The weather this past week has been so cold and snowy! I am very grateful I am not a bird! I can’t imagine how challenging it would be to live outdoors 24/7—weighing mere grams, enduring winter snow, wind, and freezing temperatures. I am grateful for all the moisture we’ve received this month, and I am happy to report that water is flowing over the spillway at both Watson and Willow Lakes!
Over the last week I’ve walked on the Peavine Trail several times, I’ve hiked the Flume Trail and I’ve spent time birding at both Watson and Willow Lakes. Currently Watson Woods Riparian Preserve is not passable. Granite Creek has been flowing out of its channel, flooding much of the riparian habitat. Thus, many of the trails traversing the preserve are under water.
With the heavy snowpack in the Bradshaw and Sierra Prieta Mountains, I suspect the creeks draining the Granite Creek Watershed will be running well into late spring if not early summer. What a blessing for our community and for nature!
Last Wednesday, despite the extreme cold and icy conditions, I led a Jay’s Bird Barn-sponsored bird walk to Granite Basin. Earlier in the week we’d called everyone who’d signed up for the bird walk and gave them instructions on where to meet.
Tuesday night into Wednesday, we received several more inches of snow, and the roads were snow-packed and icy. I had no way to contact anyone, so I figured it was my duty to go in case anyone showed up. To my surprise, there were three people there! Wow, talk about dedication (or insanity).
Once I had a dear friend share with me this insight. Speaking directly to me, he said, “I’ve come to the conclusion that there are four kinds of birders: educational, recreational, avid, and rabid—and you’re rabid!” I’m not sure if that comment was meant to be a compliment, but I took it as such.
I have to say, the three people who showed up for the bird walk were certainly avid! We could tell by the tire tracks that we were the first cars into the basin that morning. Donning our gear, we tromped through the snow and hiked a good two miles.
The latest round of snow had covered almost all of the natural food sources, so the birds were congregated in the few places where the ground was exposed, making it easier for them to find food. We saw robins, hermit thrushes, juncos, spotted towhees, yellow-rumped warblers, ruby-crowned kinglets, a song sparrow, and four species of woodpeckers.
As we persevered in our search for birds, we were rewarded with an excellent find—a pair of golden-crowned kinglets. This is a species that is hard to find, as they are small and forage up high in ponderosa pine trees. At some point, their high-pitched vocalization caught my attention, and we were able to find them. It made the whole birding adventure worthwhile!
Tonight, Thursday, January 26th, is a membership meeting for the Prescott Audubon Society at Trinity Presbyterian Church on Park Avenue. Prescott Creeks Executive Director, Michael Byrd (what a great name!), will be presenting a program titled “Restoration & Conservation at Watson Woods Riparian Preserve.” There is a half-hour meet-and-greet beginning at 6:30 p.m., and the program will immediately follow.
The program is free and open to the public—and it is one of the challenge items in the Jay’s Bird Barn 2023 20th anniversary Birding Challenge! Attend the meeting and you will earn ten points. For more details, stop by the store.
Until next week, Happy Birding!
Eric Moore is the owner of Jay’s Bird Barn, Arizona Field Optics, and Hallmark in
Prescott, Arizona. Eric has been an avid birder for over 55 years. If you have
questions about wild birds that you would like discussed in future articles, email
him at eric@jaysbirdbarn.com.
