Wingtips

The Prescott Audubon Newsletter

June 2025

View All PAS Field Trips

Please visit the Prescott Audubon Society website by clicking the link above

for information about field trips and how to register.

Birding in June

Saturday – June 7 – Watson Woods Walk – 7:30 a.m.

Thurs – June 12 – Highland Center for Natural History*– 7:30 a.m.

Tues – June 17 – BIG Sit – Granite Creek Park** 8:00 a.m.

Upcoming Birding in July

Saturday – July 5 – Watson Woods Walk – 7:00 a.m.

*2nd Thurs Bird/Nature Walk-Prescott Audubon is offering a less structured field trip with a focus on the enjoyment of birds and nature. An optional social time after each walk is also planned. No Registration is required. Visit website for directions on where to meet.

**BIG Sit-Meet at the large ramada in the park. Bring chairs.

Click here for Bird Walks at the Lookout

Help Relocate Burrowing Owls

Prescott Audubon is excited to help Prescott National Forest, Audubon SW, and Wild at Heart with a project to relocate 24 Burrowing Owls to Paulden. The project has two phases: creating artificial burrows & setting up tents over the burrows, and then feeding the owls for a minimum of five weeks.

Phase 1 starts June 7. A backhoe will be used to dig trenches ahead of time. Volunteers will smooth out the soil in the bottom of the trench with a hoe so precut chicken wire can be placed where the burrow chambers will go. The burrow chambers are one-half a 55 gallon drum. Flexible tubing is connected to the drum and leads to the surface. A rigid section of PVC tubing is used to harden the entrance against animal attack. A backhoe is used to backfill the soil. Some work with a shovel or hoe to cover chicken wire in the bottom of the trench is required but is not very difficult.

Training to do all the steps is provided at the beginning of the work. All tools are provided. No experience is required. Work may continue over several days until the burrows are complete.

To volunteer, please contact Greg Clark,the project coordinator, at greg@BTLLCAZ.com.

For more information about Phase 2: Feeding, please see:

https://prescottaudubon.org/blog/post/2333225/finding-a-new-home-for-burrowing-owls

Bird Surveys Are Resuming in Watson Woods Riparian Preserve—Volunteers Needed!

By Leslie Loomis

Hello birders! I am excited to announce that I will be organizing the bird surveys that take place in Watson Woods Riparian Preserve, in conjunction with Prescott Creeks, the organization that manages this preserve. Surveys will resume this fall and take place on two days (dates to be determined.) We will count birds in three transects on the preserve, with ideally at least three people on each team. All levels of experience are welcome--come join us! Email me at wwsurvey@prescottaudubon.org if you are interested or have any questions.

Used by permission from author Rosemary Mosco, https://www.facebook.com/BirdAndMoon

Conservation Matters

OPEN SPACE PROTECTION

City of Prescott voters will vote on Proposition 484, “Open Space Charter Amendment” on August 5, 2025. If approved, Prop 484 will require the City to hold in perpetuity certain Open Space and Recreation Space properties, unless an exception is approved by a majority of voters. Currently properties may be sold with a majority vote of the City Council. Open Space properties include important bird areas such as Watson Lake, Watson Woods, Willow Lake, Granite Creek Park, and the Goldwater Lakes.

To view the proposition and properties affected go to Prescott-az.gov/Elections, Resolution No. 2025-1914.

If you are a Prescott resident, Voice your opinion, VOTE.

Birdathon Results

Though this article features results of the 2025 birdathon, there is information below as to how you may still contribute to this annual fundraiser for Prescott Audubon Society’s educational programs.

Nine women birded the Granite Basin Lake area with highlights including Summer Tanager and Black-headed Grosbeak, as well as Pygmy Nuthatches going in and out of a nest hole. Other specialties included Hammond’s Flycatcher and Hutton’s Vireos. The morning tally included 29 species.

Chapter members Jan Parrott and Marge Penton

birded parts of the Havasu National Wildlife Refuge featuring open water, large cottonwoods, blooming mesquite trees and open fields. Their team, the Chick-a-Dee Dees honors long-time board member DeeDee Delorenzo. Highlights included Lesser Nighthawks in an open field. Areas with mesquite trees yielded Western Kingbird, Ash-throated Flycatchers, Lazuli Bunting and Green-tailed Towhee.

Yellow-breasted Chat and Common Yellow-throat were calling as well as recently arrived White-winged Dove. They tallied 51 species. Together the two teams tallied 70 species.

Birdathon contributions may be sent to Prescott Audubon Society, P. O. Box 4156, Prescott, Az. 86302. Please write “Birdathon” on the memo line of your check. Alternatively, you can donate via Pay Pal at prescottaudubon.org. Just click on the “Donate to PAS” tile which is near the bottom of the home page. You do not need a Pay Pal account to do this.

Doug Iverson

Banding Resident Juvenile Eagle

Starting last year when two Bald Eagles started building a nest in the trees not far from the Peavine Trail at Watson Lake, there has been much excitement as more and more people started paying attention and wondering if they would actually be successful in mating, producing eggs, and even a little eaglet or two. Personally I was skeptical due to the large numbers of hikers, bikers, walkers and visitors traveling through that area, but they did indeed mate and in late February of this year 2025, they did produce a beautiful healthy male eaglet.

As the little guy reached 5 weeks of age, I was honored to be invited by Tuk Jacobson, the AZ Game & Fish (AZGFD) Raptor Management Coordinator, to participate with the group who would band him. It was a time I for sure will never forget! I have closely followed our eagles here at Lynx and elsewhere for 19 years and have enjoyed many exciting times doing so, but nothing that could top this. Kyle McCarty, AZGFD Eagle Field Projects Coordinator, other AZGFD members and representatives from Prescott Creeks and the Highlands Center for Natural History also participated.

Now as I write this, the once "little guy" is 13 weeks old and is a full-grown juvenile Bald Eagle who is entertaining hundreds of curious visitors and lots of photographers daily, just off the Peavine and all over the lake area as he is flying everywhere with and without his parents. He will be there for at least another month, so if you have not already, get out there to see him in person and please enjoy from a distance.

Everett Sanborn

Everett with his buddy

A Fruitful Field Trip

Our recent field trip to Walnut Creek in the Santa Marias turned out to be one of those perfect spring days that we just have to talk about. We were awash in fine spring weather and migrating birds, finding 55 species including migrant Black& White, Townsend's, and Wilson's Warblers. Two ravens and a Zone-tailed Hawk chased a Golden Eagle right over our heads, so fast! And, to top it all off, we found a Gray Hawk cruising along the stream and soaring above us. This sighting might be the very north end of that bird's range. Climate change? We will have to return next year to see.

11th Annual Sedona Hummingbird Festival

Friday, July 25 - Sunday, Jul 27, 2025

For information and tickets: SedonaHummingbirdFestival.com

From PAS Board of Directors

May Window on Nature Jennie MacFarland gave an informative and engaging presentation on Arizona IBAs. We did try to film the presentation; please look for it in the future on the website. There will be no Window on Nature programs in June, July, and August. The program will resume in September with Eric Moore tentatively scheduled to speak about his birding experience in Cuba.

This is the first of a series recognizing the volunteers that make Prescott Audubon successful.

Spotlight on the Prescott Audubon Board

“Prescott Audubon Society encourages understanding and protection of our natural environment through education, conservation, and community service.” This statement from our website guides the actions of the PAS Board. Your current Board members are Julie Cargill, Jo Glaves, Elaine Grings, and Sandy Klininkowski. Mary Ellen Sandeen is rotating off the board this month. We thank her for the time she has given to Prescott Audubon. We are excited to welcome Nita Morris as a new member of the board. Per PAS by-laws, the board may have 3-11 members and board members serve two-year terms which are renewable. PAS has three standing committees: Field Trip, Scholarship, and Conservation. Committee Chairs and all PAS members are invited to attend the PAS Board meetings. The next Board meeting is on August 28 from 3-4:30PM at The Lookout conference room.

Prescott Audubon Society

Board Meeting Minutes

May 1, 2025

Present: Board Members Jo Glaves, Sandy Klinikowski, Elaine Grings, Julie Cargill, and Mary Ellen Sandeen; Conservation Chair Sharon Andersen.

· Meeting convened at 3:01 pm.

· Minutes from 3-6-25 were approved.

· Financial: Profit/Loss and Balance records presented by treasurer Sandy. PAS in the process of moving a portion of funds to Schwab for an increased interest rate.

· Spring Fling Fundraiser of April 17 2025 success acknowledged.

· Discussion of continued collaboration with NHI regarding WON programs. Appropriate reimbursement for use of their resources as in the past approved.

· Discussion and approval of honorarium for Audubon program speakers from outside of quad cities area in the amount of $125 plus mileage of $.50 per mile approved. Additional accompanying hosting costs may be reimbursed to individuals.

· Black Canyon Heritage Park Board per Sharon: the idea of Audubon contributing as a board constituent discussed; will remain as Audubon representative role.

· HCNH Discovery Days. Jo participated in recent April activity. Further “Discovery Days” are planned May through September.

· Arizona Council of Audubon Chapters: April 11 presentation included interesting speakers. PAS recognized for dedication to citizen science via Yellow-billed Cuckoo and Upper Verde IBA surveys.

· Bird-A-Thon activity: participation on-going.

· Positions of Prescott Audubon Board. Elaine Grings will assume the Treasurer’s role from Sandy Klinikowski, date TBA. A “member at large” position will be open after Mary Ellen Sandeen’s departure.

· Next meeting scheduled Aug. 28, 2025, 3-4:30 PM at The Lookout.

· Meeting adjourned at 4:20 pm.

Respectfully submitted,

Julie Cargill

Board Secretary

Please visit the PAS FB Group page for more information, as well as fabulous photos and articles from Walt Anderson