September ushers in a lot of changes in backyard bird activity. Many of ‘our’ nectar-and insect-dependent bird species migrate early. This is true of the three oriole species found in the Arizona Central Highlands. Bullock’s, Scott’s and hooded orioles have already...
This past week, in an effort to add to my Arizona year list, I made a trip up Mingus Mountain to look for migrating warblers. In the spring, I had the goal to see a variety of warblers that were moving through this region on their way north. I knew that if I didn’t...
The month of August is peak hummingbird season in the Arizona Central Highlands. Each day at the Bird Barn, we hear from customer after customer about the large number of hummers being seen at their feeders. One customer told me he went through 44 pounds of sugar last...
A few weeks ago, I received a call from a homeowner in Forest Trails who said she wasn’t seeing any birds in her yard. I found this statement to be interesting, knowing that Forest Trails has a lot of native habitat. I agreed to visit her yard and take a look...
I have recently been thinking how ironic it is that some of our ‘winter’ birds will be back in Prescott next month. Our recent spell of hot, dry weather makes fall seem so far away, even though it is just next month. Our unseasonably hot daytime temperatures and the...
We’ve all heard the expression of someone being a little ‘cuckoo’, or ‘going cuckoo.’ I have been a little obsessed with cuckoos myself — yellow-billed cuckoos that is. I have been diligently recording my bird sightings into eBird this year, and have seen 246 species...