Wilcox Settlement Ponds

Wilcox is a town along I-10. It has an old train station and a major east west train line runs through the south side of town. It is located at the northern end of Sulphur Springs Valley. There is a golf course on the south side of town and behind the golf course are some settlement ponds for water reclamation. In the winter this area is used extensively by the Sandhill Cranes that winter over here. We had an earlier post about this location and we really enjoy visiting the area.

We decided to take a look around the area in early May, the cranes had left but there might be some other birds found in and around the settlement ponds. It is a fun place to look for birds.

This map shows the location of Willcox. It is about 83 miles east of Tucson along the Interstate heading to Lordsburg and El Paso.

One of the first birds we found was this Blue Winged Teal accompanied by this Long-billed Dowitcher. Note the distinctive white crescent on the face of the teal. There were several Dowitchers on the pond but we saw only four Blue Winged Teal.

There is a pond adjacent to the golf course and there are cattails around part of the pond. We saw this White-faced Ibis and Cinnamon Teal resting and or feeding along the edges of the cattails.

Here is a more definitive picture of the Ibis. They are called White-faced Ibis because in their breeding plumage they have a white line on the face outlining the base of the of the large, curved bill. It does not appear that the Ibis are regular breeders here in Arizona, there have been scattered and isolated records of such activity but not common. These birds are all most likely migrating north.

Here is a Black-necked Stilt walking behind an Ibis. At the settlement ponds there is a sand road that encircles the ponds and you drive around the large pond to view the birds.

This image shows what are possibly a male and female Black-necked Stilt. The silt on the right is probably the female. Note the duller coloration on her back which is one field mark for female stilts, while the stilt on the left might be the male as he has a more glossy appearance to his black back.

Here is a solitary Black-neck Stilt, note the very straight bill. There were several of the stilts scattered around the lake.

The bird on the left is another Long-billed Dowitcher probing for something to eat while the other bird is a Wilson’s phalarope. The Phalaropes will spin around in the water rather quickly to stir up any bugs or edible items that are in the area, then they pick the bugs off the surface as they continue to spin. We watched many of them spinning round and round rather quickly.

Here is a clearer image of a Wilson’s phalarope. This bird does not appear to be in breeding plumage. The Phalaropes have an interesting breeding process. The female lays the egg and then takes off and leaves the male in charge of caring for the eggs and raising the young while she heads off to find another possible mate.

This Wilson’s phalarope is a bit more in the brighter colored breeding plumage. They will molt their feathers and develop the brighter coloration during their migration north.

We were surprised to see this Cattle Egret; it just seems a little out of their range which is typically further south and east. They are a little smaller than the Great Egret, have a shorter stockier neck and feed mainly in fields rather in streams or water areas. They also show some buffy-yellow coloration on the head and body when in breeding plumage. Notice the large foot up in the air as it walks forward, maybe the bird should have been named big foot.

We saw a Cinnamon Teal in an earlier picture asleep in front of a White-faced Ibis. Here they are moving across the shallow water and we see the contrasting plumage of the pair. The female in the backgound is the drabber color and that attribute holds true for many waterfowl. When she sits on the nest to incubate the eggs, the darker colors make it harder for predators to find her.

At one point along the drive there is a pipe and wooden walk way structure. This Loggerhead Shrike was sitting on the pipe as we drove by.

Here is an American Avocet. This is another wading shorebird on its migration north. They have fairly long curved bills with which they probe the mud and sand for food.

Here it seems either the long bill is just not long enough or the Avocet wanted to cool off on a warm morning. Maybe there are some good morsels down there somewhere.

We have moved on a bit from Wilcox and just wanted to show you the differences in one sparrow. This image shows an adult Black-throated Sparrow. They are very common here in the southwest and easily identified by the distinctive black throat markings and white lines above and below the eye.

In this image we have a juvenile Black-throated Sparrow only the black throat markings are not there. You can still see the white lines above and below the eye but no black throat patch. Many of the sparrows will look really different depending on whether they are a juvenile or an adult.

We hope you enjoyed this brief visit with some of our feather friends that were in Willcox. The settlement ponds are sometimes called Lake Cochise but it is a stretch to call it a lake. the birds do seem to like it regardless of the name, they are there in all seasons. Many of the birds in this post are already a long ways north and heading to their breeding grounds.

Please let us know if you have any questions or comments.

All the best – Stay Safe - George & Deanna