Ferrug

Yes, Wings Over Willcox is one of the great Sandhill Crane shows anywhere in the world–but the raptor display is every bit as exciting. This Ferruginous Hawk was one of about 5 our group saw on Saturday.

This is a globally rare bird, restricted during the breeding season to the western Great Plains, where it spends the hot summers making life miserable for prairie dogs and other terrestrial squirrels. We’re tremendously lucky here in southeast Arizona to have so many wintering in the area: a day spent in the Sulphur Springs Valley or on the Santa Cruz Flats is almost guaranteed to produce several sightings, often at dazzlingly close range.

Want to see some yourself? Come to next year’s Wings Over Willcox. The keynote speaker will be Ted Floyd, and if I’m lucky, maybe they’ll invite me to lead a tour or two again.