More than 32,000 sandhill cranes have arrived in the Sulphur Springs Valley south of Willcox, according to a recent count by the Arizona Game and Fish Department.
Agency officials said this is the fourth highest number of cranes observed since record keeping began in 1978.
“That’s really good news,” said Mark Hart, a spokesman for the department. “The biggest number observed there was approximately 40,000 in 2010. But this is a good number, too.”
Cranes, migrating from mountain states and other points north, typically arrive in the Sulphur Springs Valley beginning in mid-September to early October. They usually begin departing the area in mid-February.
Observers visit various sites around the valley and make estimates based on the number of cranes they see, Hart said.
Hart noted that Whitewater Draw usually has the largest number of cranes, but a lack of runoff into the draw from the Mule Mountains, along with dense grass growth in the area, apparently caused some cranes to seek roosts elsewhere.
