This past Sunday, I had my first fall migrant in the yard—a male rufous hummingbird. It is amazing how early these guys show up each year. It has only been about three weeks since the first day of summer, and male rufous hummingbirds are already moving south!

From now until mid-August, hummingbird numbers will continue to climb at backyard feeders as more and more birds move south. We typically see five different hummingbird species in the Prescott area during migration: Anna’s, black-chinned, broad-tailed, rufous, and calliope. Occasionally we also get Costa’s and broad-billed hummingbirds, but they are less common.

If you only have one hummingbird feeder out and it is being guarded by an aggressive hummer, try putting out several more feeders in close proximity to one another. If you see a calliope, Costa’s or broad-billed at your feeders, please give me a call, as I would love to see them.

Earlier this week, I was at Willow Lake one evening after work to see what bird species were present. Based on what I saw, it appears shorebird migration is also already underway. I saw four long-billed curlews, one willet, two western sandpipers, two least sandpipers, and possibly a yellowlegs. There were also four Forster’s terns at the lake.

Yellowlegs are a type of sandpiper, and there are two species—greater and lesser—and as the name indicates, the greater yellowlegs is larger than the lesser yellowlegs. From the south shore, I was scanning the lake for birds when I saw what I thought might have been a species of yellowlegs near the north shore.

The bird was so far away, I really couldn’t judge its size and I didn’t want to mis-identify it. I hustled towards the bird, and when I got close to the area where I saw it, I stopped, set up my spotting scope, and starting scanning to find it. Nothing. It was as if it had vanished. I never did re-find it, so it stayed unidentified.

Interestingly, all of the species I see on a regular basis at our local lakes did not occur there historically. And of course, our local “lakes” are really reservoirs, not lakes. Prior to damming Willow Creek and Granite Greek, neither Watson nor Willow Lake existed.

Where we now have “lakes” were originally riparian corridors with seasonal creeks. Without a permanent source of water, species such as grebes, cormorants, coots, geese, ducks and shorebirds did not occur here in Prescott.

It is fascinating to think how adaptable some wild bird species are to changes in the environment. It is also sad to see how susceptible wild birds are to negative changes to their preferred habitat. Most native bird species are habitat specific. They live out their whole lives inextricably tied to the habitat in which they live.

For example, here in Arizona, Steller’s Jays occur in forested, mountainous habitats generally over 6,000 feet in elevation. In contrast, western meadowlarks live in a grassland habitat. You won’t find a Steller’s Jay in a grassland, and you won’t find a meadowlark in a ponderosa pine forest.

Landscaping with native trees and shrubs is critical to attracting native wild bird species. Unfortunately, too many homeowners don’t know a lot about native plants, and it is not uncommon for commercial landscapers to plant non-native plants. Our stewardship to all of nature is so critical—our actions have a direct impact on the naturally occurring species within a given habitat.

My parting advice today is to “go native” in your yard, and avoid pesticides and herbicides. Creating a healthy, inviting habitat is actually very simple, and will reward you with all kinds of wonderful creatures!

Until next week, Happy Birding!

Eric Moore is the owner of The Lookout, in Prescott, where you will find a Hallmark department, 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.