Author Archives: Allison Vaughn

Bird Watching in Chile

-by Joanna & Eric Reuter We recently had the good fortune to travel through the southern half of Chile, learning much about its ecosystems, history, and culture along the way. Though we mostly explored on our own using Chile’s excellent bus network and our own feet, a day spent with Raffaele Di Biase of the

CAS News & Notes for December 2018

President’s notebook:Even December is Birding Season! — by John Besser As the days get shorter and the weather gets colder, many birds have moved on to warmer climes to spend winters with their tropical relatives and many Missouri birders have moved back inside to get re-acquainted with their families. But even in this ‘SAD’ time

CAS News & Notes for November 2018

From the President – by John Besser We had a great turnout for the second annual Big Sit at Eagle Bluffs, with about two dozen birders and sightseers stopping by over the course of the day. Among the visitors were a reporter and a photographer from the Columbia Missourian, who produced a nice feature article.

2018 CoMoGives Drive Is Coming Up

—by Nancy Bedan, CAS CoMoGives Committee The Columbia community’s annual fund drive to benefit area non-profit organizations begins soon. This year, for the first time, the online giving campaign will open on “Giving Tuesday,” Nov. 27 and run through the month of December. The fund drive is coordinated by the Community Foundation of Central Missouri

Wednesday, November 14

November Meeting: Raptors of Missouri including eagles, vultures, osprey, hawks, harriers, kites, falcons, and caracara.

7:00 p.m.

Join CAS at our annual monthly meeting for a presentation by Brad Jacobs. Please note that this meeting is being held on the second Wednesday of November, not the usual third Wednesday, due to the Thanksgiving holiday. Raptors hold a special place in the world of scientists, birders, falconers, kings, and the general public. This

CAS News & Notes for October 2018

From the President – Have an active October with Audubon! – by John Besser Now that summer’s heat and humidity are finally behind us (let’s hope), October brings a flurry of activity from Columbia Audubon. There are lots of opportunities to get involved in a wide range of CAS events this month: ASM Meeting: Technically,

Pawpaws at Columbia Audubon Nature Sanctuary

– by Eric & Joanna Reuter If you’ve taken a walk at the Columbia Audubon Nature Sanctuary this year, you may have noticed an abundance of pawpaw (Asimina triloba) trees in some locations. These like to grow in colonies, generally within an existing understory, meaning that once they get established they can crowd out other

Wednesday, October 17th

October Meeting: Birding Missouri State Parks

7:00 p.m.

Join CAS at our annual monthly meeting for a presentation by Allison Vaughn of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources on how Missouri state parks encompass a wide range of habitat types that are managed solely for their natural ecological qualities.  She will discuss some of the best birding opportunities in state parks with a

Letter from the new CAS President – September 2018

-by John Besser Well, it’s time for me to take on the slightly prestigious but mostly thankless job of chapter president. Past President Laura Hillman was able to convince Bill Mees to take over as Vice President and program chair (a job I didn’t want), while I take over as president (a job Bill didn’t

CAS News & Notes for September 2018

August board meeting unofficial summary Official meeting minutes will be posted to the website after approval at each subsequent board meeting, meaning they are delayed from immediate publication. Below is an unofficial summary of business discussed on August 29, 2018. Please contact a board member with any questions. Budget: Approved offering an annual donation to

Ruddy Turnstone at Charlie's Pasture in Port Aransas, TX. Photo by Shelby Thomas.

How I Became a Young Birder

– by Shelby Thomas   I am sixteen years old, a junior at Hickman High School, and have been birding since 2015. After watching the movie The Big Year, about a year-long birding competition, I decided to look in our backyard to see what birds were outside. I saw a bird that wasn’t like our

Fall Audubon Society of Missouri meeting in Columbia

The statewide Audubon Society of Missouri will be hosting its annual fall meeting in Columbia this year, a rare change from its usual location at Lake of the Ozarks. This is a great chance for Columbia-area birders to take part in this major event so close to home. The meeting features field trips, speakers, a

Sun. September 16th

September Meeting: Picnic at Bonnie View Nature Sanctuary

4:00 p.m.

The Columbia Audubon Society will begin its new year with our members and friends through socializing, birding, and eating at the Bonnie View Nature Sanctuary shelter. The event will be a potluck, for which CAS will provide a meat course (pulled pork and turkey) and water. To help CAS make this a greener event, we

Meeting Minutes, April 18, 2018

BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING COLUMBIA AUDUBON SOCIETY APRIL 18, 2018 President Hillman called the meeting to order at 6 p.m. Present were Lori Hagglund, Laura Hillman, Kris Hagglund, Lori Turner, John Besser, Allison Vaughn, Eric Wood, Bill Mees, Lottie Bushmann, and Eric Reuter. Society Minutes: The minutes from the board meeting of March 21, 2018

Wednesday, August 8

Evening bird walk at Columbia Audubon Nature Sanctuary

7-8:00 p.m.

Listening to and identifying bird vocalizations is a fun and useful skill. We’ll take an evening walk around the Columbia Audubon Nature Sanctuary (CANS), placing an emphasis on hearing what the local birds are doing and saying while practicing skills for noticing and recognizing their sounds. Come join us on what should be a pleasant

Thursday, July 12

Introduction to Bird Song Program

7:00-8:00 p.m.

Why and how do birds sing? How can sound help you identify them?  We’ll touch on these questions and more as we explore the fascinating language of birds, with an emphasis on local species. This hour-long program will include an introduction to sonagrams (visual representations of bird vocalizations) and examples of how to listen to,

Monday, July 16

Eagle Bluffs Documentary Airing on KMOS

8:00 p.m.

A recent documentary about Eagle Bluffs Conservation Area will be shown on public television on the evening of Monday, July 16. As recounted in a nice article from the Missourian earlier this year, The wetlands, along with the citizen activism and government collaboration that helped make them what they are, are the focus of a

Eastern Phoebe fledgling; photo by Joanna Reuter

CAS summer schedule

The Columbia Audubon Society does not publish a monthly newsletter during June, July, or August. Although we will continue to update the website with summer events and field trips (several are planned), and reminder emails will still be sent to those who are subscribed to the relevant email lists, there will be no full newsletter

CAS News & Notes for May 2018

From the President – by Laura Hillman, CAS President I’ve done it again. I will miss both the May picnic and the Migratory Bird Count just to go to China. So I’d better say goodbye now, as my two years as president ends at the picnic. John Besser, the current Vice President, will take over

Left to right: Laura Hillman, Allison Vaughn, Bill Mees, and John Besser accepted the 2018 Mayor’s Climate Protection Agreement Award on behalf of Columbia Audubon Society at a ceremony on Wednesday, April 25. The awards were designed by Columbia glass artist Susan Taylor Glasgow. Photo by Nancy Bedan

Columbia Audubon Honored for Environmental Stewardship

– by Nancy Bedan At a ceremony on April 25, the City of Columbia recognized the Columbia Audubon Society (CAS) for its work in habitat restoration at the Columbia Audubon Nature Sanctuary (CANS) and for its community outreach and education programs. Eight organizations and businesses received the 2018 Mayor’s Climate Protection Agreement Award, an honor

Listen Up: Seven Superb Bird Sound Resources

– by Joanna Reuter Spring migration is a great season to brush up on bird song as a tool for identification, but vocalizations are fascinating for more than just ID. Scientific study of bird vocalizations is leading to better understanding of bird behavior and evolution. Also, paying attention to bird sounds in the back yard

Geocache Placed at CANS

– by Jim Gast In order to increase awareness of the Columbia Audubon Nature Sanctuary (CANS) by the public, I placed a geocache near the trail.  Geocaching is a popular outdoor activity in which people use various navigational skills to find hidden containers of various sizes. Participants find the latitude/longitude coordinates at geocaching.com, then use

Wednesday, May 16

May Meeting: Picnic at Wild Haven Nature Area

4:00 walk, 6:00 picnic

Join us for our traditional May meeting picnic, this year at Columbia Audubon’s Wild Haven Nature Area northeast of Columbia. Feel free to arrive any time after 4:00 p.m. to explore the property and enjoy its diverse habitats and birds. Around 6:00 we’ll gather at the main shelter for a potluck picnic dinner. Please bring

Sunday, May 6 and Sunday, May 13

Work days at Wild Haven Nature Area

2:00 to 5:00 p.m. both days

Come help get this area ready for our spring picnic meeting. We will focus on cleaning up around the workshop building (picking up and bagging trash) and the picnic shelter (weed whacking, raking). If time and conditions permit, we will also burn brush piles and clear trails. Bring a pickup truck or other vehicle we

Meeting Minutes, March 21, 2018

BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING COLUMBIA AUDUBON SOCIETY MARCH 21, 2018 In the absence of President Hillman, Vice-President John Besser called the meeting to order at 6 p.m. Present were Lori Hagglund, Kris Hagglund, John Besser, Bill Mees, Eric Seaman, Lori Turner, Lottie Bushmann, Nancy Bedan, Doug Miller, Eric Reuter, and Kris Hagglund. Society Minutes: The

Saturday, May 19

Field Trip to Chert Hollow Farm

8:00 a.m. to noon

Come explore this diverse landscape in northern Boone County, where CAS members Eric & Joanna Reuter have worked for over a decade to integrate environmentally friendly food production into the broader ecosystem. We’ll use our local knowledge to seek out warblers and spring wildflowers along a forested stream, observe the birds using our fields and

Tuesday, May 8

Field Trip: Whip-poor-wills and Chuck-wills-widows at Rocky Fork Lakes CA

7:30 p.m. to 9-ish.

Join us for this evening walk through the mixed habitats of Rocky Fork Lakes Conservation Area in northern Boone County to listen for and hopefully enjoy the distinct sounds of Whip-poor-wills and Chuck-will’s-widows. These nocturnal birds are hard to see but fun to hear once their song begins from dusk into darkness. We’ll meet before

Purple Coneflowers - used with permission from the Prairie Garden Trust

Wednesday, April 18

April Meeting: Sharing the Magic of Nature at the Prairie Garden Trust

7:00 p.m.

The April membership meeting, held at the Unitarian-Universalist Church, 2615 Shepard Blvd, Columbia MO, will consist of a presentation by Lorna and Henry Domke. Lorna will tell the story of the Prairie Garden Trust (PGT), a public nature garden and birding hot spot just south of Fulton, MO. Using images of the property taken by Henry,

Saturday April 28, 2018

Dig In: Tree Planting at Columbia Audubon Nature Sanctuary

9:00 a.m.

As a participant in the city’s Adopt-a-Trail project, the Columbia Audubon Society adopted a quarter-mile segment of the Scott’s Branch Trail.  Last fall, as a first step, all the bush honeysuckle was removed from this section of the trail, but improving habitat requires more than removing invasives. Mark your calendar for April 28th when 200

Sunday, April 29

Beginning Birder Event: Guided bird walks at the 3M wetlands

Any time between 1:00–4:00 p.m.

Are you a beginning birder? A backyard bird-watcher who would like to learn how to find and identify birds away from the feeders? Or a casual birder who wants to improve their birding skills? This event will help less-experienced birders enjoy the wealth of bird species that will migrate through mid-Missouri this spring or return

CAS News & Notes for April 2018

From the President – CAS Board Elections for 2018-2019 – by Laura Hillman, CAS President It’s April and time to get out and bird, plant the garden, and kill the exotics. But it’s also time to get new officers for Columbia Audubon. The bylaws (PDF link) say that the nominating committee will work to create

2018 Young Explorers’ Club

– by Paige Witek, Certified Interpretive Guide  & Education Coordinator, Missouri River Bird Observatory Not too far from Marshall, in a town called Arrow Rock, a summer day camp for kids is starting up again! The Young Explorers’ Club is run through the Missouri River Bird Observatory, an organization dedicated to the conservation of Missouri’s

Liatrus during drought- Becky Erickson

Including Native Plants in Your Yard

– by Becky Erickson, Missouri Native Plant Society (Hawthorn Chapter) The environment we now live in developed over the last 20,000 years, evolving a fabulous crazy-quilt of massive ecosystems and small microhabitats. The diverse fauna and flora that stimulate our eyes, ears, and heart found their niches and flourished in their own spaces as part

Meeting Minutes, February 21, 2018

BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING COLUMBIA AUDUBON SOCIETY FEBRUARY 21, 2018 President Hillman called the meeting to order at 6 p.m. Present were Laura Hillman, Nancy Bedan, Lori Hagglund, Bill Mees, Allison Vaughn, Doug Miller, John Besser, Lori Turner, and Kris Hagglund. Society Minutes: The minutes from the meeting of January 17, 2018 were reviewed. Motion

Wednesday, March 21st

March Meeting: Book Discussion of The Genius of Birds, by Jennifer Ackerman

7:00-8:30 p.m.

This event has been rescheduled for Wednesday, March 21st due to icy conditions on the original February date. This will also function as the CAS general meeting for March. Years ago, a Common Raven on the Channel Islands (off the coast of California) discovered and opened a zippered pocket in our long-used backpack, a pocket

CAS News & Notes for March 2018

From the President – by Laura Hillman, CAS President At four o’clock on the Friday before the February book discussion, we got the email: a copy of The Genius of Birds had returned to the library! Although it was raining, we jumped in the car and headed off to get it. The e-book had only given

Youth birding at a Missouri River Birdi Observatory event - photo from MRBO

MRBO Encouraging Youth Participation in the Spring ASM Meeting

– by Paige Witek, Certified Interpretive Guide & Education Coordinator, Missouri River Bird Observatory The Missouri River Bird Observatory (MRBO) hopes that YOU will attend this year’s Audubon Society of Missouri (ASM) Spring Meeting! MRBO is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to the conservation of Missouri’s migratory and resident birds through scientific research and monitoring,

Links of Interest for the March Book Discussion

– by Joanna Reuter The Genius of Birds, subject of the upcoming book discussion, covers a lot of fascinating territory but has little in the way of illustrations. Fortunately, the internet can fill that gap, with images, maps, videos, audio, and articles about the research and birds that Jennifer Ackerman describes. Here are a few

Cedar Creek valley from the Smith Creek Trail, Mark Twain National Forest - photo by Joanna Reuter

Saturday, March 31

Field Trip to Smith Creek Trail, Mark Twain National Forest

8:30 a.m. to noon

We’ll hike the Smith Creek Trail south along Cedar Creek along the Boone/Callaway County border. This trail crosses a historic bridge and ascends to beautiful blufftop views along the Cedar Creek valley; we’ll follow this a mile or so to the tributary Smith Creek.  We hope to observe a variety of early spring birds in

Saturday, April 7

Basic Birding Skills class

8:00 a.m. to noon

CAS members Eric & Joanna Reuter are offering this one-time, four-hour class for beginning birders through the Columbia Area Career Center. Offered annually for the past three years, the class uses the various habitats at Eagle Bluffs Conservation Area to practice observational and listening skills and consider bird behavior. The focus is on skill development

Meeting Minutes, January 17, 2018

BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING COLUMBIA AUDUBON SOCIETY JANUARY 17, 2018 President Hillman called the meeting to order at 6 p.m. Present were Laura Hillman, Lori Hagglund, Kris Hagglund, Bill Mees, Allison Vaughn, Douglas Miller, Eric Seaman, Eric Wood, Lottie Bushmann, Eric Reuter, Nancy Bedan, and John Besser. The minutes from the November 15, 2017 meeting

CAS News & Notes for February 2018

From the President As most of you know, we are trying to mix up the kinds of monthly programs offered by Columbia Audubon. January’s wonderful research-focused talk by the new State Ornithologist was the first standard lecture format. It was very well attended, as had been expected. In February Eric Reuter will lead a book

CoMoGives Donations Boost CAS Budget for Third Year

by Nancy Bedan, CAS CoMoGives Committee The Columbia Audubon Society received $6,630 in donations during the 2017 CoMoGives online fundraiser for community nonprofit organizations. CoMoGives is conducted during the month of December by the Community Foundation of Central Missouri. A total of $712,569 was raised for the 114 local nonprofit organizations that participated in the

New Technologies for Bird Tracking – Sarah Kendrick Speaks to the January CAS Meeting

by Eric Reuter Editor’s note: this story was updated on 2/8 to reflect several suggestions for clarifications from Sarah Kendrick. Rapid technological advances are allowing us to track bird movements more effectively than ever before, creating new ways to understand and appreciate migration and behavioral patterns. At the January CAS meeting, attendees were treated to

Two adult and two juvenile Trumpeter Swans in corn stubble at Bradford Farm on January 3, 2018. Photo by CAS member Kathleen Anderson; used with permission.

Overwintering Trumpeter Swans Increasing in Missouri

by Joanna Reuter Four years ago this month, Eric & I first saw Trumpeter Swans flying over our northern Boone County property. What seemed an amazing novelty then has become a common occurrence during the winter months, but we still experience a thrill with each passing flock, typically announced by a distinctly nasal honking. Sometimes

Meeting Minutes, November 15, 2017

BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING COLUMBIA AUDUBON SOCIETY NOVEMBER 15, 2017 President Hillman called the meeting to order at 6 p.m. Present were Laura Hillman, Kris Hagglund, Nancy Bedan, Lori Turner, Eric Reuter, Eric Wood, Bill Mees, Doug Miller, and Lori Hagglund The minutes from the October 18, 2017 meeting were reviewed and unanimously approved. Treasurer’s

CAS News & Notes for January 2018

From the President Well, I just spent two days in a cypress swamp looking for Wood Storks and I found three! They sent up a plane to look for active nests, found six on thousands of acres, and were very happy because maybe all their hard work will help keep the Wood Stork from going

Dickcissel at Eagle Bluffs Conservation Area, December 2017 - by Paul McKenzie

2017 CAS Christmas Bird Count recap

On December 16, members of the Columbia Audubon Society and other volunteers fanned out across Boone County to participate in the 118th Christmas Bird Count. Weather conditions were mild, with a slight breeze in the morning hours and high temperatures reaching the low 30s. On the day of the count, we collectively detected 96 species

3/4 grooved ax found in the stream at Chert Hollow Farm. Photo by Eric Wood.

Field Trip Recap: Chert Hollow Farm, Dec. 2

On a sunny and mild early December day, we hosted about a dozen attendees on a CAS field trip to the homestead farm in northern Boone County that Eric and I have managed for the past decade or so. The big find of the day turned out to be a rock, not a bird, but

Wednesday, January 17th, 2018

January CAS Meeting: Presentation by Sarah Kendrick (State Ornithologist for MDC)

7:00 p.m.

Speaker: Sarah Kendrick, State Ornithologist for the Missouri Department of Conservation Title: Technology and Tracking Bird Migration: What We Are Learning and How You Can Help Tracking birds during migration is a rapidly growing field of ornithological study due to development of new technologies that improve each year. Tracking devices small enough to be placed