Author Archives: Allison Vaughn

Note from the President

It’s the end of an era for Columbia Audubon Society. We have been holding our monthly meetings for decades at the Universalist Unitarian Church in their sanctuary. Earlier this year, they asked us to move our meetings to the basement meeting room. This got us thinking – should we consider moving to a more modern

Summer at the Nature Areas

Summer means school is out, and there’s no homework. But for Columbia Audubon’s nature areas, summer is the growing season, the time when the work really begins at Columbia Audubon Nature Sanctuary and Wild Haven Nature Area.. Columbia Audubon Nature Sanctuary The deer exclosures erected in the late spring are already demonstrating the damage associated

Coexisting with Great Blue Herons

Sometimes we can work together to provide for the preservation of birds and mitigate the effect of expanding human encroachment on their territory. I recently had a positive experience working with Parks and Rec Dept.in Columbia on their plan for a mountain bike trail at Gans Creek Recreation Area (GCRA). When the City acquired the

Annual Picnic at Wild Haven: September 17

Columbia Audubon Society Open House Picnic will be held Sunday September 17th at Wild Haven Nature Area, 6900 E. O’Rear Road, 3-6:30 p.m. Columbia Audubon members, friends and neighbors are invited to stop by, starting at 3 p.m., to learn about chimney Swift roosting improvements recently completed at Wild Haven Nature Area as well as

Thank You CAS, from Missouri Conservation Corps

Missouri Conservation Corps would like to thank the members of the Columbia Audubon Society for helping to coordinate and lead an educational bird hike in Columbia’s Kiwanis Park this spring. In May 2023, CAS president Lori Turner and members Eric and Joanna Reuter, Jim Gast, and John Besser organized and facilitated a bird hike and

CAS participates in 19th Annual Missouri Bird Conservation Initiative Conference

On August 24-25, the Missouri Bird Conservation Initiative hosted its 19th annual conference at the Columbia Country Club. This year’s theme centered around conservation efforts in urban and suburban areas of Missouri and the Missouri Department of Conservation’s One Health Initiative, a focus on expanding conservation into underserved or otherwise compromised areas. Nature Areas Committee

Thursday, November 16, 2023

November Membership Meeting: Using Trail and Trap Cameras by Bill Palmer

7:00 pm

Following the Membership meeting, Bill will explain how he uses remote cameras to capture otherwise impossible to get photographs of birds including hawks, eagles and warblers as well as mammals such as deer, coyotes, and even bobcats. He will share how you can set-up a remote camera in your own yard for less than the

Thursday, October 19, 2023

October Membership Meeting: How a Birder Was Born by Edge Wade

7:00 PM

Join Columbia Audubon as we hear how our longtime member and birder extraordinaire set out to find 375 bird species in Missouri. It is a story of how a birder was born. Presentation after the Membership meeting. Light refreshments will be served afterwards.

Eagle Bluffs Update from MDC and Area Manager

Hi all! I hope everyone is enjoying their summer – or at least finding some ways to survive the drought! I know our folks have already felt like they have had a long hot (and dry) summer and we are only half way through it. But, with it turning into July we thought it would

Missouri Bird Conservation Initiative Conference in Columbia August 24-25

Registration is now live for the 2023 MoBCI Conference to be held Thursday-Friday August 24-25 at the Columbia Country Club. The theme this year is One Health: Community Conservation in Missouri, centered around MDC’s recent initiative to expand their conservation funding to urban and suburban areas. Registration can be found here.  Along that theme, this

First Friday Bird Hikes in the News

The First Friday Bird Hikes at 3M continue to be very popular and in the news. On Friday, June 2, birders were joined by a KRCG reporter  who wrote the following article with a lot of great photos. See here

Boone County Migratory Bird Count Results

Boone County, Missouri, birders have maintained the tradition of a spring migration count, although no state or national migration count currently exists. This countywide effort, which takes place on the traditional Big Day (second-Saturday in May), is an opportunity for many birders in the area to team up to find and count birds in their

Eagle Bluffs Conservation Area Updates

In a recent meeting with the Missouri Department of Conservation, Columbia Audubon learned that Eagle Bluffs CA will be providing regular updates on the status of the pumps. MDC has provided CAS and MBS with a lot of information that can be found in the link. See here

Note from the President

I’m sorry if you had to miss our April presentation, Forest Park Owls: Hiding in Plain Site. Those in attendance listened as Mark H.X. Glenshaw told stories from his 18 years of studying the pair of Great Horned Owls in Forest Park that he lovingly named Charlie and Sarah. I don’t want to give any

Nature Areas Notes

    Lots of activity at the two primary nature sanctuaries, CANS and Wild Haven. If you haven’t been out lately, wildflowers and migration are in full swing! At Columbia Audubon Nature Sanctuary (CANS): We have been watching the emergence of various seedlings on the west side of the creek, which was seeded in winter

Details for the Migratory Bird Count May 13

Columbia Audubon Society will continue its tradition of doing a Boone County-wide Bird Count on the second Saturday of May). Our count will be held on the same day the ‘Global Big Day’ promoted by eBird, and all the data from the Boone County count will be entered into eBird, so participants will be able

Council House construction continues at Nature School

The March issue of The CHAT informed you that construction had begun on the Boone County Nature School’s Council House.  At that time, the ground had been leveled and concrete forms identified the outline of the yet-to-be poured concrete floor. Today, there is more progress to report.  Photos taken April 26 show the structure nearing

April Meeting Minutes-April 19

Columbia Audubon Society Board of Directors Meeting April 19, 2023  Meeting conducted at Unitarian Universalist Church Present: Lori Turner, Louise Flenner, Judy Lincoln, Eric Seaman, Lottie Bushmann, Jim Gast, John Besser, Shelby Thomas, Bill Mees Time called to order: 6:05 pm Treasurer’s Report Eric Seaman reports the Community foundation is one month behind in releasing

Saturday, May 13, 2023

Migratory Bird Count in Boone Co.

All Day

Join us for the Migratory Bird Count in Boone Co. If interested in joining, contact  lottie.bushmann@gmail.com Details on how to upload data will be published in the May Chat.  

May 21, 2023

May Meeting: Picnic and Potluck

3:00PM-7:30PM

Join us for an evening of camaraderie at Kiwanis Park, West Side Odor Shelter for our annual May picnic and potluck. We’ll go birding at Kiwanis Park beforehand, and then get together for dinner. CAS will provide plastic ware and plates and soda, but otherwise it’s a BYOB. If you want to make this a

Notice of Election

Notice of Election Pursuant to Article IV D section 2 of the by-laws, notice is given of an election for candidates for the board of directors to be held at the general meeting on Wednesday, April 19th, 2023. The meeting starts at 7:00 PM and will be held at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Columbia.

Note from the President

Happy Spring! I hope everyone is getting out to see their first of the season birds. Frank and I have been busy moving into our forever home on just over 18 acres in Harrisburg. Our property has 2 creeks running through it and we have American Woodcocks in our backyard!! I plan on having field

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

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

March Meeting Minute Highlights

Columbia Audubon Society Board of Directors Meeting March 15, 2023   Meeting conducted at Unitarian Universalist Church   Present: Lori Turner, Eric Seaman, Shelby Thomas, Eric Wood, Louise Flenner, Greg Leonard, Lottie Bushmann, Jim Gast   Time called to order: 6:00 pm. Treasurer’s Report The budget will include $3500 to send two teachers to Hog

Wednesday, April 19, 2023

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

7:00 PM

Mark H.X. Glenshaw 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 talk, Forest Park Owls: Hiding In Plain Sight, will cover how he found these owls, basic facts about the species, and

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!  

Minutes from 2/21/23 CAS Board Meeting

Columbia Audubon Society Board of Directors Meeting February 21, 2023 Meeting conducted via zoom Present: Lori Turner, Judy Lincoln, Eric Seaman, Louise Flenner, Kevin Wehner, Lottie Bushmann, Jim Gast, Allison Vaughn, Greg Leonard, John Besser, Bill Mees Treasurer’s Report Eric Seaman reports ComoGives sent the check for $11,600 last week. The full treasurer’s report was

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

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

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

CAS January Board Meeting Minutes

COLUMBIA AUDUBON SOCIETY  BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING  January 18, 2023  MEETING CONDUCTED VIA ZOOM Present: Lori Turner, Judy Lincoln, Louise Flenner, Greg Leonard, Jim Gast, Lottie Bushmann, John Besser, Allison Vaughn, Shelby Thomas, Kevin Wehner, Eric Wood,  By invitation Eric and Joanna Reuter attended the meeting. Time called to order: 5:35 pm. Previous Minutes The

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

Saturday, December 17, 2022

2022 Christmas Bird Count information

With all our section leaders in place for this year, the Christmas Bird Count (CBC) is a go! Thankfully, birding is a safe, outdoor activity and we have plenty of birders in Columbia that plan to do just that. We will send out our teams on Saturday Dec. 17th. Please contact your section leader if