Whitewater Draw

4423 Bagby Rd, Mc Neal AZ85617

If you enjoy birds, wildlife, nature photography or a gentle walk, the Whitewater Draw Wildlife Area is the place for you. This wildlife area is composed of 600 acres of wetlands and 2 small riparian areas. It features three large shallow ponds, a generous footpath between each pond, pit toliet, dry camping area and a picnic area.

Along the trail you will find a couple of observation decks and multiple benches. These areas provide an optimal vantage points of the wetland and a comfortable place to kick back and observe the wildlife.

Sandhill Cranes – North America’s 2nd largest bird

The main attraction of Whitewater Draw is the 20,000+ Sandhill Cranes that utilize these shallow waters as a roosting area. The best time of year to view this huge congregation begins in October, as they make their way south, and they will stay through the winter months before returning north. This makes them the true Arizona “snowbirds.”

My maiden voyage to the “draw” was in early December. On that day 1000’s of cranes and their thunderous calls filled the skies above the marsh. Sandhill Cranes are a very large birds (second only to the Whooping Crane in US) and has one of the most distinguishable calls in all of bird lore. Hearing one or two making their rattled raspy call is awesome but when you multiply that by a 1000 it is an unforgettable experience.

Also calling this place home for the winter are huge flocks of snow geese that have left their arctic breeding grounds for the warmth of the Southern Arizona sun. As I stood on the bank of the marsh the skies would suddenly erupt into bright white, as large flocks of geese would simultaneously take flight.

More to see than Cranes

In addition to Cranes and Geese, Whitewater Draw attracts all sorts of unique birds including waterfowl like ducks, herons, egrets, shorebirds, gulls and terns. Some of the ducks seen on my visits included the Northern Shoveler, Cinnamon Teal, Gadwall and the Blue-winged teal.

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Unique shore birds can also be seen probing the muddy edges of the marsh with their elongated beaks. Some of these include, the American Avocet, Black-necked Stilt and the White-faced Ibis.

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If owls or hawks are your thing than you are in luck as there are two Great-horned Owls roosting in the open air pavilion near the parking lot (spring time) and hawks can often be seen soaring over the fields and marshes.

Of course there is also a ton of song birds, such as the Bullock’s Oriole, the Yellow-headed Blackbird, Loggerhead Shrike, Yellow Warblers, Common Yellow Throat and the Vermilion Flycatcher.

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All in all, I identified 40+ different birds each time I visited Whitewater Draw. This made each visit unique and unpredictable.

I would highly recommend grabbing your binoculars and making the drive to Whitewater Draw Wildlife Area and lose track of time watching all the birds. You will not be disappointed.

How to find Whitewater Draw

Driving directions: From Tucson, take I-10 east toward El Paso; merge onto AZ-80 east toward Tombstone/Douglas; turn left onto Davis Road; turn right onto North Central Highway; turn right onto west Bagby Road; turn right onto Coffman Road