Field Trip Recaps

We encourage you to share your birding experiences with others. Add your photos to the trip list within eBird, share them on social media, and invite your friends to an upcoming trip. We also post field trip recaps and photos on our Facebook page. If you attended a trip in the past and wish the eBird checklist shared with you, please send an email request to Burroughs Audubon.

2/13-2/16 - Twenty-eight birders participated over four days in the inaugural Great Backyard Bird Count at Forest Hill Cemetery. Each day, we walked approximately 1.5 miles, following the same loop on the 160-acre property. Highlights included a mating pair of Red-tailed Hawks, American Kestrels, Brown Creepers, and abundant Bluebirds and Mockingbirds. We were excited to see gulls flying overhead and discovered a fresh owl pellet on a gravestone. The cemetery supports a healthy population of Red-headed Woodpeckers, a species many participants rarely encounter. It was wonderful to share the cemetery with such a diverse group of people, and we look forward to next year’s GBBC.

2/7/26 - Much of Hillsdale Lake was frozen during the Burroughs Audubon field trip to Miami County, so the group focused on the limited open water just north of the marina. Despite the conditions, a nice variety of waterfowl was present, highlighted by a female-type Black Scoter among the many ducks and geese. The group then continued on to La Cygnes Lake in Linn County, where they once again found a strong diversity of waterfowl. While many of the gulls and loons were viewed at considerable distance, the walk was enlivened by curious kinglets that provided excellent, close-up looks. With pleasant weather and good company, it was an enjoyable and productive day in the field.

2/6/26 - Nine birders joined the KC Wildlands winter bird census at Minor Park in Jackson County, Missouri, recording 25 species and approximately 150 individual birds across a variety of habitats. Waterfowl were well represented, led by Canada Goose, Gadwall, and Mallards. Woodpeckers were a standout highlight, with five species observed, including multiple Pileated Woodpeckers—two pairs seen together at different locations—as well as Northern Flicker, Red-bellied, Downy, and Hairy Woodpeckers. Additional highlights included a Red-shouldered Hawk, Winter Wren, Brown Creeper, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, and Yellow-rumped Warbler. Open areas and woodland edges produced Eastern Bluebirds, American Goldfinches, and Red-winged Blackbirds, rounding out a productive winter census.

1/21/26 - Eight birders gathered to mark the start of the 15th year of the Jerry Smith Park bird census for KC Wildlands. We joked that it was the warmest morning we’d had in quite some time. By the end of the survey, 23 species had been tallied. Highlights included a Cooper’s Hawk flying across the prairie and a modest showing of winter sparrows—Song, White-throated, and American Tree Sparrow. The group also enjoyed a small flock of Cedar Waxwings moving through the cedar trees, along with a striking Red-headed Woodpecker.

1/18/26 - Four birders carpooled to Wyandotte County Lake, stopping at several viewing locations along the way. Following a cold spell, a notable influx of waterfowl had arrived overnight—birds that hadn’t been present the day before during Eagle Days. Highlights included 42 swans representing both species, along with a variety of ducks. After a couple of hours at WyCo Lake, three birders headed to Kaw Point in search of Peregrine Falcons along the Kansas River bridges. They were rewarded with excellent views of what appeared to be a male and female, both perched on the bridge with pigeon remains nearby.