Prescott National Forest is a wonderland of activities for outdoor lovers, encompassing a vast range of mountains and grasslands in north central Arizona. The Bradshaw and Black Hill Mountains may be the two most prominent ranges in the federally-managed lands, but Granite Mountain is probably the most distinct. Close to the town of Prescott, the range is named after a sheer granite face in its southwest corner.
The higher elevations of the range are protected as a wilderness area, a place where peregrine falcons regularly nest. But lower in the forest, a man-made lake is the center piece of Granite Basin Lake Recreation area. Even though it's a small body of water, people still manage to boat on it and fish in it. As for me, the wooded areas of both deciduous and conifer trees create an irresistible habitat for birds.
There are the normal assortment of pine and oak tree-loving birds, like scrub jays, titmice, bushtits, nuthatches and acorn woodpeckers. Thanks to an abundant monsoon rain, the late summer wildflower blooms attract a multitude of hummingbirds. And the water environment - assuming there's enough rainfall to fill the lake like this year - often attracts red-winged blackbird colonies in addition to insect-devouring flycatchers and swallows. I've been lucky to find some migratory birds in the area also, including the strikingly colorful blue grosbeak.
At 5,600 feet elevation, I was surprised to encounter one specific bird on an outing to Granite Basin Lake this past week - the Steller's jay. The species is common on nearby Mingus Mountain, where noisy flocks fill the canopy of ponderosa pine forests in a habitat that is 2,000 feet higher than this one. But the jay does indeed live in the area, and I've seen him nearby in similar habitat before, albeit later in the year when the bird might find a cozier winter environment.
Nevertheless, the lone individual I encountered below seemed to be doing just fine, squawking as if he was part of a larger group, absorbed in hunting in the brush under the tall but quiet pine trees.
The higher elevations of the range are protected as a wilderness area, a place where peregrine falcons regularly nest. But lower in the forest, a man-made lake is the center piece of Granite Basin Lake Recreation area. Even though it's a small body of water, people still manage to boat on it and fish in it. As for me, the wooded areas of both deciduous and conifer trees create an irresistible habitat for birds.
There are the normal assortment of pine and oak tree-loving birds, like scrub jays, titmice, bushtits, nuthatches and acorn woodpeckers. Thanks to an abundant monsoon rain, the late summer wildflower blooms attract a multitude of hummingbirds. And the water environment - assuming there's enough rainfall to fill the lake like this year - often attracts red-winged blackbird colonies in addition to insect-devouring flycatchers and swallows. I've been lucky to find some migratory birds in the area also, including the strikingly colorful blue grosbeak.
At 5,600 feet elevation, I was surprised to encounter one specific bird on an outing to Granite Basin Lake this past week - the Steller's jay. The species is common on nearby Mingus Mountain, where noisy flocks fill the canopy of ponderosa pine forests in a habitat that is 2,000 feet higher than this one. But the jay does indeed live in the area, and I've seen him nearby in similar habitat before, albeit later in the year when the bird might find a cozier winter environment.
Nevertheless, the lone individual I encountered below seemed to be doing just fine, squawking as if he was part of a larger group, absorbed in hunting in the brush under the tall but quiet pine trees.
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| Granite Basin Lake with Granite Mountain Wilderness behind. |
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| Steller's jay near Granite Basin Lake. |
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| Steller's jay near Granite Basin Lake. |
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| Steller's jay near Granite Basin Lake. |
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| Steller's jay near Granite Basin Lake. |
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