Select a viewing site either along Highway 191 from Cochise south to Birch Road on the west side of the Playa or on the east side from the Willcox Playa Wildlife Area south to Baker Road along the Kansas Settlement Road. Be in position about 30 minutes before sunrise. Binoculars and a spotting scope will be useful. Depending on the chosen location, Sandhills may fly directly overhead or a few miles away. Use a vehicle to follow the flight to the bird's feeding areas.
Dirt roads are generally passable in a passenger car, however stay off dirt roads when they are wet.
Some roads are privately owned and require permission of the owner prior to passage. Please respect private property rights. The first of the trips was to the Whitewater Draw Wildlife Area led by Sheri Williamson of the Southeastern Arizona Bird Observatory. As we made our way through the back roads in the Elfrida area, we found hundreds of Sandhill Cranes feeding in corn-stubbled fields. We also saw a Black Merlin which is a Pacific form not often seen this far inland.