"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. We have noticed many people stopping along the trails to read these signs now. Nice!
Bird of the Month :
Wintering Ducks
Each month, we publish an article in a local magazine, "5enses" . We share these articles here on our website.
Just FYI !
What's This Bird?
Why are birds so good at hiding their head behind a branch or leaves? Only because their life might depend on not being seen, we suspect. Is this the essence of birding--we want to see them; they want to be not seen?? Very possibly.
What can we gather from a view at an unusual angle?
More than we think, if we are lucky.
The photo above shows a striking undertail, flashy with black and white. Here, flashy itself is a big clue. Maybe the hint of red in the lower belly helps clinch this ID. When you see a Painted Redstart, you know it by its behavior of dancing left and right, flashing its white outer tail feathers as it forages.
Painted Redstart indeed! No head view needed.
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].
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.
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?