Soaking It In

May 10, 2026

It’s here! It’s here! The sweet deluge of birds that is spring migration in Kansas City has arrived. We have 2-3 weeks to soak up as much birdy goodness as possible! Ah, the delicious delight of living in a “flyover state.”

**Forster’s tern got close enough that I couldn’t get all of him in the shot!!**

This is the time for long walks and watching with my ears as much as my eyes. Forster’s terns have been passing through, swooping and diving out over the lake. Today I heard the louder, unmistakable screech of two Caspian terns, the largest terns that pass through here.

**Forster’s terns sharing the morning news.**

The bright orange Baltimore orioles and the dark orange orchard orioles are singing away in their favorite trees. Flute-like sounds fill the air, and I stop often to drink that into my cells.

Warblers, flycatchers, vireos, and more are migrating through, so every day is like an easter egg hunt - except the “eggs” are moving and singing.

**Blackpoll warbler - he was singing, but neither Merlin nor I could actually hear him. Luckily, he jumped up on a branch right next to me!**

My Merlin bird app with its sound ID is getting a lot of use. I can be less than 10 feet from a bird, but if they are hidden in the bushes it sure is helpful to know what I’m looking for!

**This marsh wren was loud and very close, but it took me twenty minutes to actually spot him in the bushes.**

This northern waterthrush has been singing in the same spot all week. I knew he was so close I could practically touch him, but it took several days before he actually popped up and let me take his photograph.

Of course, the Merlin app is not always right. Today I was watching a summer tanager sing, and it kept telling me it was a scarlet tanager (which I’ve never seen). I watched a blue-headed vireo, and it told me it was a yellow-throated vireo. I watched warblers, but it never identified them, and it finds lots of warblers I never see. I use it more as a guide than as fact, but it is helpful in determining whether to look low, high, or in between!

**Two for one - summer tanager and an eastern kingbird.**

Some birds have yet to let me take their picture, even though I’ve heard them often. Common yellowthroats are devious little bush hiders. The yellow-throated vireos are around but still eluding my gaze. The Caspian terns today stayed way out over the water. No matter, I get to listen to them sing!

**Indigo buntings like to hide in the shadows, too!**

**Catbirds are notorious for staying in the shadows. Thank goodness for cameras with high ISO!**

The red-shouldered hawks have three fuzzy youngsters in their nest, which is also well hidden in the trees. I’ve been told the eagle youngster could fledge any day, which is almost a month early. I definitely appreciate the birds that do let me see them, like this osprey!

A few birds prefer to be on the ground, like the sparrows, thrushes, palm warblers, and cardinals. I have to look low and high! My neck definitely gets a workout.

**White-crowned sparrow in his happy place.**

**Dandelions are a chipping sparrow’s best friend!**

The year-round birds are well into nesting. This bluebird was trying some redirection with me as I didn’t realize I was close to his well-hidden nest. The nest was inside a tree trunk at the height of my knee!

**“Look over there, that way, not the other way!” (eastern bluebird pair)**

**A well-hidden nest, but in a location that will soon be very busy. It’s in a parking lot right next to a shelter house!**

Vireos are another one of my favorite singers, perhaps because they are loud and I can hear them easily! They don’t tend to sit still for long as they manage to eat bugs and sing without skipping a beat.

I am enjoying the unusually cool mornings, but I am also eager for the dragonflies to return. The birds are where the bugs are, and the mosquitoes got a head start with all our rain. Right now, a perfect morning is one with just enough breeze to keep me from being devoured by mosquitoes, but light enough breeze that I can see little birds flitting through the branches. I’ve got bug-protected gear on from head to toe, but they have found their way onto my face and fingertips occasionally.

**Red-eyed vireo, our most plentiful summer vireo.**

The yellow-rumped warblers are still here, the only warbler I see in large flocks. The yellow warblers have arrived in large numbers, too, along with Nashville warblers and Tennessee warblers. I appreciate the yellow-rumped warblers all the more when I realize how willing they are to be seen vs. some of their contemporaries who prefer the bushes!

**No doubt that’s a yellow-rumped warbler!**

**Yellow warbler posed for a quick millisecond!**

Ah, friends, it’s just a glorious time to be in this little patch of the world. I am so grateful for every minute I can walk among these birds. I know nothing is guaranteed, so I’m just soaking in every bit I can while they are here.

**The speedy cliff swallows have arrived, and I’m hoping they nest under their favorite bridge again.**

**The tree swallows have dwindled in numbers, but quite a few appear to be taking up residence. We need every bug eater we can get!**

**This purple martin arrived late and didn’t find his friends. I hope he finds his flock, but I am going to miss them this season!**

I’m also excited that a hummingbird pair has taken up residence at my feeder. I’ve always seen them in late summer, but this is the first time one has found me in May! Maybe it’s the flowers I planted for them?

So much more to write, but there will be plenty of time for that when the all-out sprint that is spring migration is through. Wishing you all the joys of this season!

Also, I just want to thank all of you who have supported this newsletter financially, as well as everyone who comments or emails me! It really makes a difference to know I’m speaking to a community, and this community is full of beautiful people. Thank you!

Life in the Real World

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