Wednesday - Forest Birds

-5/26/2021
-6:30-12:30 am EST
-Maple Woods Natural Area (Kansas City, MO), and Shawnee Mission Park (Shawnee, Kansas)
-50% cloud cover, 8mph SE wind, 78 degrees Fahrenheit. 59% Humidity

Habitat Breakdown: Maple Woods was a small densely forested area with a stream running through it. I heard several target birds there but unfortunately the area was directly adjacent to a noisy neighborhood and highway. This made it difficult to hear calls and the foliage was much too dense to see birds. I left this area to go back to Shawnee Mission park (where I had a lot of luck on the first day). There I spent much of my time in a grassland that had several white oaks sporadically placed throughout. I was able to see many grassland species (Savannah Sparrow, Tree Swallow, Indigo Bunting, etc). Watching the Scissor-tailed Flycatcher in flight was my favorite part of the day. I also spent some time in some trees (primarily white oak and paper birch) that were adjacent to a large lake. There I saw wetland birds like Red-winged Blackbirds and Canada Geese, but also several deciduous residents like the Baltimore Oriole and the Red-eyed Vireo.

Behavioral Notes: I saw several Eastern Kingbirds that were mobbing a Red-tailed Hawk.
I also observed what appeared to be an antagonistic encounter between a Red-winged Blackbird and a smaller bird that I was unable to identify or gather media on. I thought this was unusual this late in the year.

Posted on May 27, 2021 12:36 AM by ben__simms