BAS History

“Audubon the Naturalist” Oil painting portrait of John James Audubon by John Woodhouse Audubon and Victor Gifford Audubon, 1848. Credit: American Museum of Natural History Library   A name that … Read more

“Father of Burroughs”, Albert Shirling, author of “The Birds of Swope Park”, published in 1920. He passed away in October 1947 after spending 42 years in Kansas City.   April … Read more

John Burroughs and Ida Tarbell in Roxbury, NY c. 1902 at the estate of Helen Shepherd (Gould), daughter of railroad magnate Jay Gould.   A most interesting item placed in … Read more

Albert Shirling with a young Turkey Vulture, ready for its closeup. Notice that Mr. Shirling had the foresight to wear an apron–vultures are notoriously messy birds!   Albert Shirling (1875-1947) … Read more

Upland Sandpiper by wildlife artist, biologist, author, conservationist, and filmmaker, Charles Schwartz (1914-1991). Schwartz’s career with the Missouri Department of Conservation lasted for thirty-nine years.   BAS President, Mary Nemecek, … Read more

“Marsh Hawk” is now known as Northern Harrier; “Sparrow Hawk” is an American Kestrel.   Here is a record of one of the first winter bird counts ever taken by … Read more

Kansas City Star article from January 1979 recounting the season’s Kansas City CBCs in late December.   Recent frigid temperatures made me think of the conditions endured by BAS members … Read more

Plans to transform a grassy field into a prairie planting began in early 1990. The planting would eventually be named in honor of Esther O’Connor.   Esther O’Connor collected a … Read more

Miss Esther O’Connor posing with the wooden statue of our mascot bird, the Harris’s Sparrow. The photo is undated but the carving, probably by George Kester, is dated 1979, so … Read more