By the time March rolls around, I’m ready to abandon of this part of the country and visit someplace warmer. Over the past few years, southern Arizona has become my late winter/early spring destination. Although I’ve visited all the popular and well-known birding areas, one place that I discovered on my own has become a favorite. It is a creek, mostly dry, that runs on the east side of a mountain range. The location shall remain a secret for now. There are Arizona Sycamore, Alligator Juniper, and the usual assortment of desert plants along the stream. One fine spring day last year, I took a hike along this streambed and found what I was looking for. After walking through a long stretch of dry streambed, I came upon an outcrop of bedrock and there, the water that flowed under the sand was forced up and over the rock. Then, the water disappeared once again into the sand. For about 15 feet of the streambed there was water, the only water for quite a distance. What a find! The small waterhole was a magnet to wildlife of all kinds. All I had to do was set up my blind and take photos of the birds and other creatures that might appear.

Read the rest of the Doug's column in our May issue...