On my day off last week, I hiked the Constellation Trail, which is directly opposite the Phippen Museum on Highway 89. It was an incredibly non-birdy outing where I only saw two birds! After hiking for almost an hour, I caught a brief glimpse of a single dark-eyed junco!
Just as I was almost back to the parking lot, I heard a very faint screechy scratchy sound—the unique “song” of an Anna’s hummingbird. I stopped in my tracks, and within a few seconds I observed a male, perched high atop an oak tree, singing his abrasive song.
It is not common for Anna’s hummingbirds to winter over in the Prescott area. However, when they do, they are usually found in residential areas where there are hummingbird feeders to supplement what little food they are finding out in nature. It is less common to find an Anna’s hummingbird, in January, out in nature, far from feeders.
Last Friday, I guided a free field trip for The Lookout. We were specifically looking for raptors. Our bird walk started at the Safeway parking lot in Chino Valley, and our route took us to several places, including Del Rio Springs, Sullivan Lake, and Old Home Manor.
The day started out very slowly—it was cold, with temperatures down in the teens. We could hardly rustle up a bird! At Sullivan Lake, we managed to see a canyon towhee, a canyon wren, a merlin, and an American Kestrel. The best find at this stop was a lone Townsend’s solitaire. It was far away, but I had my Swarovski spotting scope, so everyone got good looks at it.
It wasn’t until we got to Old Home Manor that our luck began to improve. Of course, by now it was later in the morning, therefore it was warmer. On our drive there we saw a pair of red-tailed hawks and a bald eagle in flight.
Interestingly, as we were driving in Old Home Manor, an employee of the town of Chino Valley stopped to share with us that he’d just seen a bald eagle. He was so excited to share his sighting with us!
Following his directions, we drove to the recharge ponds where we had the most mesmerizing experience watching a flock of hundreds of horned larks flying low—twisting, turning, and swirling in the air. They were bound and determined to land at the edge of the recharge pond to drink.
If my calculation is correct, the day of our bird walk was the 79th consecutive day with no measurable precipitation. The grassland habitat was bone dry. The man-made stock tanks that usually have water in winter were empty. I think the recharge pond was probably the only source of water for miles and miles.
In spite of their intense desire for water, they were acting very skittish. I chalked this behavior up to the presence of a loggerhead shrike, which at times was flying inside the flock of horned larks. Even though shrikes are a songbird, they prey on live food—including birds.
While at Old Home Manor, we were treated to great views of a prairie falcon and a ferruginous hawk, bringing our bird of prey list for the day to seven species: bald eagle, red-tailed hawk, ferruginous hawk, northern harrier, prairie falcon, merlin, and American kestrel. Our slow birding day ended up being a great day!
Remember, registration for the Verde Valley Birding and Nature Festival in Cottonwood at Dead Horse Ranch State Park opens to the public on February 1st. Field trips fill up fast! The festival runs from April 24-27. I invite you to attend this year.
Until next week, Happy Birding!
Eric Moore is the owner of The Lookout, in Prescott, where you will find a Hallmark Gold Crown Store, wild bird products, and Swarovski and Vortex optics. Eric has been an avid birder for over 55 years. Eric can be contacted at eric@thelookoutaz.com.
This past weekend was the winter solstice, the shortest day and the longest night of the year. While I personally do not like the cold, I do love the winter night sky. Each morning when I go outside to retrieve the newspaper, I like to just pause, and look at the heavens and take in the wonder of the night sky.
Maybe like you, unfortunately I live in a neighborhood where some of my neighbors leave their outside lights on all night long. Why? I have no idea. To me it is annoying, and a poor use of precious resources. We live in a time when we need to be so mindful of how we use energy.
One may think it is a little thing, a 100 watt bulb left on all night, but multiply that by hundreds and thousands of lights left on all night and what a huge impact this has on energy use.
There is a dark sky ordinance in some communities. I personally like living in a community where people value dark skies. I like living in a neighborhood where there aren’t any street lights.
Another issue to consider is the impact of lights on wild birds, especially when they are migrating. Lights at night disorient while birds, resulting in window strikes, resulting in an untimely death.
Several months ago the Courier ran an article about outdoor lights at night, and the impact on wild birds. I concur.
