"Wingtips"
Our Monthly Newsletter
Get out and get into nature with our growing community of like-minded folks who value the outdoors and fellowship. Read our newsletter to get a taste of what we've been up to lately.
New Signs at Willow and Watson Lakes
No doubt you have passed by the signs along our lakes' shores, only to find that the sun had got there first and bleached out every word and image.
Now --good as new! We had these signs reprinted, and the City of Prescott has set them in their frames. Nice!
Bird of the Month :
Greater Roadrunner
Each month, we publish an article in a local magazine, "5enses" . We share these articles here on our website.
Just FYI !
Granite Creek Clean-up
On April 20, our PAS team joined in the annual Granite Creek Clean-up!
Prescott Audubon is a regular financial supporter of the annual Granite Creek Clean-ups, and we also a enter a PAS team to get out and pick up some trash! Birdsong and glimpses of birds always help make the morning fly by. In past years, our teams have collected lots of plastic, paper and cardboard, lumber, pipe, and the occasional tire-- several bags of trash. Meeting and making friends with other like-minded people is a bonus!
We appreciate the folks at Prescott Creeks for all their years of coordinating this clean-up day.
Limited Public Access to The City of Prescott Airport Water Reclamation Facility (Recharge Ponds)
As of October 16, 2023, public access to the Recharge Ponds is limited to individuals who have signed a Waiver and have obtained a Keycard from the City of Prescott. The Keycard allows access to the Recharge Ponds seven days a week from one hour before sunrise to one hour after sunset.
Please find more information about the access, Keycard and Waiver here in this PDF file.
To obtain your Keycard, please make an appointment with the City of Prescott Financial & Business Operations Manager, Public Works, by calling 928-777-1130 ext: 5003, or by emailing [email protected].
What's This Duck?
Ducks in molting season or in nonbreeding plumage can be so difficult to ID! Our field guides do not show us just how plain brown a male Mallard can be in July or August.
How about this bird? What do you see?
For many of us, our summer "brown ducks" can be a rewarding challenge. So, don't give up --look closely at bill shape and color, the size of the bird, its behavior. The tail edges can be a good field mark as well. In September and October, many ducks begin to molt back into their more recognizable plumages and colors, so this can be a fine time to spot the greening heads of male Mallards or Northern Shovelers, for example. Many teal are still mostly brown, but you might see that the Cinnamon Teal may be showing a bit more of their reddish tones.
The photo above shows a messy mix of molt and worn feathers. Look closely at the stubby bill and the plumes off the bird's cheeks. The wings look short and the tail a bit longer, as a Wood Duck can show. Another clue is location --this photo was taken at Lynx Lake.
Now the answer --- this bird is our rather famous and strikingly handsome Mandarin Duck male. He swims with the Mallards along the south shore of the lake, delighting so many people!
Photo by Everett Sanborn.
Read the Results of Our 2023 Cuckoo Surveys on the
Upper Verde River
Our surveys are essential for the protection of Yellow-billed Cuckoo, considered to be a threatened species by Federal and State wildlife managers alike. Our data helps wildlife managers to protect this sensitive habitat along the Verde.
Read on for a summary of our 2023 Cuckoo surveys!
Cactus Ferruginous Pygmy Owls
To reuse is to recycle! In 2020, we built some hack boxes for our American Kestrel Nestbox and Release Program. Now they will help the Pygmy Owls.
Hack boxes provide a safe place for fledgling raptors to roost as well as a place to learn to fly and hunt before being released into the wild. We no longer need our boxes for the kestrels, so we are donating them the the AZ Game & Fish Dept. They will head to southern Arizona to assist the AZGFD with their efforts to help the tiny Cactus Ferruginous Pygmy Owls. Yeah!
Kestrel Nestbox Program
American Kestrels are on the decline, and limited nesting sites are part of that declline. We have had great success with our American Kestrel nestbox installations, and the 2022 nesting season is no exception. If you happen upon a Kestrel with legband(s), please report your sighting and location to [email protected].
Yes, Administration is Important, too--
Join our Team! We Welcome You (and your skills)
All-volunteer organizations such as Prescott Audubon survive thanks to help from all who believe in the organization's mission. At PAS, our focus is on celebrating birds and the habitat we share. We want to thank our officers and board members for their efforts to keep this busy & multi-dimensional team that is Prescott Audubon somewhat organized and heading in the right direction.
All the board members share all the tasks for steering this little ship, and we owe them a big debt of gratitude. But it take more than the officers. If you are organized, an artist, a media or IT person, a retired attorney, a bird-lover, a writer--- You get the idea --we welcome your help and we are always happy to meet new members, so don't be shy!
What would you like to do for Prescott Audubon?