Sunday Summary: August 20-August 26, 2018

This week was the first week back at classes at K-State, making it a little challenging to get out to bird every day, but I was still able to do it. The Fall migration has officially begun and I been able to see a few of the migrants this week.

I was able to observe 40 species this week. All checklists have been conducted in Riley County, Kansas this past week and I was able to add two species to my county and life list. Two Wilson's Warblers (Cardellina pusilla) and a Prothonotary Warbler (Protonotaria citrea) were the birds added to both lists this week, bringing my Riley County list to 91 and my life list to 182 species.

The American White Pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) was once again the most observed species with 250 individuals this week. These giant flocks of pelicans have been quite amazing to witness as they seem to wade through the water almost as their own island.

Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum) preening itself and trying to keep
watch at the same time.

The picture of the week this week is of a beautiful Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum) as it was preening itself. I had been trying to photograph this species for a while now. I spotted this one right before it dived into a bush and I thought I was never going to see it again. As I continued to walk down the road he flew out in front of me and into this tree, where I was able to take this picture and watch him for a little while before moving on.

My highlight of the week has been birding on Saturday morning. It was foggy to start the morning and I was able to spot a pair of Common Nighthawks (Chordeiles minor) perched in a tree. This was really a special experience for me because I have only been able to observe them in flight or perched on fence posts.

As this blog continues to grow, I have decided to begin a new segment that will be posted on Fridays called "Friday Field Notes." This segment might not always have a ton of birding information, but it will be some writings from a field journal that I am keeping. This segment may have information on random things that I find while out of behaviors of animals that I was able to truly observe.