September Program Reminder
ON ZOOM AND STREAMING LIVE TO FACEBOOK
|
|
BAS will launch its series of Fall General Meetings on Tuesday, Sept. 21.
All meetings will be held via Zoom until further notice.
Tuesday, September 21 - 6:30 p.m.
Join us for our September Zoom General Meeting at 6:30 PM. (follow Zoom link and enter meeting ID: 867 0790 1536 / passcode: 120888). We'll also stream the program live to Facebook on the Friends of Burroughs Audubon Society (FOBAS) page.
"Saving Birds and Spreading the Word: How Our Campus Is Working to Reduce Window Collisions" with Krystal Anton, Zero Waste Coordinator at Johnson County Community College (JCCC) in Overland Park, Kansas. Multitudes of birds in North America die annually due to window collisions. Mortality is highest during migration, when birds travel in darkness. Fall migration is especially dangerous as young birds attempt their first long-distance journeys. In 2017, after discovering a series of window victims, Krystal enlisted the help of students and staff to monitor bird collisions at campus buildings. In 2019, the college began applying remediation measures to the most problematic windows. The mitigation work and bird surveys continue today. Krystal will discuss the results of this project, including which mitigation measures proved most successful. She will also describe features that make some windows more hazardous than others, and talk about methods everyone can use to make their homes and workplaces safer for birds.
Since 2015, Krystal Anton has been the Zero Waste Coordinator in the Center for Sustainability at JCCC. She oversees a staff of interns who operate the onsite food waste composting program and other specialty recycling programs. She supports all departments and staff in implementing changes to help the college progress to its ultimate environmental stewardship goal: Zero Waste to Landfill.
|
|
Conservation News
NORTH AMERICAN GRASSLANDS CONSERVATION ACT
|
|
Our friends at Missouri River Bird Observatory (MRBO) recently shared some information about a proposed North American Grasslands Conservation Act on social media:
In 2019, the North American Bird Conservation Initiative released their “State of the Birds Report” under the headline “America’s Birds in Crisis.” That document detailed how 2.9 billion birds have dropped from 1970s population levels. The fastest declining species are also the most recognized grassland icons – bobwhite quail, sage grouse, meadowlarks, prairie chickens and boblinks. These species have plummeted by 53% in just the last five decades.
Now, a group that includes the National Wildlife Federation, World Wildlife Fund, Pheasants & Quail Forever, Isaac Walton League and others have come together to promote a North American Grasslands Conservation Act. Modeled after the highly effective North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA), this new program would provide funding needed to restore and conserve what remains of America’s grasslands and sagebrush habitat while creating a program that would work with private landowners, whose farms and ranches are key to the success of the ecosystem.
Please take a moment to visit actforgrasslands.org, and send an electronic message to our elected leaders to take up the crucial Federal effort to conserve and restore America’s grasslands.
|
|
Nature Programs at the Burroughs Library
BONNIE THE BIOLOGIST
|
|
*If the weather cooperates, we'll meet outside on the lawn in front of the Library. Please bring a mask which is required inside the building.
BONNIE THE BIOLOGIST PROGRAMS IN SEPTEMBER
Tuesday, September 21 @ 10:00 AM ~ Missouri’s Mysterious Insectivores!
BONNIE THE BIOLOGIST PROGRAMS IN OCTOBER
Thursday, October 7 @ 10:00 AM ~ The Canidae Family – Wolves, Coyotes, and Coydogs
Thursday, October 14 @ 10:00 AM ~ The Canidae Family – Wolves, Coyotes, and Coydogs
Thursday, October 28 @ 10:00 AM ~ The Canidae Family – Wolves, Coyotes, and Coydogs
Bonnie Anderson is a true gem of Burroughs Audubon’s Nature Center and Bird Sanctuary. Her programs are fun and full of energy! People of all ages are welcome to participate and are free to come and go during the program time allotted. Programs are free and include free literature, and more! Visit our Bonnie the Biologist web page for a printable brochure and more information. Directions to the Library can be found here. For all other questions, please contact Elizabeth Stoakes at 816-795-8177 or lizkvet AT yahoo DOT com.
|
|
September and October Field Trips
TO VARIOUS KANSAS AND MISSOURI LOCATIONS
|
|
* Participant limited trips with masks, distancing, and/or no carpooling - expectations as noted in trip descriptions.
Burroughs field trips are free to Audubon members and the public, and people of any age or level of experience are welcome to participate! Any trip may involve walking on a variety of terrain and surfaces, but some trips will be more strenuous than others. Trip leaders can advise you of the physical activity involved. Since we visit a number of wild areas and habitats, we respectfully ask that your pets not accompany us on the trail. If they're not given to vocal excitement, crated pets in vehicles are fine.
SEPTEMBER
Wednesday, September 22 – 7:30 a.m.
Tomahawk Creek Park - Join us as we walk the multi-use paved trails in search of south-bound migrants for a couple of hours. Meet at the parking lot on the south side of 119th Street between Roe and Mission at 7:30 am. PLEASE BRING A MASK FOR USE IF WE ARE UNABLE TO STAY SAFELY SPACED APART! Your trip leader is Malcolm Gold, and you can ask him any questions about the trip at malcolmgold AT gmail DOT com.
OCTOBER
Friday, October 1 – 7:30 a.m.
Burr Oak Woods - Meet in front of the nature center at 7:30 a.m. to walk the trails for a couple hours. We'll search for southbound migrating warblers, sparrows, vireos, flycatchers, and whatever else we can find on this local morning trip. The trip is open to everyone of all birding levels. PLEASE BRING A MASK FOR USE IF WE ARE UNABLE TO STAY SAFELY SPACED APART! Your trip leader is Steve Johnson, and you can ask him any questions about the trip at stevenrjohnson89 AT gmail DOT com.
Friday, October 1 – 8:00 a.m. (Limit 10 participants - see below)
Weston Bend State Park - Meet at the paved bicycle trail parking lot/trail head at 8:00 a.m. We'll walk the 2.8-mile Paved Bicycle Trail through a variety of habitat including successional oldfield, Bee Creek bottomland, and mature loess hills upland forest bisected by deep ravines. Along with residents such as Pileated Woodpecker, we'll hope to encounter a few late neotropical and early winter migrants. We'll keep an eye skyward for migrating hawks, as well. Your trip leader is Mike Stoakes, and you can ask him any questions about the trip at mstoakes AT juno DOT com or call/text 816-283-6258. Since this is also a Missouri Birding Society trip, pre-registration is required here.
Sunday, October 3 – 8:00 a.m. (Limit 10 participants - see below)
Lewis & Clark SP, Buchanan County and Little Bean Marsh CA - Meet at the entrance to Lewis and Clark SP at 8:00 a.m. We’ll check the lake first for gulls and waterfowl. Then we’ll walk the easy, mostly level gravel trail through a marsh area, open fields and woodland area looking for sparrows and other migrants. From the state park we’ll drive to Little Bean Marsh CA to walk the level, paved trails looking for passerine migrants. Please bring water, snacks and a scope, if you have one. Your trip leader is Sherry Leonardo, and you can ask her any questions about the trip at home172 AT aol DOT com or call 816-718-5888. Since this is also a Missouri Birding Society trip, pre-registration is required here.
Saturday, October 9 – 7:00 a.m. (joint trip with KOS )
Clinton Lake and surrounding areas in Lawrence, KS - Meet at the model airport field below the dam at 7:00 a.m. We’ll walk over a mile in a tall grass flooded field looking for sparrows, wrens, and hopefully rails. Wear muck boots or footwear for wet conditions. Water resistant pants are very helpful if it has rained or if there is a heavy dew. Afterwards we’ll likely scan the lake and perhaps walk a trail or field. Bring binoculars, scope, dry footwear for after the morning, and lunch. Head into town to grab a bite to eat and rejoin the group afterwards if you want. A couple pairs of binoculars will be available if needed. PLEASE BRING A MASK FOR USE IF WE ARE UNABLE TO STAY SAFELY SPACED APART! Your trip leaders are Malcolm Gold and Rodney Wright. Reach out to Malcolm at malcolmgold AT gmail DOT com with any questions.
Saturday, October 9 – 9:00 a.m. (Limit 15 participants)
Overland Park Arboretum & Botanical Gardens - Meet near the ticket booth at 9:00 a.m. We’ll focus on the natural parts of the Arboretum looking for migrant and resident songbirds as well as migrating raptors. PLEASE BRING A MASK FOR USE IF WE ARE UNABLE TO STAY SAFELY SPACED APART AND FOR ENTERING THE VISITOR CENTER. Your trip leader is Mike Stoakes. Contact Mike to reserve your spot: email mstoakes AT juno DOT com or call/text 816-283-6258.
Thursday, October 14 – 7:30 a.m.
Kill Creek Park - Meet at the beach parking lot at 7:30 a.m. We'll walk the paved trails looking for south bound migrants. Later, we will climb the tower searching for migrating raptors. This may be an all morning trip, so plan accordingly. Feel free to leave anytime you wish. PLEASE BRING A MASK FOR USE IF WE ARE UNABLE TO STAY SAFELY SPACED APART AND IF YOU PLAN TO CLIMB THE TOWER. Your trip leader is Mark Land, and you can ask him any questions about the trip at kestrelland AT gmail DOT com.
Missouri Birding Society Fall Meeting – Sept 24 through Oct 10
Details of locations, dates, and instructions are on the following website.
Note that the number of participants is limited for most trips.
Kansas Ornithological Society Fall Meeting – Sept 22 through Oct 9
Details of events and field trips will be available on the following website. You can participate in the event’s bird compilation by attending any of the four field trips, or birding on your own and sharing the checklist with KOS.
Visit our Field Trips web page for trip description, meeting place, and leader contact info. Reports from previous trips can be found here, as well.
|
|
|
|
|
