Benson birder Lynn Weeks made the trip to Willcox to get a close look at the cranes visiting Cochise Lake. The lake and surrounding marshes are of great ornithological importance.
Thousands of cranes can congregate at once at Cochise Lake, and this is a good time of the year to catch a glimpse of the avian spectacle.
photos by HECTOR ACUNA HERALD/REVIEW
Benson birder Lynn Weeks made the trip to Willcox to get a close look at the cranes visiting Cochise Lake. The lake and surrounding marshes are of great ornithological importance.
HECTOR ACUNA HERALD/REVIEW
The bird watching stations at Cochise Lake could be useful, but they're currently in disrepair.
HECTOR ACUNA HERALD/REVIEW
An information kiosk presents a minimal introduction to the lake and the birds that visit the marshes.
HECTOR ACUNA HERALD/REVIEW
Proposed uses for the fund will include new and refurbished bird-watching stations.
WILLCOX – Improvements will be made to Cochise Lake, the popular birding area south of town, thanks to a grant from the Arizona Office of Tourism.
The city of Willcox announced in October it had received a $250,000 grant, with a 20% matching requirement, to upgrade the conditions around the lake.
Proposed uses for the fund will include new and refurbishing bird-watching stations, repairing the well systems that feed the lake and general upkeep to encourage tourism and local interest.
“This past year, a record number of sandhill cranes, over 45,000, landed in and around Willcox,” City Manager Caleb Blaschke said. “Birding continues to draw visitors to Southeast Arizona. These areas promote visitation to and around Willcox and strengthen Willcox’s economic base.”
Caleb said that in recent years, water, crucial for the migratory bird’s food system, has become scarce.
The wells that had historically fed Cochise Lake year-round have been discontinued.
“The machinery has long become inoperable, and the well casing is failing,” Blaschke said. “Rehabilitating these wells will help keep the area a marsh that will allow the migratory cranes and other food sources to flourish and will keep birds returning each year. Ultimately it will bring more birders to the area who will spend money and improve the economy.”
Thousands of cranes can congregate at once at Cochise Lake, and this is a good time of the year to catch a glimpse of the avian spectacle.
From Willcox, drive south on State Route 186. Turn right toward Twin Lakes Golf Course at Rex Allen Jr. Drive. The lake is located at the end of the drive, where an information lean-to presents a minimal introduction to the lake and the birds that visit the marshes.
The lake and surrounding marshes are of great ornithological importance. It’s part of the Willcox Playa and Crane Lake area of the Sulphur Springs Valley which is the second largest over-wintering concentrations of sandhill cranes in Arizona, along with hundreds of other migratory species that can be present.
The migrating cranes also feed by gleaning agricultural corn waste from surrounding farms.
The Willcox Playa is a large alkaline lakebed lined with sacaton, saltgrass and mesquites that floods seasonally, creating marshes and a low-depth lake.
At one time a military bombing range, undetonated ordinance may still litter the grounds so much of the area is closed and still owned by the U.S. military, although the Arizona Game and Fish Department manages parts of the area.
Urban and agricultural development and over pumping near these habitats has resulted in the lowering of water tables, adversely impacting the riparian vegetation.
The city of Willcox hopes the restoration of the lake’s well system will ensure and prolong the health of the habitat.
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