Over the last week and a half, the Prescott area has experienced an influx of Anna's hummingbirds. Ever since our weather turned unseasonably warm, I have been receiving daily reports on hummingbird activity from customers via e-mails, phone calls and face-to-face here at the store.

Granted, some folks have hummingbirds that winter over each year, but the recent uptick in hummingbird activity has been spurred by new arrivals - returning migratory birds. Do I recommend putting up hummingbird feeders in January? Yes, if you are seeing hummingbird activity in your yard. My rule of thumb is to not put out a hummingbird feeder until I see my first hummingbird of the season. If you see a hummingbird flying around the exaction location where you had your feeder hung last year, you know it is a returning bird.

Regardless of when this occurs - whether it is January, February or March - that is the time to put up at least one feeder, and right away. Once a hummingbird has arrived back in Prescott from its winter range, it is not going to "remigrate" when we get another spell of bad weather. The hummingbirds that are arriving now are here to stay until they leave again in the fall.

Almost without exception, the birds that are arriving right now are male Anna's hummingbirds. You might wonder why they arrive so early in the year. I don't have to tell you how aggressive and territorial hummingbirds are. There is a competitive advantage for hummingbirds returning early.

Instead of the early bird getting the worm, the early hummingbird gets to lay claim to the feeder you have hanging in your backyard. In other words, they get to stake their claim to the feeder and the surrounding habitat. Then, when an intruder arrives later in the spring, the homesteader chases off the newcomer.

Most hummingbird species such as black-chinned, broad-tailed and Rufous arrive in the Prescott area somewhere around mid- to late April. Anna's are by far our most common and hardiest - they can tolerate cold and even snowy weather unlike their cousins who go further south to winter.

I want to put in a quick plug for an upcoming Yavapai College noncredit course titled "Birds of Prey in the Prescott Area." This is a one-day class taught by Prescott birder extraordinaire Bonnie Pranter. The morning portion of the class will be classroom instruction, and the second half of the day will be a field trip to find and identify birds of prey in the field.

Speaking of birds of prey, this past Sunday, Dr. Carl Tomoff reported seeing 11 bald eagles at Goldwater Lake. For our area, that is a phenomenal number of bald eagles. Most of the bald eagles we see in the Prescott area are winter visitors - however we do have one pair that nests each year near Lynx Lake.

Registration for the 11th annual Verde Valley Birding and Nature Festival in Cottonwood at Dead Horse Ranch State Park opens Feb. 1 (online registration is at www.birdyverde.org). The festival dates are April 28-May 1.

We just received a supply of booklets for the festival with a complete schedule of all workshops, seminars, field trips and other activities. If you haven't heard, here is the most exciting news: This year's keynote speaker is none other than David Allen Sibley, author and illustrator of the "Sibley Guide to Birds." This is an event you will not want to miss.

Yavapai College noncredit course titled "Birds of Prey in the Prescott Area." This is a one-day class taught by Prescott birder extraordinaire Bonnie Pranter. The morning portion of the class will be classroom instruction, and the second half of the day will be a field trip to find and identify birds of prey in the field.

Speaking of birds of prey, this past Sunday, Dr. Carl Tomoff reported seeing 11 bald eagles at Goldwater Lake. For our area, that is a phenomenal number of bald eagles. Most of the bald eagles we see in the Prescott area are winter visitors - however we do have one pair that nests each year near Lynx Lake.

Registration for the 11th annual Verde Valley Birding and Nature Festival in Cottonwood at Dead Horse Ranch State Park opens Feb. 1 (online registration is at www.birdyverde.org). The festival dates are April 28-May 1.

We just received a supply of booklets for the festival with a complete schedule of all workshops, seminars, field trips and other activities. If you haven't heard, here is the most exciting news: This year's keynote speaker is none other than David Allen Sibley, author and illustrator of the "Sibley Guide to Birds." This is an event you will not want to miss.