Happy New Year! I am looking forward, with great anticipation, to new birding adventures in 2024.
Guess what I did on January 1st? If you guessed birdwatching, you would be correct. Several friends and I went down to Black Canyon City early Monday morning and birded along a stretch of the Agua Fria River. Over the last few months, there have been numerous eBird reports from individuals who have seen a variety of rare birds in that area.
I have attempted on several previous occasions to find some of those rare birds at this location, only to come away empty-handed. I figured more sets of eyes would increase our odds of finding these elusive birds. It was cool and overcast when we arrived, and the birding activity was initially slow.
Fortunately, we ran into another birder who was also in search of the same rare birds that we were looking for, and in the end his help was invaluable in finding one particular bird. I really wanted to add a Philadelphia vireo to my county and state list. As its name implies, this is a species that normally hangs out in the eastern United States.
How someone initially discovered this singular bird is super impressive. My friends and I looked for an hour and a half with no luck, but the other birder we ran into found the vireo and assisted us with getting on the bird. Success! This was one of five species we saw that morning that required documentation in eBird to verify that we really saw what we reported seeing.
The other four rare bird species were broad-billed hummingbird, eastern phoebe, Cassin’s vireo, and Harris’ hawk. While our total species count wasn’t overly impressive (35 species that morning), the quality of birds we saw was over the top.
On our return trip to Prescott, we made a quick stop at Agua Fria National Monument off of I-17 and Badger Springs Road, and added several more species to our day list. Then, later in the day, I went out to Watson Lake to bird and added another rare bird to my day list—a red-shouldered hawk.
I also saw an adult Bald Eagle at Watson Lake, which is always a thrill to see. A few minutes later, while birding on the Peavine Trail, I ran into other birders who were searching for a Bald Eagle’s nest. Over the last few weeks several people have reported seeing Bald Eagles, at Watson Lake, engaging in a combination of courtship/nest building behaviors.
Last month, one of our customers captured some still shots of an eagle carrying a stick as it circled above a large cottonwood tree where its presumed mate was perched. When the eagle landed, it presented the stick to its mate. Whether this pair will actually build a nest in Watson Woods is not known, but it would certainly be historic as there are no known nesting records for Bald Eagles at this location.
Ironically, this Saturday I will be participating in the annual Mid-Winter Bald Eagle survey sponsored by the Prescott National Forest. My assigned area is Goldwater Lake, where I will man a stationary fixed point and count the eagles I see during a four-hour period.
I’m looking forward to this event, except for inevitably being cold! I have to be in position by 7:00 a.m., and it is still virtually dark at that time of the morning.
Until next week, Happy Birding!
Eric Moore is the owner of The Lookout, in Prescott, where you will find a Hallmark Gold Crown Store, wild bird products, and Vortex and Swarovski optics. Eric has been an avid birder for over 55 years. Eric can be contacted at eric@thelookoutaz.com.
