It finally looks like winter has loosened its grip and spring is here to stay. I for one am certainly ready for warmer temperatures! Some of my walks on the Peavine this past week have been downright bone chilling due to the wind.
Every day that I am out in nature, I see significant evidence of spring migration. Since I keep a record of all of my bird sightings, it is an interesting exercise to compare my bird list from one week to the next. Here are some examples of “new” birds that have shown up this past week that were not here the previous week.
Western grebe – I saw a pair on Willow Lake this past week. It was a three-grebe day, as eared and pied-billed grebes were also present.
Franklin gull – I saw my first Franklin gull of the year this past Friday on a store-sponsored bird walk to the recharge ponds located south of the airport. This is a restricted area; access is limited to those who have signed a liability waiver and have been issued an electronic key card to access the facility.
California gull – observed earlier this week at Watson Lake, along with two other gull species: ring-billed and Bonaparte’s, making this a four-gull week!
Numerous shore bird species were observed at the recharge ponds this past week, including least sandpiper, lesser yellowlegs, Wilson’s snipe, solitary sandpiper, long-billed dowitcher and killdeer.
White-faced ibis – I saw a flock on both Friday and Saturday, so they are definitely moving through our area right now.
Swainson’s hawk – observed last Friday at the recharge ponds. This is a bird of prey that winters as far south as Argentina and now they have returned!
Broad-tailed Hummingbird – this was a “heard-only” bird sighting, because I never did lay eyes on it. However, my ears didn’t miss detecting it. In flight, the wings of males produce a very distinctive trilling sound. Be on the lookout for this species at your hummingbird feeders.
Bullock’s oriole – observed earlier this week in Watson Woods Riparian Preserve, gleaning for insects in a cottonwood tree. This is a species to watch for at both oriole and hummingbird feeders.
Hooded oriole – several reports over the last week from customers. This is a species that loves to drink sugar water out of hummingbird feeders. I recommend providing a sugar water feeder, as well as mealworms, grape jelly, and citrus to attract orioles to your yard.
Lazuli Bunting – I have yet to see one this spring, but a customer emailed me on Monday of this week to report seeing one in her yard. The best way to attract this beautiful bird to your yard to is provide white-proso millet, their seed of choice.
With spring migration kicking into gear this is a great time to participate in some of the upcoming birding and nature festivals. Next week, April 25-28, is the Verde Valley Birding and Nature Festival at Dead Horse Ranch State Park in Cottonwood, Arizona. Go to https://verderiver.org/ to register for field trips and workshops.
May 15-19 is the Ute Mountain Mesa Verde Birding Festival in Cortez, Colorado. Birding in southwestern Colorado in May is really quite spectacular. I will be leading three field trips for this festival, in addition to having a vendor booth. I hope to see you at both festivals!
And don’t forget, this weekend is the Earth Day celebration, Saturday, April 20th, from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Cortez Street between Gurley and Goodwin Streets. This is a great time of year to celebrate Mother Earth and the abundance of life we enjoy.
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 Vortex and Swarovski optics. Eric has been an avid birder for over 55 years. Eric can be contacted at eric@thelookoutaz.com.
