Our winter weather has been unrelenting, but I’m not complaining. I am so happy we have received so much snow and rain this winter. I spend time every week in both Watson Woods Riparian Preserve and on the Peavine Trail. The level of our creeks and reservoirs is so impressive this year.
Now that we are in March, I have some specific advice for those of you who are participating in the 2023 Jay’s Bird Barn 20th anniversary Birding Challenge. As we inch towards spring it becomes more imperative to see some of the species on the checklist, as a lot of our winter birds will start their northward migration in the near future.
Winter water fowl are already starting to thin out at our local lakes, and it will become more difficult each passing week to find some of the duck species listed on the 2023 Birding Challenge Checklist. Each year, we usually get a handful of Tundra swans, a few snow geese, and even one or two greater white-fronted geese. As near as I can tell, each of these species is already gone.
If you’ve been able to check off all of our winter duck species, you should probably shift your focus to the songbirds that winter here as they will be leaving soon, too. Some of the species that will be heading either north or to higher elevations include ruby-crowned kinglet, pine siskin, sharp-shinned hawk and dark-eyed juncos.
This past week I have had reports of both red crossbills and evening grosbeaks in Prescott! These species are so unusual here, they are not included in our Sibley’s Birds of the Arizona Central Highlands folding guides. However, you can still count them, as one of the birding challenges is to see two hundred species in Yavapai County.
A few weeks back, I encouraged readers to put out at least one hummingbird feeder as Anna’s hummingbirds have been showing up in our area in good numbers already. With the frequent winter storms, it is probably even more important than ever to have at least one hummingbird feeder out.
Fortunately, Anna’s hummingbirds are very hardy, but still, they could use a helping hand to get through this frigid weather. Considering this species of hummingbird weighs only 4.4 grams, they have an extremely high metabolism, and they need to eat every 12-15 minutes during the day just to stay alive. Remember to bring your nectar feeder in at night after it’s gotten dark (so it doesn’t freeze), and put it back out at first light so the food is available to them in their time of greatest need.
With all of the snow we’ve been having lately, it has been challenging to keep the seed in my feeders accessible to the birds. Like hummers, even our seed-eating birds get stressed when the snow covers all of their natural food sources. I’m having to clear the snow out of my feeders after each storm. I feel like I have been burning through bird see lately, but I don’t mind. I’m just glad I can help them out!
On another note, if you have either children or grandchildren in the area, the Educational Expeditions Nature Camp organization is hosting a Spring Break Nature Camp at Goldwater Lake during Spring Break, March 13th-17th. The emphasis for this nature camp includes adventure, outdoors skills, teamwork, art, environmental education, and lots of fun! The camp has a limited group size and is for children ages 5-10. The cost is $35 per day, and the camp runs from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. To register, contact Dr. Mariana Altrichter at marianaalt@msn.com or text her at 928-277-5022.
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.
This evening, Thursday, March 2nd, I will be presenting a program for the Natural History Institute located at 126 N Marina St at 7:00 p.m. Doors open at 6:30 and it is recommended that you register as space is limited. I will be discussing birds of Yavapai County with a specific emphasis on places that have been identified as birding hotspots in eBird. I hope to see you there.
