The Greater Kansas City Chapter of the National Audubon Society
FROM REJECTION TO PROTECTION: THE PERILOUS LIFE AND TIMES OF NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS OF PREY By Elizabeth Stoakes, BAS Historian If asked, most modern people (and definitely birders) would say that they admire birds of prey. We enjoy their beauty and strength, revere their superb hunting skills and respect their roles in our ecosystem, keeping…
In Spring of 2016 Larry Rizzo of the Missouri Department of Conservation approached Burroughs about contributing to a study of the bees and flora at two Kansas City remnant sites. These surveys would give us a current state of the natural areas and a baseline for future work and studies. Burroughs was able to sponsor…
Burroughs Audubon is planning an exciting annual dinner, silent auction and raffle at Garozzo’s Ristorante in Lee’s Summit on Saturday, April 8! It promises to be a memorable event with noted speaker and natural history author, Scott Weidensaul, telling us about his Snowy Owl tracking project! Click here for a registration form, with cost and…
By Elizabeth Stoakes, BAS Historian BAS Library Committee members recently created a small exhibit space in our reading room to highlight some of our historical materials. The beginning of this brand-new year demanded a fresh exhibit, and what could possibly be more appropriate during the dark depths of winter than volumes about penguins? These unique…
By Elizabeth Stoakes, BAS Historian Our organization is very fortunate to have a physical location—our combination library and nature center located in Fleming Park—where its members can interact with the public continually and promote the appreciation of birds and natural history in general. Many Audubon chapters lack such a resource. One of our greatest (and…
Identification of the two dark ibises (genus Plegadis) can range from easy to impossible, depending on their plumage stage. In most parts of Missouri, White-faced Ibis (Plegadis chihi) is more regular and numerous than Glossy Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus), but they cannot be firmly identified on the basis of probability. In adult breeding (alternate) plumage (roughly…
This time last year, Burroughs Audubon was busily applying for a Monarch Conservation Grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. At first glance it may seem a bit odd that a birding group would want to save a butterfly. But Burroughs did- for many reasons. Quality monarch habitat supports many insects and invertebrates that…
Late February -Place and clean out bluebird boxes March 10th – Average Arrival Date For Adult Male Martins (females and young males will filter in through April) Late March – Clean out wren, chickadee, titmouse nest boxes April 5th – Hang Hummingbird Feeders (with small amount of nectar and clean every few days) April 15th –…
Many people now have their eye on the population numbers of the monarch butterfly. A species that numbered 1 billion in 1996 hit an all time low of 25 million butterflies covering 0.67 hectares on their overwintering grounds in Mexico in 2013/2014. In 2013 The World Wildlife Fund declared the Monarch Migration endangered and in 2014…
When we see a little black and white woodpecker at our feeders or working on a tree we often think ‘Downy Woodpecker’. Appropriately so, as Downy Woodpeckers are in much larger numbers than their look alike kin- the Hairy Woodpecker. But who doesn’t want to see a Hairy Woodpecker! Here’s some ID tips for telling the…