On June 12, 2025, Piming & Judy Kuo and my wife and I discovered a new site harboring painted buntings in Johnson County. It was on S. Bluestem Pkwy, just northeast of Cedar Creek Pkwy, Olathe, KS (38.9295887, -94.8792785). I duly reported the discovery, accompanied by two photos, to eBird (https://ebird.org/checklist/S249715542).
Today, 5/11/2026, the four of us again were delighted to behold the sight of a brilliant male bird at the very same location. Two photos, taken at 5:32 and 5:33 p.m. may be viewed here:
https://ebird.org/checklist/S337536717 However, for this year, Steve Phillips was the first person to have seen this species there. His report was submitted to eBird on May 9. Congratulations to him for being number one. We four have fallen behind, to our chagrin. However, we are happy to confirm Steve's finding. The location is therefore a hotspot of sort. There is much construction nearby - new housing everywhere. The loss of this bird habitat is pretty much a foregone conclusion.
Bob I. Yang
<yangb...>
Overland Park, Johnson County
