The pandemic increased individuals time in nature and attention to birds, but many of the field trips from previous years were left on hold. After cancelling field trips in 2020 for health precautions, limited capacity trips and ones requiring social distancing and limited carpooling were offered last year.
We hope you enjoyed one or more of the Burrough’s Field Trips and look forward to seeing you on one of the upcoming trips. Field trips include a diverse selection of locations from city parks, state parks, conservation areas, wildlife areas, and national wildlife refuges. During the 2021 Calendar year, the Burrough’s Field Trips saw many individuals experience new “life” birds, offered exceptional views of rare and tough to see birds, and time with other nature-loving individuals.
Year-end Statistics
Birds
Burroughs Field Trips collectively observed 185 species in 2021 with 158 species observed in Kansas and 146 species observed in Missouri.
Trips
There were 20 trips offered in 2021, an increase from 2020 but still fewer than 2019 or 2018! These trips included 3 all-day trips and 17 morning.
People
The 2021 trips had a total of 230 participants! Some individuals were counted multiple times in this tally if they attended multiple trips. The trips had 5 different volunteer trip leaders, all having led multiple trips for Burroughs over the years. Their commitment to sharing nature with others is amazing.
Brief reports from Field Trips in 2021
We encourage you to share your experience with others. Add your photos to the trip list within eBird, share them on social media, and invite your friends to an upcoming trip.
12/7/21 – Thirteen birders on this BAS field trip enjoyed a calm, late fall morning at the Overland Park Arboretum & Botanical Gardens. Highlights included numerous Golden-crowned Kinglets along the ~2.5-mile walk, resident Red-shouldered Hawks along Wolf Creek, and winter visitors to the arboretum feeder station which included Red-breasted Nuthatch, Fox Sparrow, and Purple Finch.
11/20/21 – A handful of individuals enjoyed the calm day scanning bodies of water and multiply location in Kansas south of Kansas City. Highlights included a large flock or Rusty Blackbirds, a bunch of Bonaparte’s Gulls, Red-tailed Hawks of varying appearances, and Short-eared Owls.
11/16/21 – The morning walk offered a nice variety of sparrows with excellent looks at Harris’s and Fox Sparrows, watching Red-headed Woodpeckers cache food for winter as well as Purple Finches and Northern Harriers among thirty two species at Stamm Field.
11/2/21 – Eight individuals enjoyed the free entry at Overland Park Arboretum, walked three miles of trails, and tallied nearly thirty species of birds including a nice diversity of sparrows.
10/14/21 – Eight individuals enjoyed a gorgeous calm fall morning walking the trails at Kill Creek Park and scanning for migrants from the tower.
10/12/21 – A dozen individuals enjoyed a beautifully crisp calm morning at Jerry Smith Park to assist Sherry Leonardo with the fall census for KC Wildlands. The group found over fifty species, the highest for a fall count, including two Wilson’s Snipe that were new to the property list.
10/9/21 – Sixteen individuals met up to walk the field below Clinton Lake. Sparrows were not very cooperative with only a single Nelson’s and LeConte’s. A cooperative Palm Warbler showed nicely for most of the group. Many Franklin’s Gulls were on Clinton Reservoir and a pocket of southbound migrants were fond at Baker Wetlands.
10/9/21 – Thirteen individuals enjoyed the free entry at Overland Park Arboretum and walked the Cottonwood and West Trails finding 29 species with a few southbound migrants mixed in among the resident species.
10/5/21 – A scan of Longview Lake and walk along the trails found a good combination of sparrows, warblers, and other birds. Two Osprey flew right over the group giving good looks.
10/3/21 – A group of eleven individuals checked out Lewis and Clark State Park and Little Bean Marsh with nearly 40 species of birds seen on this joint trip with MBS.
10/1/21 – A group of eleven individuals enjoyed the paved trails at Weston Bend State Park with over twenty species of birds seen on this joint trip with MBS.
9/30/21 – Seven individuals walked the trails at Burr Oak Woods and found a handful of migrants including good looks at a Blue-headed Vireo and a Black-and-white Warbler.
9/22/21 – Ten individuals walked the paved trails at Tomahawk Park and found pockets of migrants hanging out with Black-capped Chickadees. A flyover Broad-winged Hawk, numerous vireos, and challenging fall warblers were nice additions to the shared camaraderie.
9/14/21 – The group of attendees walked three miles along the trails at Baker Wetlands from the Discovery Center to the Heron Hangout south to the Wakarusa River and up the Diagonal Trail finding a nice mixture of shorebirds, passerines, and other birds.
6/15/21 – A dozen individuals enjoyed dragonflies, butterflies, prairie plants, and a decent variety of summer resident birds. A pair of Yellow-breasted Chats sat up in the tree and sang nicely as did Blue Grosbeaks.
5/26/21 – A large group walked the trails at Blue Springs Wetlands without masks, enjoying the revised CDC guidelines for vaccinated individuals, and observed over 50 species of mostly resident species. A couple of migrating flycatchers were mixed in as well on this humid morning.
5/21/21 – Seven species of shorebirds were among the 30+ species seen at KCPL Wetlands during the last of the roughly weekly walks. A Willow Flycatcher, and increased diversity in Swallows as is expected at the end of spring migration, were also observed.
5/12/21 – Nine species of shorebirds were among the 40+ species seen at KCPL Wetlands during an early morning walk.
5/5/21 – A good variety of warblers, vireos, and other species were found along Tomahawk Creek trails in Leawood Kansas.
4/28/21 – Ten individuals met for a mile walk around KCPL Wetlands in Gardner Kansas to scope shorebirds and search for passerines.
Trip Reports and Year Totals – 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, and 2019 Trip to Sax-Zim Bog and MN Northwoods