August 7, 2026 [LINK / comment]
This episode of my birding adventures from last year begins with my trip out west to see my brothers in the southwestern suburbs of Kansas City.
August 3: The birding aspect of my recent road trip to Kansas got off to a surprising start when I walked across the motel parking lot to see an Indigo Bunting that was singing at the crack of dawn. (This was in the town of Cookeville, east of Nashville, Tennessee.) I soon heard TWO White-eyed Vireos in the bushes, and eventually got a photo of one. That was a big surprise! In the back yard of my brother Dan's house that evening, I was startled to see multiple Eastern Wood Pewees, chasing insects all around. They were regulars in the backyard throughout my stay there.
August 5: At the Corporate Woods Park, in Overland Park two days later I was flabbergasted to see a Northern Parula, at the very western edge of its range! (It's at the top left of the composite photo below.) Its song was different than what I am familiar with, and Merlin helped with the ID. There was also an Eastern Phoebe, a RED-eyed Vireo, and other species including many American Robins. It was a bit odd to be in a dense woodland with high-speed traffic passing nearby along I-470. On the way back to my brother's house, I noticed a Red-tailed Hawk flying above, and stopped to take a photo of it. In the evening we saw the Eastern Wood Pewees and a Great Crested Flycatcher or two.
(Corporate Woods Park, in Overland Park, Kansas, August 8, 2025.)
August 7: I explored Shawnee Mission Park, in the fringes of the western suburbs, and while there was an interesting trail in the woods above the south side of a big reservoir, there just wasn't a whole lot of bird action. I heard a Red-eyed Vireo or two, and saw some Eastern Phoebes, Eastern Wood Pewees, and Eastern Bluebirds there.
August 8: For the first time, I explored South Lake Park, which is a pleasant neighborhood recreational area in Overland Park. Kansas marks the western edge of the ranges of many eastern bird species, such as Carolina Wrens, which are only found near Kansas City and the southeastern part of the state. In general, these "yardbirds" are less common than here in Virginia, and are largely absent west of Kansas. Other highlights: Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Northern Cardinal, Gray Catbird, and Eastern Kingbirds.
August 9: I took a solo mini-trip about 50 miles west to the state capital of Kansas: Topeka. There I saw a Eurasian Collared Dove near the capitol building. On the way back to the Kansas City suburbs, I stopped at the Baker Wetlands Discovery Center on the south side of Lawrence, where I saw my first Great Egret of the year. I also spotted some Wood Ducks, a Pied-billed Grebe, a Yellow Warbler, and a Common Yellowthroat, along with the usual birds.
(TOP RIGHT at Topeka, Kansas; the rest were at Baker Wetlands, south of Lawrence, August 9, 2025.)
August 11: I went to yet another neighborhood park in Overland Park, and soon heard a Great Crested Flycatcher as well as a Red-eyed Vireo, but didn't see either species. Later on, however, I spotted what turned out to be a Least Flycatcher zipping around some thick bushes. I'm pretty sure the two birds on the right side are different individuals of that same species, but they could be the same bird. Once again, Merlin helped pinpoint which species it/they was/were. Empids can be tough to distinguish! I also saw a Brown Thrasher, along with Northern Cardinals, American Goldfinches, etc. Back home at my brother's house the usual Eastern Wood Pewees were very active, as usual.
(Sapling Grove Park, in Overland Park, August 11, 2025.)
August 12: My most noteworthy day of birding in Kansas was at the Overland Park Arboretum. It wasn't easy, however, as I had to endure swarms of nasty mosquitos for virtually the entire 2+ mile hike, through damp riverside woodlands and occasional clearings. I saw the usual Red-eyed Vireos and E. Wood Pewees along the way, finally hitting the jackpot when I heard and then saw a couple Acadian Flycatchers (top center in the composite photo below) -- at the western edge of their range! Later I took refuge in a small cabin designed especially for bird watchers, in the middle of a cluster of bird feeders. (No mosquitoes inside!) There I saw a Ruby-throated Hummingbird, some White-breasted Nuthatches, Downy Woodpeckers, an Indigo Bunting, and an odd-looking bird that I later determined to be a female Blue Grosbeak (top right) -- first one of the year for me! Back in the parking lot as I was about to leave, I heard (according to Merlin) a Blue Grosbeak, saw a couple Eastern Kingbirds, and then -- to my utter astonishment -- a Western Kingbird (top left), at the eastern edge of its range! After departing the arboretum, finally, I spotted three long-winged raptors that were flying in amazing acrobatic style over an open field about a mile to the southwest. My photos of them were terrible (poor lighting conditions), but I could see with my binoculars that they had white heads and big black eye rings. Mississippi Kites!!! (First Of Year).
(Overland Park Arboretum, August 12, 2025.)
August 15: On my final full day in the western suburbs of Kansas City, I finally saw some Baltimore Orioles in the treetops of a neighborhood park. Also present were American Goldfinches, Northern Flickers, and many American Robins, including a juvenile. Unfortunately, I never did see any of my long-shot target species (Greater Prairie Chicken and Henslow's Sparrow) while out west, and I didn't get any life birds, but I was satisfied with seeing a decent number of less-common birds.
August 23: Back in Virginia, Jacqueline and I went hiking along the Riprap Trail in the Shenandoah National Park. There we saw Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, Red-eyed Vireos, Worm-eating Warbler, and a possible Tennessee Warbler.
August 27: After going to a car repair specialist in a remote part of northern Augusta County in the morning, we went for a walk around the Natural Chimneys, but about all we saw there were some Eastern Wood Pewees. Late in the afternoon we strolled along Bells Lane and saw a Red-shouldered Hawk, Cedar Waxwings, an American Redstart (F/J), and a Downy Woodpecker.
(Natural Chimneys and Bell's Lane, Aug 27.)
August 30: More migrating warblers were appearing along Bell's Lane late in the month, and I actually got some recognizable images with my camera. Most notably, a Canada Warbler (female or young) appeared in the thick foliage, but it didn't stay long.
Additional photos and montages, including individual photos of some of the birds in the above montages, can be seen on the Wild Birds chronological (2025) page.