Field Trips

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Contact Roger Boyd at rboydbird69@gmail.com or 785-424-0595 for more information.

In general, field trips last two hours, but participants are free to come and go any time. All trips are subject to change due to weather or scheduling conflicts.​​ Check our Facebook page for last-minute changes.

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FEBRUARY FIELD TRIPS

Feb. 12 (Thurs.)  |  Lake Perry  |  8 a.m. 

We will leave from the I-70 Business Park (former outlet mall), address is 1035 N. 3rd Street, Lawrence. We will go to the parking lot west of the ranger station arriving between 8:30 and 8:45. From there we will go down to the parking area at the east end of the dam. Next we will loop east, north and back west to the marina. The edge of the lake here is usually quite weedy and contains many sparrows. Waterfowl are usually present in holes in the ice. Next we will go back across the dam to the west side of lake and through the wooded area for songbirds and woodpeckers. We will then travel to the outflow structure below the dam.  There we could possibly see over a dozen eagles, depending on ice cover.  We will plan to conclude the field trip by 11 a.m. Plan to coordinate your own transportation.

 

Feb. 28 (Sat.)  |  Lone Star Lake with Globe Prairie Area (optional)  |  8 a.m.  

Meet at the east end of Lone Star Lake dam. We will plan to drive the perimeter road to the east with periodic stops with possible short walks at some of the stops (depending on wind and temp.)  A variety of waterfowl are to be expected. Raptors should include Bald Eagles, Red-shouldered, Red-tailed, Cooper’s, and perhaps Sharp-shinned Hawks. Most bird activity will be in the woods around the lake with woodpeckers, titmice, nuthatches, kinglets, creepers, and sparrows, as well as some late warblers or towhees possible. About 9:30 we will depart for the Globe area to the south and west. Here we hope to find meadowlarks, Horned Larks, perhaps longspurs, and a variety of sparrows. In recent years there have been Rough-legged and Ferruginous Hawks as well as Peregrine or Prairie Falcons seen in the area. This is the best expanse of prairie that remains in Douglas County. Plan to wrap up the field trip by 10:30 or 11 a.m.

 

MARCH FIELD TRIPS

March 21 (Sat.)  |  Loess Bluffs NWR  |  8 a.m.

We will meet at the Baker Wetlands Discovery Center Parking lot at 8:00 am. (Or you can choose to meet us at the lookout tower on the refuge – let me know to look for you). If you can possibly carpool, please do so. A large caravan of cars could diminish our success. Distance is about 115 miles one way and will take less than 2 hours. Our main targets this trip will be Trumpeter Swans and Bald Eagles. We could see over 20 species of waterfowl. A few grebes might be present. Among the hundreds of Trumpeter Swans will likely be a few Tundra Swans, we just have to find them! On arrival we will be viewing the throng of birds from the main lookout then driving the 10 mile loop drive around the main water body. I will have a telescope for the group. In some places other species will be seen such as several species of blackbirds, sparrows and possibly wrens could be present. Woodland species are also possible at several stops. Should be able to depart for the return trip by noon. Option of bringing sack lunch and make a second loop around the area on your own.

 

March 26 (Thurs.)  |  Clinton Lake Dam (Outlet Tower) and Model Airplane Field  |  8 a.m.

Meet on the dam at the pullout by the outlet tower. Focus will be on the identification of numerous waterfowl (geese, ducks, scoters, & loons) and potentially gulls. Once we have seen what we can we will travel to the south end of the dam and scope that area of the lake. Depending on cloud cover and wind the species diversity and abundance can vary greatly from one day to the next. From there we will go below the dam to the model airplane field and those wetlands.  We will look primarily for a variety of sparrows and possibly wrens. We will check the airfield for possible American and Sprague’s Pipits. Flyovers by Smith’s Longspurs are also possible. We are likely to be able to see and hear both Eastern and Western Meadowlarks on the runway edges.

 

March 28 (Sat.)  |  Model Airplane Field and Marsh below Clinton Dam  |  6:30 p.m. 

Meet in parking lot between air field and marsh in the evening. Sunset is 6:45 p.m. Primary target will be American Woodcock and possibly snipe and rails. We will listen for woodcock displaying over marsh, airfield, and woodland to south.  Possible that Sora and Virginia Rail will call as well. Wilson’s Snipe can be in the area as well.  Much depends on weather and migration timing. We probably will be there one hour or less. 

 

APRIL FIELD TRIPS

April 9 (Thurs.)  |  Lawrence Nature Park  |  8 a.m.

Meet in parking lot on west side of road at roughly 1681 E 1100 Rd, Lawrence (GPS 38.983683, -95.297974).  This will be a nice woodland walk in early spring. The usual woodland species should include four-plus species of woodpecker, chickadee, titmouse, both species of nuthatch, both species of kinglet, perhaps several early warblers and late winter sparrows. If time allows we will also go north to Martin Park. 

 

April 25 (Sat.)  |  Baker Wetlands (Joint trip with Lawrence Public Library)  |  8 a.m.

Meet at the west parking lot at the Discovery Center (1365 N. 1250 Rd).  Spring migration should be close to full swing so many species of birds will likely be present. We will walk the diagonal trail down to the low water crossing. Then we will walk the center trail east along the old N. 1250 Rd alignment to the Naismith Canal, cross on the bridge and continue east. Our intent is to walk to the center intersection and Grebe Pond blind which is 1.5 miles round trip. Warblers, vireos, and buntings should be in full migration mode as well as several rail and wader species. This is the height of migration for the next 10 days. Weather will be a major factor in what we look for and how far east we go. We will probably be there 2-3 hours but you would be able to return to the parking lot at any time. You can usually anticipate some of the trails will be wet or muddy.

 

MAY FIELD TRIPS

May 7 (Thurs.)  |  Burcham Park  |  8 a.m.

Meet in the main parking lot near the river. We will walk the road and trails in the park south and north. We should see a variety of early warblers, vireos, thrushes and other spring migrants. The river may have some waterfowl and gulls present and possibly some early swallows over the water. It is a little early for the bulk of the warblers but easier to view as most leaves won’t be out yet. Bring layers in case there is a chilly breeze.

 

May 9 (Sat.)  |  Fitch Natural History Reservation  |  8 a.m.  

Park at Roth Trailhead and meet there. We will eventually cross the road to the east to enter Fitch.  (See KU Field Station for directions or GPS is 39.038524, -95.206304). We will walk on the established trails. Easy walking along the woods. Early portion is gravel turning to well-worn dirt or mowed grassy paths. Expect thrushes, vireos, warblers, tanagers, flycatchers, all the migrants and residents from the tropics.  It could be wild, depending on movement of fronts and current weather. If we hit a good day of migration we could have over 15 species of warblers. Chiggers shouldn’t be an issue but plan to use spray on clothing for ticks.  We will plan to frequently rotate positions on the trail so that everyone has a chance to be at the front. We will probably be on the trails for several hours and walk up to 2 miles. This is one of the premier woods that are available to the public for birding.  

 

May 16 (Sat.)  |  Baker Wetlands  |  8 a.m.  

Meet at the Southwest Parking lot (Just north of Wakarusa Bridge on E 1400 Rd).  We will walk east along the River Trail. We will focus on warblers, vireos, flycatchers, swallows, buntings, wrens, late sparrows. There should be some waterfowl as well as waders in the area. Our goal will be to reach the center intersection and Grebe Pond to try for Least Bittern. Distance will be about 2 miles out and back.

 

May 20 (Wed. EVENING)  |  Rice Woods and Douglas State Fishing Lake  |  8:30 p.m.

Meet at 8:30 p.m. for evening birds. Park at the intersection of N 500 and E 1750 Rd. (2 miles N of Baldwin and ½ mi E). We will walk on E 1750 Rd about ¼ mile south. Easy walking on compacted gravel road through the woods. Expect a variety of woodpeckers (Red-bellied, Downy, Hairy, Pileated and Flicker), Carolina Wren, possibly Red-tailed, Cooper’s, and Red-shouldered Hawks. Some migrant flycatchers, warblers, and thrushes are likely. Our main targets, however, will be Chuck-wills-widow and Whip-poor-will. We will arrive before sundown so other birds will be active. At or about dusk is when we can expect the nightjars to sing.  These birds could be close and with (amazing) luck, could come out on the road! You might want to spray for mosquitoes, or stand next to someone they like better! Eventually we will go to the south end of the lake for more opportunities.

 

JUNE FIELD TRIPS

June 6 (Sat.)  |  Burcham Park  |  9 a.m. 

Birdability field trip, accessible to everybody and every body. Meet at the parking lot next to the river. We will be traveling along the wide, flat concrete sidewalk to the south along the river. Expect a variety of warblers, vireos, flycatchers, swallow, and a number of resident birds.

 

June 13 (Sat.)  |  Clinton Lake, Overlook Park (Near Mutt Run Dog Park)  |  7:30 a.m.

Address is 1330 E 902 Rd. Meet on the turnoff north to Sesquicentennial Park just west of the Dog Park. Look for people without dogs and with binoculars! Our main target will be Painted Bunting. Many other birds are in the area as well.  Dickcissel, Field Sparrow, several orioles, and Indigo Buntings. We will walk the roads and then head north to Sesquicentennial Park up the hill. Our main target there will be Blue Grosbeak. 

 

June 18 (Thurs.)  |  Lone Star Lake with Globe Prairie Area (optional)  |  7:30 a.m. 

Meet at the east end of Lone Star Lake dam. We will plan to drive the perimeter road to the east with periodic stops with possible short walks at some of the stops. Waterfowl to be expected are Canada Geese and Wood Ducks. Raptors should include Bald Eagles, Red-shouldered, Red-tailed, and perhaps Cooper’s Hawks. Most bird activity will be in the woods around the lake with woodpeckers, titmice, nuthatches, vireos and a variety of flycatchers possible. About 9:30 we will depart for the Globe area to the south and west.  Here we hope to find meadowlarks, Horned Larks, Grasshopper and possibly Henslow’s Sparrows and of course Upland Sandpipers. We will also be on the lookout for Loggerhead Shrikes which nest in the area. This is the best expanse of prairie that remains in Douglas County.  Plan to wrap up the field trip by 10:30 or 11 a.m.

 

JULY FIELD TRIPS

July 9 (Thurs.)  |  Baker Wetlands- East Gate  |  7:30 a.m.

Meet at east parking lot off of Haskell Ave. (E. 1500 Rd and N 1250 Rd).  We will walk west along N. 1250 Rd. We will focus on a variety of warblers, chat, wrens, vireos, and flycatchers. There may be a few nesting waterfowl as well as waders in the area. Distance we walk will largely depend on weather and bird activity.  Our goal will be to reach the center intersection and Grebe Pond. We will call for rails and bitterns. For those interested, we will conclude the field trip by driving east along N 1250 Rd and north on O’Connell road primarily looking for birds in the North Canal, north of the SLT.

 

July 18 (Sat.)  |  Burcham Park  |  7:30 a.m.

We will meet in the parking lot next to the river.  This is late summer and early migration.  Many birds are quiet and possibly molting this time of year.  We should see eagles, Red-tailed and possible Red-shouldered Hawk.  Chimney Swifts and a few swallows are likely.  Burcham is always good for woodpeckers including Red-bellied, Downy, and Pileated as well as flickers.  A few flycatchers may still be around as well vireos and fall warblers like Parula and Prothonotary.  It’s a little late for sparrows but perhaps waxwings and bluebirds will be present.  Typical woodland residents like titmice, chickadees, nuthatch, grosbeaks, and Carolina Wren are likely to be there but often overlooked this time of year due to their lack of calls.  Plan to wrap up the field trip by 9 to 9:30 a.m.

 

AUGUST FIELD TRIPS

August 8 (Sat.)  |  Baker Wetlands  |  7:30 a.m. 

Meet at the Southwest Parking lot (Just N of Wakarusa Bridge on E 1400 Rd). We will walk east along the River Trail. If it is good birding we will walk north to center road and back west. Indigo Buntings and Common Yellowthroats should be common as well as Dickcissels. We will also be looking for Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, Pileated Woodpeckers, Willow Flycatcher and Eastern Wood Pewee. Both Baltimore and Orchard Orioles should be around as well as Yellow-breasted Chat, Blue Grosbeak and Bell’s Vireo. Plan to wrap up the field trip by 9:30 to 10 a.m. 

 

August 20 (Thurs.)  |  Clinton Lake – East Bloomington  |  7:30 a.m.

Meet at the parking lot east of the Wakarusa Museum, not the swim beach. We will take an easy walk around the parking lot and edge of the lake primarily for swallows. Also a good chance for Scissortail Flycatchers and a host of other flycatchers and kingbirds in the area. We will then walk to the beach where we should find several species of gulls, and early shorebirds returning from breeding in Canada. Forster’s, Black and Caspian terns are often here. Buntings, grosbeaks, orioles, even warblers and tanagers are possible as fall migration is under way.  Plan to wrap up the field trip by 9 or 9:30 a.m. 

 

SEPTEMBER FIELD TRIPS

Sept. 12 (Thurs.)  |  Clinton Lake – East Bloomington  |   7:30 a.m.

This is a repeat of Aug. 20.  Migration is likely to be further along with shorebirds, gulls, and terns moving through, highly dependent on weather fronts.  

 

Sept. 17 (Thurs.)  |  Fitch Natural History Reservation  |  8 a.m.  

Park at Roth Trailhead. We often see quite a few birds from there in the big open space. We will then cross the road to the east to meet at Fitch. (See KU Field Station for directions or GPS is 39.038524, -95.206304).  We will walk on the established trails. Easy walking along the woods. Early portion is gravel turning to well-worn dirt paths. Expect a few late vireos, fall warblers, tanagers, a few late flycatchers, all the migrants moving thru on their way to the tropics as well as residents. It won’t be as wild as spring but fall migrants and juveniles can be a challenge to ID and they generally are quiet. Chiggers shouldn’t be an issue but still plan to use spray on clothing for ticks. We will plan to frequently rotate positions on the trail so that everyone has a chance to be at the front.  We will probably be on the trails for several hours and walk up to 2 miles.

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OCTOBER FIELD TRIPS

Oct. 8 (Thurs.)  |  Burcham Park  | 8 a.m.

Meet in the main parking lot near the river. We will walk the road and trails in the park and to the north. Should be a variety of late warblers, perhaps a flycatcher and vireos and should be some early winter migrant sparrows. This area is also good for a variety of resident birds. We usually can see a variety of waterfowl and gulls along the river during this time. Since it is late in fall migration it is difficult to predict what we might find. Bring layers in case there is a chilly breeze.

 

Oct. 24 (Sat.)  |  Clinton Lake Dam and Model Airplane Field  |  8 a.m.

Meet on the dam at the pullout by the outlet tower. Focus will be on the identification of numerous waterfowl (geese, ducks, grebes, and loons) and gulls.  Once we have seen what we can we will travel to the south end of the dam and scope that area of the lake. Depending on cloud cover and wind the species diversity and abundance can vary greatly from one day to the next. From there we will go below the dam to the model airplane field and those wetlands. We will look primarily for a variety of sparrows and wrens. This is often a good time and location for LeConte’s, Nelson’s, Savannah, Song and Swamp Sparrows and possible American and Sprague’s Pipits. Both Marsh and Sedge Wrens should be present as well as Sora and Virginia Rails.

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NOVEMBER FIELD TRIPS

Nov. 19 (Thurs.)  |  Baker Wetlands Discovery Center  |  8 a.m. 

Meet in the parking lot at the Discovery Center.  We have a variety of directions to walk. We might walk the loop trails west of the Discovery Center or down the diagonal trail to the SW parking area, or we might start out east on the N. 1250 Rd trail.  The direction we take will largely depend on what has been seen recently, water levels, and the current weather, primarily the wind speed and direction.  We will focus on sparrows, blackbirds, wrens, finches and keep an eye to the sky for eagles, falcons, gulls and anything else that might be in the area. We expect to finish the field trip around 9:30 a.m.

 

Nov. 27 (Fri.)  |  BLACK FRIDAY ESCAPE at Clinton State Park  |  8 a.m. 

While some are searching for great buys in the stores we will take advantage of free entrance to the Clinton State Park. Meet at the Clinton Lake Visitor’s Center (872 N. 1402 Rd) parking lot. This is north of the dam, just south of the RV and boat storage. There are many pine trees in the area and we will search for crossbills while waiting for others to arrive. When everyone has arrived we will go to the marina first to look for wintering ducks, gulls, possibly loons and grebes. From the marina we will return to the main road and head west, perhaps stopping along the way but eventually ending up at the far west boat ramp. This is an excellent place for more wintering ducks, loons, and grebes, and occasionally gulls.  Plan to wrap up the field trip by 10 to 10:30 depending on bird activity and the weather.

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DECEMBER FIELD TRIPS

Dec. 12 (Sat.)  |  Clinton Lake Dam and Model Airplane Field  |  8 a.m.  

Meet on the dam at the pullout by the outlet tower. Telescope available.  Focus will be on the identification of numerous waterfowl (geese, ducks, grebes, and loons) and potentially gulls. Once we have seen what we can we will travel to the south end of the dam and scope that area of the lake. Depending on cloud cover and wind the species diversity and abundance can vary greatly from one day to the next. From there we will go below the dam to the model airplane field and those wetlands. We will look primarily for a variety of sparrows, pipits and wrens.  This is often a good time and location for LeConte’s, White-crowned, Harris’s, Savannah, Song and Swamp Sparrows and possible American and Sprague’s Pipits. Both Marsh and Sedge Wrens could be present.

 

CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNTS (All Day)

Dec. 14 (Mon.) Linn County Contact Roger Boyd (785-424-0595) rboydbird69@gmail.com 

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Dec. 16 (Wed.) Baldwin Contact Calvin Cink (785-594-6546) ccinkbird76@gmail.com 

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Dec. 19 (Sat.) Lawrence (LBA) Contact Galen Pittman (785-760-3572) galenpitt@gmail.com 

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Dec. 20 (Sun.) Perry Lake/Oskaloosa Contact pkchaffee@yahoo.com