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New Walking Tour at Columbia Audubon Nature Sanctuary

I recently became aware of the app PocketSights Tour Guide which allows universities, community organizations and individuals to create tour routes. The app uses GPS allow the user to follow a path while providing content and images about various points of interest. Since individuals can use the app for free, I designed a tour through

Spring Field Trips and More

Spring is here, and migration is getting underway! A variety of CAS field trips and other community birding opportunities are coming up, so check out the offerings and mark your calendar. As always, reminder notifications of CAS events go out by email; if you’re not already on the email list, be sure to sign up.

Self-guided Moss Walk Popular with Wild Haven Visitors

If your best guess for the definition of “acrocarp” involves something about a gymnastically talented fish, then you should consider taking part in the recently developed self-guided moss walk at Wild Haven Nature Area. You’ll learn what an acrocarp actually is, but the walk isn’t about memorizing scientific jargon. Instead, it’s an opportunity to become

Forest Park Owls: Hiding in Plain Sight by Mark H.X. Glenshaw-April Membership Meeting

The April membership meeting will be held April 19, 7pm at the Universalist Unitarian Church. Our presentation will be by Mark H.X. Glenshaw who is an award-winning naturalist who has closely observed and documented the lives of Great Horned Owls in Forest Park, a large urban park in St. Louis, Missouri, since December 2005. Mark’s

Columbia Audubon Society Young Birder Makes the News!

Local birder and Columbia Audubon Society friend Chelsea Mosteller made the CoMoKIDS section of the Columbia Missourian! See here for a link to an article about her recent project that will help young birders learn their birds!

Construction begins on Nature School Council House

Boone County Nature School Council House Several years ago, Columbia Audubon Society made a donation of $30,000 for the construction of a Council House at the Boone County Nature School. Members’ excitement about the project was exceeded only by the pride of having been one of the original supporters of the first-of-its-kind Nature School. Then

Note from the President

Wow, it’s already March?! This year is already passing by faster than ever. Back in November the board approved the purchase of a new interpretive sign that will be mounted at CANS, close to the parking lot. The sign will be designed to help educate visitors on pollinators and how they use our prairie for

March 15th 7:00 pm Membership Meeting: Birds of Australia

Birds in Australia: Australia and the continental USA have about the same land area and number of bird species – 900 more or less – even though most of Australia consists of deserts and other arid landscapes. I will show a video that consists of photographs and video collected over about three years of periodic

First Prescribed Fire at Bonnie View NS Grassland Restoration Project

Time really does seem to fly. After two years of preparation work Columbia Audubon Society seeded 15 acres with native Missouri grasses and forbs on January 21, 2016. This process converted what was a fescue dominated pasture to a facsimile of a prairie. The summer of 2022 was the seventh growing season for the prairie

Kiwanis Park Restoration Efforts with Missouri Conservation Corps

Missouri Conservation Corps began as a volunteer effort to simply cut and remove the honeysuckle growing in Columbia’s Kiwanis Park. Before our group was formed, now-MCC board member Steve Johnson lived across the street from Kiwanis Park and had been working with some neighbors to clear the honeysuckle. I became involved in this effort in

CAS Board Meeting Highlights for January, 2023

Upon review and board approval, final meeting minutes are posted to the Minutes page. Following are highlights of the unapproved minutes from the January 2023 CAS board meeting: Committee Reports Nature Areas John Besser reports that Bill Mees got information from the city of Columbia on the deer hunt at Bonnie View near CANS. The

Note from the President

Happy February! I hope everyone got some good New Year birding in. I’ve been quite content watching birds from the comfort of a chair inside my house. It can be difficult finding time to go birding and I find myself putting it on the bottom of the list. For our January Membership meeting we had

Birds in Big Numbers: Snow Geese in Spring Migration

Part three in an occasional series, Birds in Big Numbers If you want to see as much biomass of a single bird species as possible, at one place and time in the state of Missouri, what should you be looking for? A blackbird roost hosting millions of birds? Nope. A high-density commercial poultry house? Nope.

February 15, 2023 Program on Falconry

Come enjoy the experiences and expertise of long-time Master falconer, Steve Heying, as he gives a presentation on “Falconry” Wednesday, Feb 15th, at 7pm at the Unitarian-Universalist Church, 2615 Shepard Blvd. Steve’s history in falconry began in 1964 with a Passage Goshawk. Steve has had a hawk in his care everyday since 1968. Steve is

MDC Hires New Missouri State Ornithologist!

MDC welcomes the new state ornithologist, Kristen Heath-Acre. Kristen has worked in a variety of ecological settings from Panama to the Texas plains, demonstrating a passion for learning and developing new skills. She is currently employed by the University of Missouri – Columbia as an MDC and Mark Twain National Forest collaborator in a lead

Prescribed Burning Sign Erected at Bonnie View Nature Sanctuary

Columbia Parks and Recreation Department posted a flyer at CANS that notifies people that there will be a prescribed fire at the Bonnie View NS prairie. This is the first prescribed burn at this prairie that was seeded January 2016. With much planning and with a good outcome, this will be the first burn with

Christmas Bird Count Results: December 17, 2022

The final tally for the 2022 Christmas Bird Count is published below. Special thanks to John Besser for working through all the eBird reports to pull this information together! COLUMBIA CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT — DECEMBER 17 2022 TALLY SHEET — ALL BIRDS SPECIES Taxon Total: Snow Goose 751 Ross’s Goose 20 Greater White-fronted Goose 151

Note from the President

Another year has passed and we can now celebrate the new year. We have so many things to be thankful for – one is being able to assemble for the Chili Supper after a very cold, windy Christmas Bird Count. This year’s CBC fell on December 17th. There are so many people that make the

A Hearty Thank You to All Who Donated During CoMoGives!

It is hard to put into words what it means to the CAS board that so many members, neighbors, friends and family members donated during this holiday season to help us reach our goal of raising $10,000. THANK YOU, THANK YOU for taking the time out of your busy schedule during the most hectic time

Missouri River Bird Observatory’s Winter Learning Series

Join the Missouri River Bird Observatory this winter for a free webinar series about birds. The flyer below lists the full schedule. Registration and events in January can be found here

Field Trips

We’re excited to take on the role of field trip co-coordinators for CAS and have a lot of ideas for fun and diverse events. Here’s a brief update on what’s happened recently, what’s upcoming, and how CAS members can get involved. Past trip report First Friday walks at 3M Wetlands from September to December attracted

January 18th 7 PM Zoom Program: “Slow Birding”-Registration Required

After the busy holiday season and Christmas Bird Count, we can slow down and pay attention to individual birds in their environment and their place in it. More than numbers on a list, we can come away with memorable insights and more understanding. Here’s a note from our hostess: “Hey there, I’m Bridget Butler. I’ve

CAS Supports Educational Opportunities

CAS Makes a Difference Through Education and Outreach With the annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count behind us, and 2023 ahead of us, it’s almost time to start making new bird lists! It’s also a good time to make a list of the many ways that Columbia Audubon has participated in Outreach and Education missions this

CAS Teacher Scholarships

Molly Wheatley was the 2020 recipient of a CAS Teacher Scholarship. Because of COVID, she attended the Hog Island Audubon Camp in 2022. I was fortunate enough to spend a week in Hog Island, Maine studying birds. As a teacher, science is one of my favorite topics. My students loved the unit on bird watching!

Columbia Audubon Properties support Pollinators

Pollinators are needed to produce one out of every three bites of food you eat. There are over 450 species of bees in Missouri. Flies, spiders, beetles and even birds and bats can be pollinators. Insect pollinators live a portion of their lives as a caterpillar. A pair of Black-capped Chickadees will feed their hatchlings

ComoGives Underway!

CoMoGives officially began on Giving Tuesday – November 29th and runs through December 31st. We are excited to be part of this annual online fundraising drive once again that helps local nonprofits raise money to help our community. In 2021, 113 donors contributed over $11,000 to CAS through CoMoGives. Our goal during this year’s campaign

Note from the President

Columbia had a rare visitor in November. Amanda Jackson lives in south Columbia and emailed me on November 4th with a picture attached of a hummingbird she thought could be an Allen’s. I sent the picture to people that know more that I – a Rufous Hummingbird would be the most likely species this time

CAS Board Meeting Highlights for November 16, 2022

Upon review and board approval, final meeting minutes are posted to the Minutes page. Following are highlights of the unapproved minutes from the November 21, 2022 CAS board meeting: Treasurer’s Report Eric Seaman reports money was transferred from the PayPal Account to the General Account to increase security. Nature Areas John Besser reports a large,

Blackbird Roost again in Boone County

The opportunity to observe millions of blackbirds in a single roosting site is back! In January 2020, Joanna and I first reported a massive concentration of blackbirds using a winter roost site in northern Boone County. Many viewers were drawn to the site by the fascinating spectacle of millions of birds flooding into a single

Clouds and Silver Linings of Property Ownership

Columbia Audubon Society is blessed with “silver linings” in the form of wonderful members who volunteer their time and expertise. The properties owned by CAS are another example of a silver lining. Among the properties owned is Columbia Audubon Nature Sanctuary (CANS) – a great birding destination open to the public. If clouds can have

200 Year Commemorative Plaque placed at 200+ year old White Oak at CANS

Months ago, the Columbia Parks and Recreation Department was making plans to celebrate the 200-year anniversary of the founding of Columbia. Included in the celebration was the recognition of trees in Columbia that were present to “see” the establishment of Columbia, Missouri. Columbia Audubon Society was contacted to confirm interest in participating in the celebration

Nature Area Notes

CANS Stream Team On Wednesday, November 9, Bill Mees and I met with Sarah Davis, leader of a stream team that is interested in monitoring water quality of Scotts Branch Creek. We walked the creek from our footbridge downstream to the city boardwalk. There wasn’t much stream to find, only a series of pools with

2nd Grade Band With Nature prompts Thank You to CAS

The following letter came from Ragan Webb of Columbia Public Schools after the Band With Nature program last month. Many thanks to all who support this program. Following the letter is a list of birds banded and recaptured this year. Audubon Board and Members- Thank you so much for your support of CPS Science, especially

CoMoGives Campaign begins in November

Columbia Audubon Society is excited to announce our participation in the 2022 CoMoGives fundraising campaign for the 8th year running! This annual online fundraising drive for Mid-Missouri nonprofit organizations begins on the National Day of Giving – Tuesday, November 29th and runs through December 31st. 152 nonprofits are participating in CoMoGives this year and we

CAS sends comments to Planning and Zoning on Siting Guidelines for Renewable Energy

The following comments were drafted by our former Conservation Chair to Planning and Zoning regarding zoning siting guidelines for renewable energy in Columbia. The board voted to support and send the comments. To: Boone County Planning and Zoning Commission The National Audubon Society and our local group strongly support properly sited photovoltaic solar power that

Note from the President

Happy November to you! Our CAS board members have been busy continuing our mission of nature education and habitat preservation. Lottie Bushmann and Lisa Schenker – our Education Co-chairs – visited several CPS elementary school classes throughout October talking about birds and nature. Some of the talks involved hands-on activities that got the students engaged

Busy Schedule for the Education and Outreach Committee

The Education and Outreach Committee has had a busy fall. Lisa Schenker and Lottie Bushmann were able to meet with all 3 5th grade classrooms at Fairview Elementary School over 2 days at the end of September. Each class had a tutorial on binocular use and then an hourlong bird walk. The children did a

Holiday Gift Purchases at Songbird Station Can Help CAS

Songbird Station, a longtime Columbia Audubon corporate partner, has announced that it will donate 5% of seasonal and holiday décor and collectible purchases made between Nov. 1 and Dec. 25, 2022, to either Columbia Audubon Society or Mobility Worldwide. Customers must request the donation and designate the charity at the time of purchase. Songbird Station

Registration for Birding Access to MU Agriculture Research Sites Now Open

Registry for Access to MU Agriculture Research Sites Is Open for Permit Registration Birders are being offered renewal of the privilege of birding on several University of Missouri agricultural research sites in central Missouri. The Missouri Birding Society (MBS), with the approval of MU administrators, has developed a registry system for birders wishing to access

Note from the President

Wow, September flew by!! I hope everyone is getting out and enjoying those fall migrants. I wasn’t able to attend the MBS Fall Meeting that was in Columbia this past weekend but saw reports from fellow birders enjoying the field trips. My fondest birding memories have been made on field trips. There’s something special about

Introducing the CANS Bee Hive

After several years absence, honeybees have been reintroduced to the prairie section of the Columbia Audubon Nature Sanctuary. This is not to say that wild honeybees have not been living in the forested area of the Audubon sanctuary or that honeybees from the hive at Fairview Elementary School have not been foraging in the prairie,

MDC Prescribed Burning Workshop: Oct. 14 and 15

COLUMBIA, Mo. – The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) invites landowners to a prescribed burn workshop on Oct. 14 and 15. The field day portion will be available both days, but participants should only attend one day. Prescribed burning can be a valuable tool for managing native plant diversity and controlling undesirable vegetation, but it

Updated Guidelines for Accessing Bradford Farms for Birdwatching

Bird Watching Uses and Expectations at the Central Missouri Research, Extension and Education Center (CM-REEC) https://moaes.missouri.edu/central-missouri-research-extension-and-education-center/ Eleven properties totaling 7,200 acres in Central Missouri. Baskett Forest, Bradford Research Farm, DeLine Community Research Site, Duley-Miller Erosion Plots, Foremost Dairy, Horticulture and Agroforestry Research Farm, Rocheford Turkey Research Farm, Sanborn Field, Sorenson Estate, South Farm, and Beef

Prepared Statement: Managed Deer Hunt at Bonnie View Nature Sanctuary

Bill Mees, longtime steward of the Columbia Audubon Nature Sanctuary (CANS) prepared a formal statement that he presented before the Columbia City Council urging their acceptance of adding Bonnie View Nature Sanctuary to the city’s managed deer hunt schedule. After months of research, twig browse surveys, and anecdotal evidence, the Nature Areas Committee and longtime

Call for Volunteers! Band With Nature-Oct. 24, 25, 27

It’s Volunteer Time for Band with Nature Every fall since 2012 Columbia Audubon Society (CAS) has sponsored a field trip we call Band with Nature. This event invites every second-grade student in Columbia Public Schools for an educational visit to Columbia Audubon Nature Sanctuary. The students participate in a bird banding demonstration, dissecting owl pellets,

CAS Board Meeting Highlights for September 21, 2022

Upon review and board approval, final meeting minutes are posted to the Minutes page. Following are highlights of the unapproved minutes from the September 21, 2022 CAS board meeting: Nature Areas John Besser has agreed to be the new Nature Areas Chair. Bill Mees reports the STEM alliance had a photography program highlighting nature photography

Recovering America’s Wildlife Act: Contact your Representatives

Recovering America’s Wildlife Act is nearing the finish line! It would provide $1.4 billion a year to states and Tribes to prevent wildlife from becoming endangered in every corner of the country, including roughly $21 million to Missouri. It has support from Democrats and Republicans, and it just passed the House of Representatives because people

Eastern Bluebird Trail at CANS

Columbia Audubon Society and the City of Columbia partner to support the survival of the Eastern Bluebird (EABL) through the establishment and monitoring of the Columbia Audubon Nature Sanctuary (CANS) and Bonnie View (BV) nest box trails. The BV nest box trail is easily accessed from Rollins Road near Fairview on the North and intersects

In Memoriam: Susan Hazelwood

The Missouri birding community lost a dear friend this week. Susan Hazelwood passed away Sunday, August 28th after a long battle with cancer. Susan’s contributions to non-profit organizations in Missouri are inspiring and we cannot measure the positive impact she has had to our Missouri birding community and habitat restoration efforts. Susan joined Columbia Audubon

Note from the President

Happy September! I hope you were able to stay cool during the hot, dry summer we had. Fall is almost hear and for some, it’s the best season of all—cooler weather, pumpkin patches, beautiful fall colors, bike rides on the trail and migrating birds. It’s always been my favorite season and this year it will