Date: 10/18/25 5:44 pm From: Robin Harding via groups.io <pine2siskin4...> Subject: [NEBirds] Kearney birding
Nebraska birders,
Saturday, October 18, The UNK Ornithology group led a bird hike at the
Kearney Outdoor Education Area. It’s used by Kearney schools but it's open
to the public after school hours and when students are not using it.
Nineteen of us met at the area and hiked through the grassland and into the
woods along Turkey Creek. It was a chilly morning at first but there was
no wind. When the temperature warmed up then the wind picked up. I wished
that I had worn rubber boots because the grass was wet. There are mown
paths but we didn’t always follow them. It felt like we were really
bushwhacking at times.
The birding was good. We saw a nice variety and some were close. It’s
always pleasant to get a good look. So many birds take off as soon as you
get your binoculars on them. Every bird that we saw today has been entered
onto ebird. A Northern Harrier flew over, giving us a nice view. A group
of four Great Blue Herons flew over and Dr. Jacob Cooper told us about how
they migrate. Soon after, a group of five Sandhill Cranes flew over,
giving us an opportunity to see the differences between the two species
when they were flying overhead. A flock of 27 American Avocets were flying
around behind trees mostly. They finally flew over us so that we could see
them very well. As usual, the sparrows were hiding but giving us
tantalizing looks. I finally was able to identify Lincoln’s Sparrow, Song
Sparrow and White-crowned Sparrow. Others in the group were able to see
Savannah and Chipping Sparrows.
Some of our group needed to leave but the rest of us continued. We
happened upon a spot in the trees with a lot of bird activity. Cody played
a recording of birds mobbing a predator and that attracted some attention.
We saw many Yellow-rumped Warblers. An Orange-crowned Warbler came out into
the open and sat still for a while. We also saw White-breasted Nuthatch,
Eastern Bluebirds and Red-bellied Woodpecker. Cody spotted a Townsend’s
Solitaire but it wouldn’t sit still long enough for the rest of us to see
it. Cody also spotted a couple of Black-capped Chickadees. I thought that
I heard one but I couldn’t see it.
I always enjoy birding with friends and meeting new friends.