June 23-24—Today we traveled about 280 miles to Webster Lake near Stockton, Kansas.  W0e are staying at Webster State Park and we have a very nice campsite on the lake.  After getting settle in to our site we headed out in the late afternoon to do some birding in the Webster Wildlife Management Area which includes the lake. The most striking thing about this area is the abundance of Red-headed Woodpeckers of which we have seen a number approaching 50.  These birds are seen in East Texas and I thought they rarely were found this far west.  The area we are in is part of the Solomon River valley and has lots of massive cottonwood trees and cedar.  As all know Kansas is basically know for its lack of trees.  

 

While driving the back roads we found a pair of pheasants, male and female and the male was intent on courting this lovely female.  I always enjoy seeing them as they are really beautiful birds.

 

 

 

 

Before heading back to camp we stopped by Rooks County Fishing Lake nearby where we found several additional species for the day.  To date we have found 45 species in Rooks County.  Below are pictures of some additional species we have see. Below are Baltimore Oriole, Eastern Kingbird, and Grasshopper Sparrow.

 

 

June 18-22--It’s the summer of 2021 and time to head north to escape the intense Texas summer heat.  This year it’s not working out so far.  Deb & I finally got away from our home in Georgetown a little after 1 PM on Wednesday the 18th heading for our first stop near Paris, Texas on our way to Burlington, Kansas.  After a trip up I-35, and negotiating the constricting construction that is underway (we think perpetually) in Waco, we arrived at the I 20/I 35 intersection just in time for a massive log jam.  The traffic was at a complete stop at the interchange, fortunately the problem seemed to be the lane heading to Fort Worth and not our lane which was to Shreveport.  Shortly after we cleared the Dallas traffic and emerged on I-30 heading east, we came upon a Buc-ees where we stopped for fuel and picked up a BBQ sandwich to be eaten when we reached our campground.  Our campsite for the night was a short 10 miles north of Paris, Texas at a Core of Engineers (COE) campground called Sanders Cove on Pat Mayse in the Red River Basin.  This turned out to be a very nice campground, as are most COE campgrounds.  After a restful night there, we birded the area before heading on to our goal for a few days at another COE campground, Lakeside West on John Redmond Lake near Burlington, Kansas.  We are spending five days here helping a friend of Deb’s who recently lost both her father and husband within the past two months.  The is also a Memorial Service scheduled for Saturday which we will attend.  In addition, we have plans to help her do some things that are needed around her property.  Unfortunately, the Texas heat has traveled with us and it has been 100 degrees here as well.  Today I put together the new Power Washer we brought with us for her and I pressure washed the deck which we will stain on Sunday.  From Sunday to Wednesday Deb (mostly Deb) and I did some task that need attention while Martha continued to work her job.  We stained the porches and did some minor work on equipment.  I have been bothered by a chalazion on my lower right eye lid.  I have seen three doctors on this and the one in Burlington finally got the right diagnosis as noted above.  Hopefully her instructions will solve the issue and I will not need to see a ophthalmologist to have it drained.  On Thursday morning we headed west.

This Barred Owl was seen while sitting at our campsite at Riverside West Campground.