Eric Moore is the owner of Jay’s Bird Barn, with two locations in northern Arizona — Prescott and Flagstaff. Eric has been an avid birder for over 50 years. If you have questions about wild birds that you would like discussed in future articles, email him at eric@jaysbirdbarn.com.
I led a Jay’s Bird Barn-sponsored bird walk to Watson Woods and Watson Lake this past Saturday. Before meeting up with the group, I spent some time birding at the wastewater treatment plant on Sundog Ranch Road, south of Prescott Lakes Parkway.
Earlier this spring, and even persisting into early summer, customers were lamenting that they either didn’t have any lesser goldfinches or that they were seeing fewer than they had last year. Having been a birder for so long, I take these comments somewhat casually, as I know finch numbers increase throughout the summer months just as the hummingbird numbers do.
If there is anything 2020 has taught us this year, it is the need for resilience. Life can change quickly. There is so much that we lack ‘control’ over. Ultimately, what matters is our ability to adapt to change and to remain hopeful and cheerful when things are challenging.
Each day, I receive rare-bird email alerts through eBird. I enjoy looking through the emails each day to see what other people are finding around the state. I don’t typically drop everything and chase rare birds…but sometimes, the temptation is just too great.
Over the last few weeks, I’ve gone bird watching at Granite Basin a couple of times. The level of bird activity has been off the charts, particularly in the area west of the lake.
Last week, the title for my column was “Fall migration is in full swing at our local lakes.” As I was writing my column this week, I realized I could have used the same title again!
September ushers in a lot of changes in backyard bird activity. Many of ‘our’ nectar-and insect-dependent bird species migrate early. This is true of the three oriole species found in the Arizona Central Highlands.
This past week, in an effort to add to my Arizona year list, I made a trip up Mingus Mountain to look for migrating warblers.
The month of August is peak hummingbird season in the Arizona Central Highlands.
A few weeks ago, I received a call from a homeowner in Forest Trails who said she wasn’t seeing any birds in her yard. I found this statement to be interesting, knowing that Forest Trails has a lot of native habitat....
