Western Exposure

Wild burros will make an appearance at the Cibola National Wildlife Refuge, along with deer and coyotes, but the majority of the wildlife is made up of birds — both residential and migratory.

The migratory species, including sandhill cranes, snow geese and Canada geese, flood the area in late fall — there are so many birds, the cacophony can be heard from the highway. The best place to see them is along Goose Loop Drive. There’s also a hiking trail that leads to a viewing platform, and boats can be launched into the marsh.

Although the migratory birds are the main attraction, resident species are worth a look, too. Coveys of red-shouldered blackbirds will catch your eye, while grebes and American coots cruise the waters of Cibola Lake, diving repeatedly for food. And then there are the deer that wander the verdant pastures in the early morning, the coyotes that gaze hungrily at the geese in the fields, and the occasional burros, which are better left alone. 

It’s not Yellowstone or the Serengeti, but the Cibola National Wildlife Refuge, which is situated in the flood plain of the Lower Colorado River north of Yuma, is one of Western Arizona’s natural wonders.

For more information, visit fws.gov/refuges/.
 

PREDANCE STRETCH 
A sandhill crane stretches its wings as though preparing for the elaborate mating-dance ritual the males perform during their winter stay at the refuge. 
 

PERSONA NON GRATA
Unwelcome competitors for native fauna, descendants of miners' burros (right) forage on Bureau of Land Management property south of Cibola Lake.
 

FOR FISH AND FOWL
Home to sport fish such as bass, crappie and flathead catfish, Cibola Lake provides an ample roosting area for waterfowl in winter. 
 

THE EARS HAVE IT
Two does, a fawn and a yearling buck stand up to their shoulders in nutrient-rich alfalfa cultivated by the refuge, mainly as food for waterfowl.
 

GEESE DREAMS
Caught by the camera’s eye gazing at snow geese, this coyote will probably dine on rodents and mesquite beans, which, when fertilized by its scat, will help the trees reproduce. 
 

CANADIAN CORNHUSKERS
Against a backdrop of California’s Palo Verde Mountains and invasive salt cedars destined for destruction at the Colorado River’s edge, Canada geese fly toward corn planted for their benefit by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.
 

SANITATION WORKER
An opportunistic scavenger on the lookout for leftovers from others’ kills, a turkey vulture (below) surveys the possibilities for its next meal from a dead-tree perch.
 

BLACKBIRDS' BYE-BYE
Red-winged and yellow-headed blackbirds migrate through the Cibola National Wildlife Refuge in Western Arizona by the tens of thousands en route to Mexico’s Baja Peninsula in autumn and as far north as Canada in spring.