was camped. I’d seen her before much further away and had not gotten any close-up shots. Getting close to a cow with a calf is rather foolish I think since they are super watchful and protective. This time I was able to be close enough for some really nice images without her being stressed. My telephoto lens helps so these are not cropped much. There were RVs all around the loop and those do not make for pleasing backgrounds! However the spot I found worked out very  well.

If you look at the gallery you will see all the images in the order in which they were taken.

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2020 Teton Moose

The campground has been full every night with folks even in the overflow area. The moose have been slow to come in but a couple of mornings ago one bull was near my trailer so I got some nice images of him. The bulls will rub their antlers on shrubs to remove the velvet, and sometimes as a show of strength or threat, I think. The recent snowstorm means a lot of loose branches on the ground which look rather like bushes to them. This fellow picked up one branch, shook it loose them found a much larger one but didn’t get tangled up with it.

A couple of mornings later there was a cow and calf nearby. I’ve found it difficult to get nice images of a cow and calf but this morning it was worth the effort.

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2020 Teton Elk

 

Here in the Tetons there is a spot I often go to in the evenings. It overlooks a couple of little ponds with a stream running in front of the tree line. Moose can sometimes be seen there along with deer, coyotes, and elk. Usually the elk are so far away you really need binoculars or a spotting scope. However one recent evening there was a bull with his harem much closer so I was able to get some nice images of him and the cows. He was quite active moving among them and bugling.

Once in a while he would jus stop and survey the area. On other occasions he would chase a cow.

Watching the animals in the wild is special, being able to see them interact makes me appreciate them and this wonderful country so much.

 

 

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