Articles
Be On The Lookout For Zone-tailed Hawks
I have been able to get out and do a little birding a few times this past week and it has been so enjoyable. Last Wednesday, I did some scouting in preparation for the bird walk I led this past Saturday at White Spar Campground as part of the Highlands Center Birding Spree. On Wednesday’s [...]
Birding Spree Activities Continue Throughout The Month of May
On Saturday, May 1st, I led a bird walk around the west end of Willow Lake as part of the Highlands Center’s Birding Spree. It was a crisp, breezy morning, but about twenty hearty birders showed up. I believe our cool, windy spring has delayed spring migration by about two weeks, possibly more. Our outing [...]
Swallows in the Prescott Area
Two weeks ago Cliff Swallows returned to the Safeway on Willow Creek Road where they have nested the last few years. It is interesting to observe how Swallows have adapted to human activity. Historically, Cliff Swallows would have built their mud nests on the face of a cliff. Tall buildings such as Yavapai Regional Medical [...]
Putting In A Plug For Native Plants
A quick reminder that the tenth annual Verde Valley Birding and Nature Festival begins next week, Thursday, 22 April and runs through Sunday, 25 April. Visit their website at birdyverde.org to register for seminars, workshops and fieldtrips. Next week will be a great time to be out in the field birding as spring migration will [...]
Owl Species in the Prescott Area
Seven species of owls have been documented to occur in the Prescott area according to Dr. Carl Tomoff, author of the Birds of Prescott, Arizona Checklist. Since 1974, Tomoff has been documenting the occurrence of all wild bird species that have been seen in the Prescott area. The seven owl species are: Flammulated Owl, Western [...]
The Birds and the Bees
Each year, in the dead of winter, (it should be cold in January) we enjoy a delightful stretch of unseasonably warm weather—which results in bees emerging from their winter slumber. That has happened this past week. Honey bees in January are hard pressed to find flowers that are producing pollen—making it very challenging for them [...]