TUCSON, Ariz. - Several thousand sandhill cranes are now populating Sulphur Springs Valley.
According to the Arizona Game and Fish Department, 27,000 of the birds are in the area, with more than half of them centered around the Whitewater Draw Wildlife Area in McNeal, Ariz.
For a live look at the sandhill cranes, click here.
There are more than 10,000 cranes in the Willcox Playa area, as well as more than 1,000 in Crane Lake. There are smaller populations near the Safford Valley and Duncan and Bonita.
The department conducted a count Jan. 4 and 5.
The cranes tend to fly as a group at dawn to glean grain from farmer’s fields. The birds return from the feeding sessions between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m.
