Past KOS Meetings

Information about several of our past KOS meetings can be found below. The photo slideshows, birding trip reports and weekend birding checklists provide a sample of the fun.

We hope you can join us at the next meeting!

Use this Page Index with links to go directly to a specific item.

Jump to:

• Fall 2023 Meeting Recap
• Spring 2023 Meeting Recap
• Fall 2022 Meeting Recap
• Spring 2022 Meeting Recap
• Fall 2021 Meeting Recap
• Virtual Meetings

KOS 2023 Fall Meeting Recap

The fall meeting was held during the weekend of Sept 15th through the 17th at John James Audubon State Park in west central Kentucky. We got together for great birding, fun and informative presentations, and a even bit of business! It was great to see old friends and make some new ones.

Low water conditions caused us to be flexible and adjust our birding plans, but we had some great outings anyway and we heard "lifer!" called more than once.

During the business meeting on Saturday evening members voted on and approved a slate of candidates to serve as the KOS 2023-2024 board members

Photo Album

Meg Brown has again created a photo album to help document our weekend. We welcome photos taken by attendees during the weekend of the meeting. Photos will be added to the slideshow as we receive them. So, it's never too late! Send them in!

To submit weekend photos, send them to Meg.Brown@birdky.org and include the following information:

1. Subject of photo (bird, flower, butterfly, etc.)
2. Name of photographer
3. Date of photograph
4. Location of photograph

No watermarks, please.

Hint: You can view the slideshow in full-screen mode. Just click the three vertical dots at the bottom-left of the viewer window below and select "Enter full screen."

Steve Kistler's Bird Quiz

How well do you know your birds? Steve brought back his ever-popular bird quiz again for Friday evening's gathering. And again, he presents it below in abbreviated form so website visitors can enjoy the challenge.

Here's how to play along:

• There are a set of three slides each of 18 birds you might see in Kentucky. The first set of three slides are a sample to help you understand how it works. Start keeping score after the sample slides.
• Then there are a set of two slides each of seven birds that are common somewhere in the US.
• The goal is to guess which bird you are seeing before you get to the last slide, where the ID is revealed.
• For Kentucky birds, if you guess the bird on the first slide, give yourself 2 points. On the second slide, give yourself 1 point. Zero points on the third slide.
• For birds common somewhere in the US, if you guess the bird on the first slide, give yourself 1 point. Zero points on the second slide.
• Add up your points for your quiz score. 43 is the maximum number of points available. Good Luck!

eBird Trip Report

KOS provides an eBird Trip Report for the weekend's birding efforts. This is a compilation of all lists by all eBird users who joined the Trip Report and created eBird lists during the specified period.

eBird Trip Report: https://ebird.org/tripreport/157294

Weekend Birding List

A list of birds seen by attendees was compiled based on three areas that were birded on the weekend: Henderson County, Kentucky; Gibson County, Indiana; and the Land Between the Lakes area, Kentucky.

We had a total of 133 species, including one species not submitted in eBird (Blue-headed Vireo).

Note: If you attended the meeting and saw a bird that is not on the list, please let James Wheat know at james.a.wheat@birdky.org.

Saturday Evening Keynote Speaker - Kevin Karlson

Kevin Karlson is an accomplished birder, author, professional tour leader and wildlife photographer/instructor. He is a regular at Bird and Nature festivals in North America, where he gives keynote presentations, workshops on bird identification, and photo instruction. Kevin's books include The Shorebird Guide (2007); Birding by Impression: A Different Approach to Bird Identification (2015); Birds of Prey, with Pete Dunne (2017) (all three Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishers); Gulls Simplified: A Comparative Identification Approach, (Princeton University Press, 2018); and Bird Families of North America) (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2021), both with Pete Dunne as co-author. A new book titled "The Shorebirds of North America" with Pete Dunne (Princeton University Press) has just been completed and will be out in the spring of 2024. This book is a verbal and photographic celebration of this special bird family, and not an ID guide.

Photography books include The Birds of Cape May and Visions: Earth's Elements in Bird and Nature Photography (Schiffer Publishing). Kevin also produced six photographic laminated foldout ID guides for Quick Reference Publishing: Raptors of Eastern and Western North America (2012); Waterfowl of North America (2013); Warblers of North America (2016); Shorebirds of North America (2014); and Owls and Nightjars of North America (2017). While officially retired, Kevin continues to lead select tours and photo workshops for his company Jaeger Tours, and for Wildside Nature Tours of Pennsylvania.

Keynote: Through the Looking Glass: Reflections of a Grateful Birder – 1 hour

This light-hearted presentation examines birdwatching through Kevin's eyes and examines some of the reasons why so many people are bitten by the birding bug, including a unique camaraderie with other birders. Photos of birds, people and other creatures from various locations will be shown, as well as humorous events and stories that make the ride so interesting. Forty-four years of passionate birding have shaped Kevin's life in so many ways, with much of it revolving around the study and enjoyment of birds, and this show shares his appreciation for the journey. Come along for a ride through time that we all can relate to, with birds, people and special places the stars of the show.

The Shorebirds of North America: A Natural History and Photographic Celebration

This title of a new book by Kevin Karlson and Pete Dunne, due out in spring 2024 by Princeton University Press, is the topic of this short, uplifting presentation. Similar to the upcoming book, the fascinating world of North American shorebirds is covered in a light-hearted but scientifically factual manner and accompanied by the most stunning and informative photographs ever assembled. From the strange world of the high Arctic, where many shorebirds choose to breed, to the remote wintering grounds that span several continents, countless stories of survival and challenging interactions with man and nature are shared. After experiencing this program, your impression of this special bird family will never be the same.

KOS 2023 Spring Meeting Recap

The spring meeting was held during the weekend of April 28th through the 30th at Kentucky Dam Village State Resport Park in western Kentucky. We got together for great birding, fun and informative presentations, and a even bit of business! It was great to see old friends and make some new ones.

Our birding travels took us to multiple locations in and near the park, and also southward into the Land Between the Lakes (LBL). The weather was variable with some stretchs of rain, but also some good birding weather. All in all, most outings were completed as planned, with only a few partial rainouts. We tallied a solid number of species as described below.

Members conducted KOS business also, and approved an amendment to the bylaws. For more information about the amendment, or to review the current bylaws, please visit the KOS Bylaws page.

Photo Album

Meg Brown has again created a photo album to help document our weekend. We will continue to welcome photos taken by attendees during the weekend of the meeting. Any new photos will be added to the end of the slideshow as we receive them. So, it's never too late! Send them in!

To submit weekend photos, send them to Meg.Brown@birdky.org and include the following information:

1. Subject of photo (bird, flower, butterfly, etc.)
2. Name of photographer
3. Date of photograph
4. Location of photograph

No watermarks, please.

You can view the slideshow full screen. Just click the three vertical dots at the bottom-left of the viewer window below. Select "Enter full screen."

Steve Kistler's Bird Quiz

How well do you know your birds? Steve brought back his ever-popular bird quiz again for Friday evening's gathering. And again, he presents it below in abbreviated form so website visitors can enjoy the challenge.

Here's how to play along:

• There are a set of three slides of each bird you might see in Kentucky. The first set of three slides are a sample to help you understand how it works. Start keeping score after the sample slides.
• Then there are a set of two slides of each bird that are common somewhere in the US.
• The goal is to guess which bird you are seeing before you get to the last slide, where the ID is revealed.
• For Kentucky birds, if you guess the bird on the first slide, give yourself 2 points. On the second slide, give yourself 1 point. Zero points on the third slide.
• For birds common somewhere in the US, if you guess the bird on the first slide, give yourself 1 point. Zero points on the second slide.
• Add up your points for your quiz score. There are a maximum of 43 points available. Good Luck!

eBird Trip Report

KOS provides an eBird Trip Report for the weekend's birding efforts. This is a compilation of all lists by all eBird users who joined the Trip Report and created eBird lists during the specified period.

Note: If you want to join the eBird Trip Report please contact James Wheat at james.a.wheat@birdky.org for more information.

Please keep in mind that because not everyone uses eBird, the list of species found in this Trip Report might not match the Weekend Bird List (below).

KOS 2023 Spring Meeting eBird Trip Report: https://ebird.org/tripreport/122207

Weekend Birding List

A list of birds seen by attendees was compiled at the Saturday evening meeting, and was updated with additional species seen during Sunday outings and otherwise reported elsewhere in the area. If more species are reported as being seen that weekend, they will be added to this list as they become known.

Please keep in mind that the list of species and tally of birds found here might not match the eBird Trip Report (above). Some birds reported on this list are not yet included in the eBird Trip Report.

The 2023 spring weekend list of 159 species can be viewed by clicking the button below.

Saturday Evening Keynote Speaker - Michael Johnson

We were delighted to welcome Michael Johnson as our keynote speaker for the 2023 spring meeting.

Michael Johnson, Refuge Manager of Clarks River and Green River National Wildlife Refuges, is a 30-year veteran with the Fish and Wildlife Service. He has always been known as someone to step-up and help accomplish the mission of the Service. In addition to land management, Johnson assumed collateral duty as a Wildlife Officer for more than 20 years. In this role he helped to protect wildlife and habitat and made refuges safe places for staff and visitors.

Michael was recognized as the 2022 Paul Kroegel National Wildlife Refuge Manager of the Year. The Paul Kroegel award recognizes outstanding accomplishments in the protection and management of the National Wildlife Refuge System. The award is given in honor of Paul Kroegel, the manager of the first national wildlife refuge, and is presented by the National Wildlife Refuge Association.

Originally from Arkansas, where his career began, Johnson and his wife, Michelle, have also lived in Georgia before his job finally brought them to Kentucky 18 years ago. Since then, Johnson has managed the Clarks River National Wildlife Refuge, located in Marshall, McCracken, and Graves Counties. The refuge currently covers just over 9,000 acres. Under his management, the refuge has flourished with public education and recreation opportunities, research projects for college and university students, as well as restoration of rare habitat found on the refuge. In addition, Johnson helped to establish the Riverlands Alliance, a group consisting of 20 partners working together to sustain the quality of resources, outdoor recreation, and rural aspects of the area.

In November of 2019, Johnson helped establish Kentucky's second National Wildlife Refuge in Henderson County. The Green River National Wildlife Refuge was the 568th unit in the National Wildlife Refuge System. Thanks to Johnson's exceptional efforts and communication with the community, there were no negative comments received from the public about the establishment of this refuge during the planning phase. This fact is truly a testament to Johnson's servanthearted approach in land management.

KOS 2022 Fall Meeting Recap

During the weekend of September 16 through 18, KOS members gathered at Pine Mountain State Resport Park in southeastern Kentucky for a business meeting, great presentations, a silent auction, and a whole lot of birding!

It was a successful meeting by any measure. We enjoyed very good weather conditions, except for a bit of fog in the mornings. Some attendees traveled to nearby hotspots to search for birds in a variety of mountain habitats.

On Friday evening, we voted on and approved changes to the KOS Membership rates. We also heard presentations from Dr. Andrea Darracq and Phillip Kavouriaris. They described their research projects, which are supported by grants from KOS Funds.

During the business meeting on Saturday evening members voted on and approved two items:

• A new slate of board members
• Changes to the KOS Bylaws

Photo Album

Meg Brown has again created a photo ablum to help document our weekend. We still welcome photos taken by attendees during the weekend of the meeting. We will add new photos to the end of the slideshow as we receive them.

To submit weekend photos, send them to Meg.Brown@birdky.org and include the following information:

1. Subject of photo (bird, flower, butterfly, etc.)
2. Name of photographer
3. Date of photograph
4. Location of photograph

No watermarks, please.

Steve Kistler's Bird Quiz

In a now traditional activity for KOS meetings, Steve Kistler again entertained us with his bird quiz on Friday evening. He presents it below in abbreviated form. Here's how to play along:

• There are a set of three slides of each bird you might see in Kentucky.
• Then there are a set of two slides of each bird that are common somewhere in the US.
• The goal is to guess which bird you are seeing before you get to the last slide, where the ID is revealed.
• For Kentucky birds, if you guess the bird on the first slide, give yourself 2 points. On the second slide, give yourself 1 point. Zero points on the third slide.
• For birds common somewhere in the US, if you guess the bird on the first slide, give yourself 1 point. Zero points on the second slide.
• Add up your points for your quiz score. There are a maximum of 37 points available. Good Luck!

eBird Trip Report

KOS provides an eBird Trip Report for the weekend's birding efforts. This is a compilation of all lists by all eBird users who joined the Trip Report and created eBird lists during the specified period.

Note: If you want to join the eBird Trip Report please contact James Wheat at james.a.wheat@birdky.org for more information.

Please keep in mind that because not everyone uses eBird, the list of species found in this Trip Report might not match the Weekend Bird List (below).

KOS 2022 Fall Meeting eBird Trip Report: https://ebird.org/tripreport/75513

Weekend Birding List

A list of birds seen by attendees was compiled at the Saturday evening meeting, and was updated with additional species seen during Sunday outings and otherwise reported elsewhere. If more species are reported as being seen that weekend, they will be added to this list as they become known.

Please keep in mind that the list of species and tally of birds found here might not match the eBird Trip Report (above). Some birds reported on this list are not yet included in eBird Trip Report

The 2022 fall weekend list of 105 species can be viewed by clicking the button below.

Saturday Evening Keynote Speaker - Noah Stryker

Noah wowed the crowd with his keynote address on Saturday evening. His account of his global big year was humorous, informative and engaging. Thanks to Noah for his presentation, and for the many interactions he had with KOS members during the meeting as well as on birding trips.

BIRDING WITHOUT BORDERS: AN EPIC WORLD BIG YEAR

In 2015, Noah became the first human to see more than half of the planet's bird species in a single year. Anything could have happened, and a lot did. He was scourged by blood-sucking leeches, suffered fevers and "Delhi Belly," skirted war zones, and had the time of his life. Birding on seven continents and carrying only a small backpack, Noah enlisted the enthusiastic support of local birders to tick more than 6,000 species, including Chinstrap Penguins in Antarctica, a Harpy Eagle in Brazil, and a long-lost owl in New Guinea. Rather than listing every last sighting, this entertaining presentation covers the funniest, weirdest, and most inspiring stories, as much about people as birds.

KOS 2022 Spring Meeting Recap

The spring meeting was hosted at Barren River Lake State Resort Park over the weekend of April 22 through 24. We enjoyed spectacular weather, nice waves of spring migrants and the pleasure of seeing old friends and meeting new ones. Field trips started Friday afternoon and continued through Sunday afternoon. Many field trips ventured to the Mammoth Cave National Park hotspots, while others stayed near or within Barren River Lake State Resort Park. McElroy Lake and Chaney Lake were well birded.

Photo Album

Meg Brown has created a weekend photo ablum for our enjoyment. She originally requested that photos be sent to her no later than 4/25/2022, but we still welcome any photos taken during the weekend by attendees of the meeting. We will add new photos to the end of the slideshow as we receive them.

Submit weekend photos to Meg.Brown@birdky.org and include the following information:

1. Subject of photo (bird, flower, butterfly, etc.)
2. Name of photographer
3. Date of photograph
4. Location of photograph

No watermarks, please.

eBird Trip Report

KOS has an eBird trip report for the weekend's birding efforts. Please keep in mind that the list of species and tally of birds found here might not match the Weekend Bird List (below).

KOS 2022 Spring Meeting eBird Trip Report: https://ebird.org/tripreport/49226

Weekend Bird List

Attendees also compiled a weekend birdlist during the Saturday evening meeting, which was updated with additional species from Sunday outings. Please keep in mind that the list of species and tally of birds found here might not match the eBird Trip Report (above).

The 2022 spring weekend list of 138 species can be viewed by clicking the button below.

Saturday Evening Keynote Speaker

We were delighted to host Nathan Pieplow as our keynote speaker. Read on to learn more about him and the subject of his presentation.

The language of birds

All around us, the birds are constantly telling us who they are and what they are doing. In this talk for any audience, Nathan Pieplow unlocks the secrets of their language. You’ll listen in on the pillow talk of a pair of Red-winged Blackbirds, and learn the secret signals that Cliff Swallows use when they have found food. You’ll learn how one bird sound can have many meanings, and how one meaning can have many sounds—and how, sometimes, the meaning isn’t in the sounds at all. This talk from the author of the Peterson Field Guide to Bird Sounds is an accessible, entertaining introduction to a fascinating topic.

Nathan Pieplow is the author of the Peterson Field Guide to Bird Sounds, published in two volumes, Eastern (2017) and Western (2019). An avid bird sound recordist and videographer, he is the author of the bird sound blog Earbirding.com, a board member of the Bird Conservancy of the Rockies, an author of the Colorado Birding Trail, and former editor of the journal Colorado Birds. He teaches writing and rhetoric at the University of Colorado in Boulder.

KOS 2021 Fall Meeting Recap

The meeting activities were curtailed by a surge in COVID infections in the state and the area around Kentucky Dam Village State Resort Park. All Indoor meetings and events were cancelled, but the planned outdoor activities did take place. These included group walks on field trips and a big sit.

This brief field report was provided by James Wheat.

The full weekend list of 129 species found, plus breakdowns by county, can be viewed by clicking the button below.

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KOS Virtual Meetings

Follow the links below to enjoy days worth of archived presentations from our three virtual meetings.