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Blog | Photo Road Trips

THE SANDHILL CRANES OF WHITEWATER DRAW REFUGE

ByMaria Struss

The Sandhill Cranes of Whitewater Draw Refuge certainly served up some unexpected bird photography opportunities during my winter stay in Arizona. In addition to roadrunners visiting my campsite, I discovered a place where the sky fills with sandhill cranes every morning and evening.

Every winter Whitewater Draw becomes home to 20,000 plus sandhill cranes as well as a variety of other birds. In fact, the shear number of cranes at Whitewater Draw was so stunning I had to share this refuge with each of you so it can also be on your list of top birding spots.

Keep reading to learn more about the Sandhill Cranes of Whitewater Draw Refuge including tips on the best places and times to view and photograph sandhill cranes. I even include camera gear recommendations in this post. Lastly learn about other birds that you will encounter at Whitewater Draw that you may find of interest.

In this post...
  • Where Is Whitewater Draw Wildlife Refuge?
    • Directions to Whitewater Draw
    • Map to Whitewater Draw Refuge
  • Visiting Whitewater Draw Wildlife Refuge?
  • About Whitewater Draw Wildlife Refuge
  • Why Do Sandhill Cranes Come To Whitewater Draw Refuge?
  • When Do The Sandhill Cranes Come To Whitewater Draw?
  • Best Times Of Day To See Sandhill Cranes In Flight
    • Mornings for Sandhill Cranes Lifting Off
    • Late Afternoon to Sunset for Cranes Returning to Ponds
  • Best Time To View Cranes Around Whitewater Draw Ponds?
    • Cranes in the Afternoons
  • Where Do The Whitewater Cranes Go During The Day?
    • Nearby Farmlands to Feed
    • What do Sandhill Cranes Eat?
  • Whitewater Draw Wildlife Area Crane Cam
  • Tips for Photographing Whitewater Draw Cranes
  • Whitewater Draw Sandhill Cranes up Close
  • Other Birds at Whitewater Draw Refuge
  • Great Horned Owls
  • Final Thoughts on Whitewater Draw Sandhill Cranes

Where Is Whitewater Draw Wildlife Refuge?

Whitewater Draw Refuge is located in Southeast Arizona off Interstate 10 at 8469 N. Coffman Rd in a tiny town called McNeal, Arizona.

Directions to Whitewater Draw

From the West on I 10: Exit at Benson, Arizona and take Highway 80 South to W. Davis Rd, turn left on David Rd and drive until you reach a well packed dirt road called Coffman Rd. Once at Coffman Rd, turn right and drive about 2.5 miles until you come to the entrance to Whitewater Draw Refuge on your right. Traveling this route, you will drive through the historic town of Tombstone, Arizona where the historic Gunfight in the OK Corral took place.

From the East on I 10: Exit at Highway 191 towards Cochise and continue south until you reach the tiny town of McNeal. At McNeal, turn right onto Davis Rd and drive a short distance until you come to Coffman Rd. Turn left on Coffman Rd., drive 2.5 miles and you will encounter Whitewater Draw Refuge on your right.

Map to Whitewater Draw Refuge

Visiting Whitewater Draw Wildlife Refuge?

Hours: The refuge is open 24 hours a day.

Cost: The refuge is free.

Restrooms: On site in the parking lot.

Camping: There is a free small first come camping area at the entrance to the Refuge that allows dry camping for a maximum of 3 days within any 7 day period. The area can accommodate most RV’s although those in smaller rigs will have an easier time finding a space when the refuge is busy. To view the camping area, please see The Dyrt.

Food and Lodging: The closest towns for choices of restaurants, grocery stores and lodging are Bisbee, Tombstone and Douglas.

About Whitewater Draw Wildlife Refuge

The Whitewater Draw Wildlife Area was once a cattle ranch that was purchased in 1997 to provide wetland habitats for birds. It is part of the Chihuahuan desert grasslands consisting of about 1500 acres with a number of ponds. A small portion of its ponds are accessible via easy walking trails. Along the trails are a few good viewing areas for birds including an observation area that extends a short distances into the ponds.

Sandhill Cranes: The main draw of Whitewater Draw Wildlife Refuge is the sheer number of cranes that visit each fall and winter. Numbers vary depending on conditions but in many years the crane numbers can range between 20,000 ad 30,000 cranes.

Other Birds: In addition to the above mentioned sandhill cranes, the refuge is home to a wide variety of birds. On each of my four visits to the refuge, I saw great horned owls, an assortment of ducks including cinnamon teals, tons of red winged blackbirds, and harris hawks.

Wildlife: Birds are not the only wildlife at the refuge as it is also home to deer, coyote, bobcats, javelina, snakes and other wildlife. For a complete list of wildlife, be sure to click on the above Whitewater Draw link to their website.

Current News: A pole barn that a pair of great horned owls nested in every year collapsed but will be rebuilt in 2023. For those planning a visit to the barn to photograph the great horned owls, I have not heard of any updated locations for the owls.

Why Do Sandhill Cranes Come To Whitewater Draw Refuge?

Each winter tens of thousands of sandhill cranes roost at Whitewater Draw in Southern Arizona and head out each morning to feed in nearby fields.

Sandhill Cranes find Whitewater Draw Refuge a great place to winter for two reasons. First Whitewater Draw is located adjacent to farmland that is rich with many of the foods cranes eat. Secondly, cranes roost near freshwater bodies that have shallow areas or sandbars which provide protection from predators. If you are a Sandhill Crane, what more can you ask for?

When Do The Sandhill Cranes Come To Whitewater Draw?

Depending on conditions, the Sandhill Cranes begin arriving at Whitewater Draw around the first of October and can stay through mid March or as last as early April. To view the largest number of cranes, however, I recommend visiting the wildlife area in late December through February.

Best Times Of Day To See Sandhill Cranes In Flight

Mornings for Sandhill Cranes Lifting Off

Plan to be at the refuge at least a hour before sunrise if you wish to witness thousands of cranes as they take flight and head off to feed for the day. This will give you time to park and make the short walk to where most of the cranes roost at night. When the cranes take flight, the sky literally fills with birds accompanied by an almost defending sound of wings flapping!

Below are two different images of the cranes leaving the refuge in the morning.

In the first image the cranes are heading west over the refuge to feed. For photography cranes heading west create a much more appealing images.

In the second image, the cranes fly east over buildings and also into the morning sun, which creates a less desirable image.

My best advice is to photograph cranes heading west in the early mornings if at all possible! For those who are just at the refuge to witness all the cranes and do not care about photography, you may have a closer experience to the cranes if you stand a bit east of the main refuge paths.

Sandhill Cranes 85
Flying West

Sandhill Cranes flying east from Whitewater Draw to Feed on nearby farmlands in the morning hours.

Late Afternoon to Sunset for Cranes Returning to Ponds

Plan to be at the refuge at least two hours before sunset if you wish to photograph the cranes when they fly back into the refuge. Also, late afternoons to evenings are a great time to capture landing shots as well as cranes flying overhead.

Even though a large number of sandhill cranes will begin to arrive in the afternoon, be on the lookout for a massive number cranes returning to the refuge at sunset. Despite the fact I always found the light at sunset to be bad for photography, it was exhilarating to experience that many cranes flying at once.

My best flight shots of cranes returning to the refuge were usually created about an hour and half before sunset.

Whitewater Draw Sandhill Cranes in Flight 393

Best Time To View Cranes Around Whitewater Draw Ponds?

Cranes in the Afternoons

The cranes gather in one large group on the east side of Cattails pond as they begin to fly in and out of the refuge from mid morning on through sunset. Here the cranes are easily viewed from walkways at any time but are best photographed in the mid to later afternoon light. For a good view of the area, please check out Southeast Arizona Bird Map.

Each winter tens of thousands of sandhill cranes roost at Whitewater Draw in Southern Arizona.  Waterwater Draw Wildlife Refuge is a small 1600 acre refuge southeast of Tombsone, Arizona that draws from 20,000 to 30,00 cranes .
Sandhill Cranes 142

In the morning hours, based on the location of the cranes and the walkways, one would have to photograph into the sun.

As you can see from the above photos, the area around the ponds is not particularly photogenic but the sheer number of cranes makes up for the poor backgrounds.

Where Do The Whitewater Cranes Go During The Day?

Nearby Farmlands to Feed

The sandhill cranes are drawn to Whitewater Draw Refuge each winter due the the abundance of food found in the nearby farmlands of Sulphur Springs Valley in Cochise County. During the day they leave the refuge and feed in nearby farmlands. In fact, I recommend taking a drive through the farmlands after sunrise at Whitewater to photograph cranes and other birds such as hawks.

What do Sandhill Cranes Eat?

Sandhill Cranes are omnivorous and eat insects, snakes, grub, berries, small animals and other similar foods. These foods are typically found around open fields and farmlands which is why you tend to see cranes on farms during the day.

Whitewater Draw Wildlife Area Crane Cam

Whitewater Draw has a live crane cam that can be viewed at: Sandhill Crane Cam of Whitewater Draw.

Tips for Photographing Whitewater Draw Cranes

Photo Tips

  • If possible plan to shoot with two cameras, one with a long lens such as a 500mm and the second camera equipped with a 100mm -400mm zoom lens.
  • The combination of these two lens will allow for flight shots as well as photographs of large groups of cranes by the pond as shown above. Also a 500mm lens has enough reach to isolate small numbers of cranes at the waters edge.
  • At the refuge, with the exception of sandhill crane flight shots that are directly overhead, you will be photographing most cranes at a distance.
  • Both 1.4 and 2x extenders are beneficial.
  • A tripod is advised for the crane ground shots.
  • Depth of Field will be an issue with both lens and trade offs will have to be made between getting closer shots of the cranes or having more cranes in focus but smaller in the image.
  • Due to the sheer number of cranes in flight a 100-400mm lens is needed to convey just how many cranes are in the sky at a given time.

Whitewater Draw Sandhill Cranes up Close

A photo a two cranes around a pond at Whitewater Draw in McNeil, Arizona.
Two cranes take a break from feeding in nearby farmlands at Whitewater Draw to rest around a refuge pond.

Other Birds at Whitewater Draw Refuge

A photo of a killdeer at Whitewater Draw Refuge in McNeil Arizona that blends in with the brown ground.
A Killdeer blends in well to the brown muddy shores of a pond at Whitewater Draw Wildlife Refuge in Southern Arizona.
Large flocks of Yellowheaded Blackbirds flight into Whitewater Draw Wildlife Refuge each night creating quite a scene in the sky.
The Cinnamon Teal duck is found in only the western parts of North America. The male plumage is a deep cinnamon color with a dark beak. The female has a tan to light brown plumage with a greyer colored beak.
The Northern Pintail Duck breeds in northern colder climates and winters in southern climates. The ducks favor ponds, and lakes with agricultural fields nearby for feeding just like Whitewater Draw Refuge.

Great Horned Owls

A pair of great horned owls nested in the rafters of a barn by the parking lot for years. However, the barn collapsed and I no longer have known of where the owls could be located.

Final Thoughts on Whitewater Draw Sandhill Cranes

This is a small refuge that offers a wonderful opportunity to experience thousands of sandhill cranes in one place. There are also a large number of yellow headed blackbirds at the refuge in addition to smaller numbers of ducks and other wildlife.

For photographers who come to photograph the cranes, it can be a bit challenging to create that perfect bird photo. However Whitewater Draw offers an amazing ability to photograph both large and small numbers of cranes in flight and should therefore be on everyone’s birding list. Just arrive with an understanding that you may have to work for some shots.

I highly recommend this location not only because of the numbers of cranes but also for it’s proximity to Bisbee and Tombstone, Arizona. Speaking of Bisbee, please check out my post about visiting Bisbee and it’s staircases.

Thanks for joining me on another Photo Road Trip Adventure.

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  • HOME
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