Wyandotte County Lake Park and Schlagle Environmental Library can be a nearby hotspot for wildlife and bird viewing. Nestled in the hills of Northern Wyandotte County, the park is 1,500 acres of Hickory, Oak and Sycamore timber. It also boasts a very deep 456 acre lake that was built in the 1930s by the Works Progress Administration.

The Mr. & Mrs. F. L. Schlagle Library is an environmental learning center operated by Kansas City Public Library. It is open year round and includes nature programs and other interactive learning events. You can always find a good sampling of what is prominent at their very active feeder station.

Wyandotte County Lake often has open water in the winter at times when other nearby lakes are frozen over and can host great numbers of diving ducks like goldeneye and mergansers. The trees that surround the lake are great for spotting Red-headed woodpeckers year round and during the spring, Eastern Bluebirds are prominently flying in and out of nest boxes just down the hill from the library. The Purple Martin boxes at the boat ramp host a nice colony. Prothonotary and Yellow Warblers nest around the lake during the summer. The Bald Eagle show is always fantastic during winter months.

Wildlife viewing includes deer, opossums, raccoons, and if you are lucky, foxes. Boating traffic can be busy on the weekends in the summer so plan you trip for during the week or to get out early.

By Mark McKellar

WINTER 2014