Bird Seed Sale
Lawrence Bird Alliance will hold its annual seed sale 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 9, 2023 at the Senior Resource Center, 745 Vermont, Lawrence. If you can, please pre-order your seed by Dec. 3 so we can be sure to buy enough. But if you can't, don't worry - we will have extra.
Welcome!
Jayhawk Audubon is the chapter of the National Audubon Society serving Lawrence, Douglas County, and surrounding communities in eastern Kansas.
Our mission is to provide opportunities for greater understanding and appreciation of birds and other wildlife, to encourage sustainable practices, and to advocate for actions and policies which result in protection and preservation of intact ecosystems.
Join us! All of our resources are available to the public free of charge and our meetings and field trips are always open to the public. If you would like to become a member, the cost is just $20 per year for an individual membership. Click here for more membership information.
Eastern Bluebird female photo by Jim Bresnahan.
Upcoming Events
All events are free and open to everyone. All levels of interest and experience are invited. A few extra binoculars will be available for loan.
FIELD TRIPS
October 11, 2023 (Wednesday) | Fitch Natural History Reservation | 8:00 am
Park at Roth Trailhead and cross the road to the east to meet at Fitch. We will walk on the established trails. Expect woodpeckers, titmice, chickadees, possible late migrants. It won’t be as wild as spring but fall migrants and juveniles can be a challenge to ID. Chiggers shouldn’t be an issue, but still plan to use spray on clothing for ticks. We will plan to frequently rotate positions on the trail so that everyone has a chance to be at the front. We will probably be on the trails for several hours and walk up to two miles.
Downy Woodpecker by Alice Liang/Audubon Photography Awards
Educational Presentation:
November 27, 7 pm: Birds of Thailand | Roger Boyd
Join us for another exciting travel program with Dr. Roger Boyd, professor emeritus at Baker University and former Director of the Baker Wetlands for 36 years. Roger has served on the JAS Board several times since 1976, currently is the field trip chair, and has presented to the group about his travels throughout the new world tropics, England, China, India, and several countries in Africa.
Photo: By themonnie - Feuerkopf-Trogon, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3703217
Announcing Our New Name
Drumroll please ... after several months of research and discussion, the board of directors has voted unanimously to change our name to Lawrence Bird Alliance. We are excited to move forward with a new name that is clear, to the point, and welcoming to everyone in our community.
FAQs
One of our main purposes is to share helpful information to our community that will help the birds and wildlife in our area thrive. If you have a question that we don't answer below, please feel free to email us.
What do I do if I find an abandoned baby bird (nestling)?
In most cases, worry not. If you see a baby bird hopping on the ground with parents fluttering nearby, it is a fledgling and does not need help from humans. If you see a baby bird only partially feathered and unable to walk or fly, it may indeed need help. Your first choice should be to locate the nest it fell from and, if possible, place it back in.
It’s a myth that a bird will reject a baby touched by humans, and a baby bird stands the best chance of recovery being raised by its parents. If the nest is on the ground, you have another opportunity to keep it in the care of its parents. You can replace the nest with a small plastic tub with holes about the diameter of a pencil cut in its bottom for drainage, put the babies back inside, and secure it back in the tree in the general vicinity. Watch closely; it’s very likely the parents will accept the new nest and continue to raise their babies in it.
If these attempts have failed, it’s possible you’ll need to take the orphaned birds to one of three local wildlife rehabilitation shelters or drop-off locations. In appreciation for their work to save such orphaned and/or injured birds, Jayhawk Audubon has recently made gifts of $500 each to the following local organizations: Operation Wildlife, Northeast Kansas Wildlife Rescue, and Prairie Park Nature Center. We hope you will support them, too!
Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at Jayhawk Audubon Society
Jayhawk Audubon Society welcomes anyone without discrimination into our organization as a member or to partner with us to enhance our work dedicated to birds, other wildlife, and healthy ecosystems.
We are deeply committed to maintaining and promoting an inclusive environment for our chapter’s members, supporters, and our community at large. Everyone is always invited to attend our free educational programs, birding field trips, and community outreach events.
We respect individuals’ values, experiences, abilities, and perspectives and recognize that a diverse membership engaged in a participatory, welcoming environment will ensure our organization is as strong as it should be to achieve our mission.
Click here to read National Audubon Society’s full statement on equity, diversity and inclusion.
Sign Up For Our Emails
Stay informed about upcoming Jayhawk Audubon events, learn more about the species in your area, and find opportunities to get involved.
Photo by Jarett Thurman - LeConte's Sparrow - Clinton Lake
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Birding Guide for Northeastern Kansas 2023
This is the digital version of the birding guide put out by Jayhawk Audubon. We hope you find it a helpful resource.
Plants for Birds
Support the birds and pollinators in your backyard by planting native plants. The Jayhawk Audubon Society has joined with National Audubon to promote Plants for Birds, a nationwide effort to get 1 million native plants planted within five years
THREE TENETS OF GARDENING FOR BIRDS
1) Grow trees, shrubs, vines and flowers
2) Lots of them
3) Mostly native
Native Flowers
Statement on Avian Influenza
Avian influenza, or bird flu, appears to present minimal risk to humans. As of April 22, 2022, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has reported zero cases of bird flu in humans. Risk to songbirds (common visitors to bird feeders) also appears very low according to Dr. Julianna Lenoch, who directs the United States Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service’s (USDA APHIS) National Wildlife Disease Program. There has been no official recommendation that people should take down bird feeders unless they also keep domestic poultry. If you have a backyard poultry flock, keep their food and water inaccessible to wild birds and take down bird feeders. All people feeding birds should clean their feeders and birdbaths on a weekly basis, and, as always, avoid direct contact with wild birds.
On April 26, 2022 Kansas Dept. of Wildlife and Parks Wildlife Disease Biologist Shane Hesting provided the following statement concerning Avian Influenza and bird feeders: “At this time in Kansas, the risk to songbirds is low because most waterfowl have moved north in their migration and because of the ecological niche separation between songbirds and waterfowl. Make sure to thoroughly clean your bird feeders with a 10 percent bleach solution every two weeks to prevent other pathogens from affecting birds. The virus may return in the fall when the migrations to the south begin; stay tuned as more information becomes available.”
Cornell Lab of Ornithology Guidelines