For the first time in about eight years, part of Lynx Lake and half the trail around it will not be closed to the public in December through June to protect nesting bald eagles.
The eagles have returned, but they are nesting about a quarter-mile away from the lake instead of right next to it.
The eagles actually moved to the new nest last year, but Forest Service and Arizona Game and Fish Department officials wanted to monitor them and assess the situation before deciding whether the public closure should continue, explained Noel Fletcher, Prescott National Forest biologist.
The public now will have the best of both worlds, Fletcher said, since people now can watch the eagles hunt at the lake, boat anywhere they want and use the entire trail around the lake.
"They're still going to be using the lake frequently for foraging," Fletcher said.
The lake is the most popular spot on the forest. It is located off Walker Road southeast of Prescott.
Closures at 20 other Arizona sites still took effect this month to protect nesting bald eagles, including two locations along the Verde River on the Prescott National Forest near Clarkdale and Camp Verde.
The Arizona Game and Fish Department is asking for the public to help out by staying away from closure areas and never leaving fishing line in the wild. Officials have found potentially deadly line and tackle in two-thirds of the state's bald eagle nests.
State biologists estimate that Arizona has 48 bald eagle breeding pairs, and another 325 come here to winter.
Right now the eagle pair at Lynx Lake is busily rebuilding the nest, because the fledglings destroyed it while flapping and testing their wings before their first flights last year, Fletcher said.
She believes they are the same eagles that nested there last year, but hasn't confirmed it yet.
Fletcher noticed that the male has been correcting the female by moving sticks after she places them in the nest, which indicates the male is more experienced at nest-building.
Until the female lays eggs, the public also will see the eagles foraging at other Prescott-area lakes such as Willow Lake on the north side of Prescott, Fletcher said.
That lake is a popular stop for migrating hawks during December, too, Fletcher noted. The raptors are attracted to all the migrating ducks.
"The diversity of waterfowl you see over there is phenomenal," Fletcher said.
The bird diversity at Willow Lake and neighboring Watson Lake has led to their designation as an Important Bird Area.
To see a list of some of the birds at the lakes, visit the Prescott Audubon Society's website at www.prescottaudubon.org. On the site, Audubon Society Member Bonnie Pranter lists numerous birds and sighting locations in the Prescott area.
Goldwater Lake south of Prescott is a good place to spot roosting bald eagles, Fletcher added.
Other migrating birds are attracted to the Chino Valley and Prescott Valley grasslands, such as the Swainson's hawk, she said.
