On a sunny Saturday at the wetlands, a green heron soars across the sky. Below, Debbie Baker and Kelly Barth are watching. The two leaders of the Lawrence Bird Alliance are complimenting the bird’s unique crest, enjoying the cool breeze rustling the leaves, and sharing the experience with a new friend they already made on the trail.
This is a glimpse into birdwatching in Lawrence.
The LBA, a chapter of the National Audubon Society, has been sharing this joy with the community since the group was founded in 1970.
The organization has been a resource for birders of all skill levels to tap into new friendships, group outings in nature, education opportunities, and conservation efforts across Douglas County.
Baker and Barth, the current and past presidents of LBA, respectively, are experts on where to go for the best birding around town.
With a mix of forests, wetlands and prairie, northeastern Kansas offers different habitats for different kinds of birds. The wetlands attract shorebirds such as sandpipers, herons, and woodpeckers; wooded areas like Burcham Park are full of goldfinches, woodpeckers, and cardinals.
According to the Kansas Ornithological Society, there are 483 identified species of birds in the state. These include resident birds that live in the area year-round, as well as visiting species that will pass through during the spring and summer migration season, as they travel the Central Flyway migration route across North America.
But residents don’t even need to leave home to start birding. One peek out the window can reveal common backyard species such as robins, bluejays and red-winged blackbirds.
What beginners should know
New birders can create a “starter pack” with just a few tools to get into the hobby — or just check one out from the Lawrence Public Library.
“Our Backpacks for Birds initiative is where people can go into the library and check out one of our three packs for 28 days,” Barth said. “It has all the basic gear: binoculars and booklets on likely species and area birding sites, which Audubon of Kansas helped us create.”
Although binoculars allow people to see the birds around them, there are plenty of free apps that can help identify them, too.
The top options are Merlin Bird ID and eBird, two projects from Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Merlin Bird ID can identify a specific bird when a user records its song, and eBird offers a more complete directory.
“eBird knows where you are from your phone and narrows down the possible birds you’re going to see,” Baker said. “It’s a citizen science project around the world, and it helps Cornell track trends around bird health, populations and migrations.”
Although there are plenty of tools for birding, Barth emphasizes the basics.
“What you really want to have in your pack is your curiosity and your love for birds and being outside,” she said.
How LBA has spread its wings across Douglas County
Birdwatchers have a keen understanding of how their hobby is connected with the larger health of the ecosystem. That’s why LBA engages in conservation work, such as restoring the native garden at Hobbs Park since taking it over in 2019.
“We love looking at birds, and that’s our hobby. But if we don’t have the habitat and the conservation, we’re not gonna have the birds,” Barth said.
LBA is amplifying its impact across the community by partnering with other local organizations. Friends of the Kaw helps them monitor the whole length of the river to predict where shorebirds will be. Monarch Watch offers resources to promote local bird habitats with native and pollinator-friendly plants.
LBA has a bigger footprint than just Lawrence. The group migrates through the area, just as the birds do.
“We work throughout Douglas County,” Baker said. “We’ve done field trips in Baldwin Woods to paddle trips in Jefferson County. We’d like to draw more members from all around, because the birds don’t just stick in one area.”
Education, group trips and making connections
LBA also has a rich calendar of programming. It hosts education sessions once a month that feature birding experts and environmental advocates.
These events aren’t just focused on educating people, but also connecting them. That’s why LBA organizes field trips twice a month.
Hosted by Roger Boyd, a retired Baker University professor of ornithology, these field trips invite the general public to enjoy walks through nature with a group of other enthusiastic birders.
“Our field trips are a great way to learn, just by being around birders who are a little more advanced than you,” Barth said. “As you get into it, you will start associating certain birds with certain friends, certain people. It’s a social thing, and people bond in your heart space with birds and each other.”
The field trips are designed to be accessible for people of all walks of life and abilities, with easy walks along paved or gravel roads. The next one is set for 8 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 20 at Fitch Natural History Reservation.
LBA is also focused on inclusivity, having hosted specific events like queer birding hikes, to make sure everyone has access to the hobby. As Baker takes over leadership of LBA, she plans to do more outreach to the Spanish-speaking community, drawing on her extensive birding trips through countries such as Cuba and Costa Rica.
“You don’t have to be rich and have the binoculars and the cameras. Just use your eyes and ears,” she said. “It’s something you can do anywhere, even with little kids, like go see what color these birds are.”
As LBA ushers in the next generation of birdwatchers, they’re welcoming new volunteers and group members. People can get involved at whatever level they want, from signing up for a newsletter to helping with the gardens to attending their field trips.
“You don’t have to know about birds already,” Baker said. “You can just come plug into a community that wants to protect them.”
Visit lawrencebirdalliance.org to learn more.
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Jordan Winter (she/her), a contributor to The Lawrence Times since August 2021, is a 2019 KU grad with degrees in journalism and political science.
Check out her work at jrdnwntr.com. See more of her work for the Times here.
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