Wingtips

The Prescott Audubon Newsletter

October 2026

ATTENTION!

Registration for Bird Walks just got easier.

You can register directly from the link in the description on the PAS Newsletter

Birding in October

Saturday – Oct 3 – 8:00 a.m. – Watson Woods Walk

(no registration required)

Saturday – Oct 10 – October Big Day
Wherever you are on 10 October, take a few minutes to enjoy birds and share what you find on eBird. Participate from anywhere, even from home! Be a part of the global team and help set a new record for October birding. Want more info? Click Here

Saturday – Oct 24 – 8:00 a.m.

Birds + Local History: Odd Fellows Cemetery and Acker Park
Join us for a unique birding and history walk at the Odd Fellows Cemetery and adjacent Acker Park. We will look for and identify birds that call the cemetery and Acker Park home, while discovering the stories of several notable Prescottonians who rest in this 124 year old cemetery.
Registration Required: (Acker/Odd) https://www.signupkit.co/4oD93

Upcoming Birding in November
Saturday – Nov 7 – 9:00 a.m. – Watson Woods Walk
(no registration required)

Friday – Nov 20 – 8:00 a.m. – Fain Park
Join us for a morning walk through this 100 acre park in the heart of Prescott Valley where we will view returning winter ducks along with our resident birds.
Registration Required: https://www.signupkit.co/Ec61r

View All PAS Field Trips

Click here for Bird Walks at the Lookout

Window on Nature

will be at the

Natural History

Institute

126 N. Marina Street, downtown Prescott

Tuesday, October 20

MOTUS Stations

Kay Hawklee discusses how the Motus Wildlife Tracking system reveals novel insights on animal movement that is fundamental to their conservation. With the support of our community and National Audubon, Northern Arizona Audubon Society helped bring Motus technology to the region by installing two wildlife tracking stations - one at Anderson Mesa (Flagstaff) and another at Tres Brisas (Camp Verde). These stations contribute to the global Motus network, strengthening our ability to understand and protect migratory species.

Kay Hawklee has been on the Board of Northern Arizona Audubon since 2017 and served as President of the board for four years, ending in 2024. About the time that she joined the Board, she first heard of Motus from Edwin Juarez of AZGFD at an Arizona Bird Conservation Initiative (ABCI) meeting. This event sparked a years-long goal that has grown and developed into the NAAS program called WINGS ACROSS BORDERS: TRACKING WILDLIFE, CONNECTING CULTURES.

Meet and greet at 6:30,

followed by program at 7:00 pm

It's time to apply for the 2027

Prescott Audubon Environmental Scholarship

This year's award will be for $1,500. Applications accepted through Nov. 15, 2026. If you or someone you know is passionate about the environment and attends a college operating in Yavapai or Mohave County, see details at https://prescottaudubon.org/scholarships-youth

Save The Dates:

Prescott Christmas Bird Count (completed annually) - Wednesday, December 16th

Chino Christmas Bird Count - Monday, December 21st

Willow and Watson Lakes IBA surveys

(completed every 3-5 years to maintain IBA status)

Friday, December 11

Friday, January 22

Friday, February 19

Friday, March 19

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

Activities of Interest to

Audubon Community

Watson Woods Riparian Preserve

Fall 2026 IBA Surveys are Complete!

Another fun season of surveys has been successful. Thank you to all who participated! The data we gathered helps Prescott Creeks in making management decisions for the Preserve. It also helps in the bigger picture because this data goes to eBird, so it is available for scientists and researchers all over the world to do studies and make management decisions on a larger scale.

On two Sundays during fall migration, three teams surveyed along Granite Creek upstream from Watson Lake. Thirty-nine bird species were identified on 8/30 and thirty-eight were counted on 9/13. Highlights included two lifers for Prescott Creeks—a Pinyon Jay and a Green-tailed Towhee! Volunteers enjoyed seeing Great Horned Owls and Common Black Hawks and were entertained by some hummingbirds chasing a Belted Kingfisher.

To see photos and more information on these results, see the trip reports on eBird for each day. See the total species on one page or click on the “3 checklists” box to see photos and details for each team. You do not need an eBird account to see these lists.

August 30 trip report: https://ebird.org/tripreport/567664

September 13 trip report: https://ebird.org/tripreport/571188

We’ll be doing two spring migration surveys in 2027. Look for sign-up information coming out around March 1 in the Prescott Audubon newsletter or in emails from Prescott Creeks. You can also find information at Important Bird Area Surveys - Prescott Creeks

Leslie Loomis

Prescott Creeks Volunteer & IBA Survey Coordinator

IBA@prescottcreeks.org

Cedar Waxwing photo by Leslie Loomis
Lesser Goldfinch photo by Prescott Creeks/MByrd

Full Article on the PAS Website

How can you help Kestrels?

• Do not approach or disturb nest boxes you may find in the field

• If you would like to host a nest box on your property or help monitor one of our existing boxes, please contact Prescott Audubon

• If you see an American Kestrel with a large blue or black band on the left leg please contact Prescott Audubon

Burrowing Owl Update

Our volunteers completed their Burrowing Owl-feeding responsibilities in mid-September, five weeks after the second set of owls arrived in Paulden. Not to worry, there are plenty of grasshoppers for the owls to eat! Tent 2 was dismantled on Sept 5 and volunteers continued to leave thawed mice for the owls for one more week. They reported seeing owls from both tent sites on perches and on the "porches" of the artificial burrows. While the feeders will be glad to get freezer space back, there were many comments in the last week of feeding reports about the joy they had helping the owls get established and that they would miss seeing them.

Prescott Audubon volunteers spent over 300 hours helping these owls settle into their new homes; this is in addition to the hours put in by Wild at Heart, Prescott National Forest and Audubon Southwest personnel. Thanks to everyone for contributing to the success of this project!

Upper photo by Sue Noonan
Lower photo by Ann Hendrickson

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