For veteran bird watchers like Ann Tanner and Steve Johnson, their love for the hobby can be traced back to a "spark bird" that caught their eye early on.
Tanner, who grew interested in birding after retiring in 2013, says the bird that sparked her love for the hobby was a "beautiful, iridescent" indigo bunting. For Johnson, it was a ruby throated humming bird that stared into his soul.
"I really can't fully explain why it affected me so deeply, but from that day on, I was hooked," Johnson says.
Kansas City is in a sweet spot of bird migration every year, sitting right in the very middle of the Central Flyway.
Johnson told KCUR's Up To Date that an ideal place to find birds this season is anywhere with a mix of habitats like forest, wetlands, and open fields. Around Kansas City, he recommends Burr Oak Woods Conservation Area in Blue Springs.
Tanner loves watching the prothonotary warbler, which returns to Kansas from Central America this time of year. Her favorite spot to find this striking yellow bird is Wyandotte County Lake and Park in Kansas City, Kansas.
Tanner and Johnson are both on the board of the Burroughs Audubon Society of Greater Kansas City. The group hosts talks and field trips throughout the spring and summer and encourage people with any level of interest to try birding.
- Ann Tanner, Burroughs Audubon board member
- Steve Johnson, Burroughs Audubon board member
