Author Archives: Allison Vaughn

Meeting Minutes for December 18, 2019

The special meeting of the Board of Directors convened at 6 p.m. at the Columbia Public Library for a presentation by representatives from the new Boone County Nature School project. Present: John Besser, Bill Mees, Doug Miller, Eric Seaman, Laura Hillman, Eric Wood, Jean Neely, Allison Vaughn, Nancy Bedan. Representing the Nature School project: Roger

Meeting Minutes for November 20, 2019

COLUMBIA AUDUBON SOCIETY BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING November 20, 2019 President John Besser called the meeting to order at 6 p.m. Present:  John Besser, Nancy Bedan, Lottie Bushmann, Laura Hillman, Greg Leonard, Bill Mees, Doug Miller, Eric Reuter, Joanna Reuter, Eric Seaman, Allison Vaughn, Eric Wood, and Jean Neely, newly appointed board member Board Vacancy: 

News and Notes for January 2020

New Year, new events The Columbia Audubon Society (CAS) event calendar will kick off 2020 with an afternoon First Day Hike on the Grasslands Trail at Rock Bridge Memorial State Park, in coordination with Missouri State Parks. On January 15, the first CAS meeting of 2020 will feature State Ornithologist Sarah Kendrick. She has exciting

Destination: Audubon, Iowa

by Louise Flenner In September, George and I decided to travel home from our RV vacation on the North Shore of Minnesota by taking the long way home down the western side of Iowa along Hwy. 71.  The destination I was looking for was the town of Audubon, Iowa.  I had noted this place on

Birds in Big Numbers: Flocks of Blackbirds and Starlings

Part two in an occasional series, Birds in Big Numbers by Joanna Reuter Blackbirds can congregate in enormous numbers, sometimes in mixed-species flocks with starlings and other birds. In eBird’s current dataset, Red-winged Blackbirds hold the world record for the high count of a single species, with an estimate of 40 million individuals during a

Sightings: December 2019

Raptors: Winter is a good time to view raptors, and many photos demonstrating their winter diversity were submitted to eBird and the Macaulay Library this month from Boone County. Here’s a selection:  The final photo in that sequence is a Prairie Falcon found by Shelby Thomas at South Farm on December 7. This was

News and Notes for December 2019

President’s notebook: Let’s eBird the Christmas Bird Count By John Besser, Columbia Audubon Society (CAS) President The Christmas Bird Count is probably the longest-standing activity of the National Audubon Society. The genius of this early “citizen science” project lies in its simplicity and consistency over the years. Each group participating in the CBC submits a

Seeking Members for a CAS Field Trip Strategic Planning Committee

by Eric Reuter, Field Trip Chair As Field Trip Chair, I have been researching liability questions for non-profits engaged in outdoor activities; this has opened a can of worms that must now be addressed. Because field trips are a core part of the Columbia Audubon Society (CAS) mission, the board has approved my formation of

CoMoGives Fund Drive is Under Way

Please Consider Making a Gift to Columbia Audubon by  Nancy Bedan, CAS CoMoGives Committee Mid-Missouri residents can make donations to any of 138 nonprofit organizations through the 2019 CoMoGives fundraiser during the month of December. These organizations, Columbia Audubon Society included, offer exceptional programs and services to our community. The Community Foundation of Central Missouri

Columbia Audubon Society Participates in Planning for Boone County Nature School

by John Besser and Bill Mees Those attending the October CAS membership meeting at Fairview Elementary School heard about plans for a new ‘nature school’ from Mike Szydlowski, Science Coordinator for Columbia Public Schools (CPS).  This exciting facility will be located on a 207-acre tract donated by the Hank Waters and Vicki Russell, located off

Sightings: November 2019

This month’s sightings were once again compiled entirely from eBird and illustrated with photos embedded via the Macaulay Library. (Feel free to submit interesting observations and photos to me directly by email.) Anna’s Hummingbird: This November brought an early-season Arctic blast, not weather that one usually associates with hummingbirds. But, sure enough, a hummingbird showed

Meeting Minutes for October 16, 2019

COLUMBIA AUDUBON SOCIETY BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING October 16, 2019 President John Besser called the meeting to order at 6 p.m. Present:  John Besser, Nancy Bedan, Bill Mees, Greg Leonard, Lottie Bushmann, Doug Miller, Eric Seaman, Laura Hillman, and Jean Neely, guest and prospective board member Minutes:  Bill M asked that Joanna Reuter’s e-mail address

Saturday, December 14, 2019

Christmas Bird Count Chili Supper Potluck

6:00 p.m.

This is the annual chili supper potluck following the Christmas Bird Count, at which we share food and company while reporting and compiling the results of the day-long count. The potluck will start at 6 p.m. at Fairview Road Community of Christ Church, 1111 S. Fairview Road in Columbia. Table service and hot and cold

News and Notes for November 2019

From the editor This issue of The Chat comes after the annual Columbia Audubon Society (CAS) Band with Nature program gave around 1,350 students an opportunity to be inspired about birds and nature; these 2nd graders are from 69 classrooms representing 19 schools. In this issue, the two Columbia teachers who attended Hog Island Audubon

Scholarship Recipients Enthusiastic about Hog Island Audubon Camp

Each year, the Columbia Audubon Society offers two scholarships for teachers to attend the Hog Island Audubon Camp off the coast of Maine. This past summer’s recipients, Emily Reynolds and Andrew Crawford, took part in the program “Sharing Nature: An Educator’s Week”; their accounts of the experience are below, illustrated with Emily’s photos. Applications are

2019 CoMoGives Drive Begins December 1

—by Nancy Bedan, CAS CoMoGives Committee Columbia Audubon is participating in the annual CoMoGives annual fundraiser for area non-profit organizations again this year. The online giving campaign, which runs during the month of December, is coordinated by the Community Foundation of Central Missouri with support from several local businesses. Columbia Audubon has participated in CoMoGives

Sightings: October 2019

This month’s sightings were compiled entirely from eBird and illustrated with photos embedded via the Macaulay Library. (Feel free to submit interesting observations and photos to me directly by email.) Arrivals: Late September and October brought the return of a number of overwintering birds, including these regulars: Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers: The first-of-season sightings for our region

Meeting Minutes for August 21, 2019

COLUMBIA AUDUBON SOCIETY BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING August 21, 2019 President John Besser called the meeting to order at 6 p.m. Present:  John Besser, Nancy Bedan, Bill Mees, Eric Wood, Greg Leonard, Eric Reuter, Lottie Bushmann, Laura Hillman, Doug Miller, Allison Vaughn Minutes:  Bill M asked that the minutes be corrected to clarify that CAS

News and Notes for October 2019

From the editor -by Joanna Reuter The September issue of The Chat was a big one, so I decided to wait until this issue to introduce myself and my goals as editor. Though I’ve been a bird watcher for about three of my four decades, I still cherish the constant potential for discovery. I was

Congratulations to Bill Mees and CAS: Eco Schoolhouse Horseshoe Award

The Eco Schoolhouse Horseshoe Award uses an artifact from the past to honor those whose actions aim to produce a better future through environmental education. The award is named for a horseshoe found during the construction of the Eco Schoolhouse, a LEED Gold building that was built with community support in 2008 after fire destroyed

Raptor Rehab Q&A

Judy Lincoln is a volunteer for Raptor Rehab, as well as an active member of the Columbia Audubon Society. She kindly answered a variety of questions about many aspects of Raptor Rehab: What is Raptor Rehab? The University of Missouri’s Raptor Rehabilitation Project, better known as Raptor Rehab, treats injured raptors with the goal of

Sightings: September 2019

September Broad-winged Hawk migration update.  The Hawk Watch Happy Hour “field trip” didn’t yield much in the way of hawks, but it drew ~20 people and was a good time nonetheless. (Email me if you were there and would like to have the eBird list shared with you). As of the time I’m writing this,

News and Notes for September 2019

President’s notebook: Welcome back! -by John Besser, Columbia Audubon Society (CAS) President Maybe you didn’t all spend your summer relaxing in the cool mountain air or ocean breezes, but it seems like some Columbia Audubon friends who did are reappearing, along with the returning college students and migrating shorebirds. Of course, our organization didn’t come

Young Birders Josh and Chelsea Mosteller Share Their Story

Editor’s note: The Columbia Audubon Society helped to sponsor a recent trip to a birding camp in Delaware for two enthusiastic young birders, Josh Mosteller, 18, and Chelsea Mosteller, 14. Here, in an article by each, they share the story of how they became interested in birding and give an account of the camp, illustrated

Birds in Big Numbers: Introduction to a Series

by Joanna Reuter Seeing lots of birds in a short period of time is exciting. Try to imagine: Many millions of blackbirds. Over a million geese (so many that satellite imagery was useful for estimating numbers). Tens of thousands of ducks. Tens of thousands of American Robins. Thousands of Broad-winged Hawks. Thousands of swallows. Thousands

Birds in Big Numbers: September Broad-winged Hawk Migration

by Joanna Reuter Although a variety of raptors migrate south in the fall, Broad-winged Hawks do so in groups that sometimes number in the hundreds or thousands in Missouri. Getting to see “kettles” of Broad-winged Hawks riding thermals and/or cruising south is a thrilling and memorable experience. High count: Described as “the most extraordinary wildlife

Sightings: May through August 2019

The “Sightings” column is a new addition to The Chat, and one that I plan to make a regular feature. It will highlight a sampling of interesting bird observations made since the prior newsletter, with emphasis on the six-county region (Audrain, Boone, Cooper, Howard, Monroe, Randolph) served by the Columbia Audubon Society. If you see

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

September meeting: Earth exploration with Edge

7:00 p.m.

For the September program, Columbia Audubon Society member Edge Wade will present photos she’s bummed from others to illustrate the variety of birds and other critters seen in travels over the past year. We’ll warm up with a visit to the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso, including dry areas of the Brazilian Plateau and riparian

Meeting Minutes for May 15, 2019

COLUMBIA AUDUBON SOCIETY BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING May 15, 2019 President John Besser called the meeting to order at 6 p.m. Present:  John Besser, Nancy Bedan, Lottie Bushmann, Greg Leonard, Bill Mees, Eric Reuter, Eric Seaman, Lori Turner, Eric Wood Minutes:  Bill M moved (Eric W seconded) approval of the March 20 minutes. Motion approved

Date to be determined

May meeting

The May meeting tradition is to hold a pot-luck picnic. A decision will be made at a later date regarding the status of this event. Please check back for details.

Wednesday, February 19, 2020

February meeting: Visiting Magee Marsh, a presentation by Bill Palmer

6:00 p.m.

Meeting time change: Please note that the February meeting will begin at 6:00 p.m., an hour earlier than usual, to discuss and vote on a proposal for CAS to support the development of the Boone County Nature School. Bill Palmer’s presentation will begin at 7:00 p.m.: Magee Marsh in northwest Ohio is a natural trap

Wednesday, January 15, 2020

January meeting: Sarah Kendrick, State Ornithologist

7:00 p.m.

Missouri’s State of the Birds: Updates and Excitement in Conservation Come hear Sarah talk about exciting updates and developments in statewide bird conservation, namely the Missouri Bird Conservation Plan, Motus Wildlife Tracking System update in Missouri, and a sneak peek into planning for Brown-headed Nuthatch reintroduction to Missouri in 2020! The meeting begins at 7:00

Saturday, December 14, 2019

Christmas Bird Count

On Saturday, December 14 we will be counting birds within a 15 mile radius of Rock Bridge Elementary school in south Columbia. This count circle is broken into many areas, each with a leader and helpers who try to find and count as many of the early-winter birds as possible. Most groups start early (sometimes

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

November meeting: Why Our Yards Are So Important to the Full Life-cycle Conservation of Our Native Birds

7:00 p.m.

Margy Terpstra is an avid birder, nature photographer, and lifelong gardener with a degree in Horticulture. She is a member of the Audubon Society, Wild Ones, and Missouri Nature and Environmental Photographers (MoNEP). Since 1996, Margy and her husband Dan have worked together to remove invasive plants, restore their half-acre property in Kirkwood with beautiful

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

October meeting: Mike Szydlowski, Science Coordinator for Columbia Public Schools

7:00 p.m.

Please note that this meeting will not be at the usual location. Instead, it will be held in the Media Center at Fairview Elementary School on South Fairview Road in Columbia. Mike Szydlowski, K-12 Science Coordinator for the Columbia Public School District, will speak on the new place-based nature curriculum at Fairview Elementary School and

News & Notes, Summer 2019

– by John Besser, CAS President. Well, you can tell by the heat and humidity that it’s June, and for Columbia Audubon Society that means our fiscal year (FY2018) is over. At our meeting on May 15, the CAS Board of Directors took stock of our accomplishments and responsibilities at the end of the fiscal

CANS Prairie Update

– by John Besser, CAS President. Yesterday, I paid a visit to the 15-acre prairie restoration project at the Columbia Audubon Nature Sanctuary, off Bray Avenue in West Columbia.  I think this is the fourth growing season for this project, and each year we see new plants reaching maturity. Three of the “new” species are

Wednesday, June 19

Summer book discussion: Welcome to Subirdia, by John M. Marzluff

6:30 p.m.

This is a rescheduling of a book discussion originally planned in January but postponed due to winter weather. The new date, near the summer solstice, means that there is enough daylight to both talk about the book and observe birds in subirdia. We’ll allow for about an hour of book discussion (starting at 6:30 p.m.)

May 14, 2019

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

7:30 p.m.

(postponed from May 7) 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 hear 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

CAS News & Notes for May 2019

Upcoming Events May birding is just too good to restrict to weekends, so early May has two weekday afternoon/evening field trips scheduled, one on Wednesday May 1 at Hinkson Creek and  another on Tuesday May 7 at Rocky Fork Lakes Conservation Area. The first weekend of May is the Audubon Society of Missouri (ASM) spring

CAS 60th Anniversary Celebration a Success

-by Eric Reuter CAS celebrated its 60th birthday through a series of fun events during the last weekend of April, made possible by the hard work of committee chair Jan Mees and members Nancy Bedan, Lottie Bushmann, Lori Hagglund, Judy Lincoln, Doug Miller, Lori Turner, and Allison Vaughn. Friday reception Many CAS members convened at

Saturday, May 18

May meeting: picnic at Bonnie View Nature Sanctuary

Noon to 3:00 p.m.

The May membership meeting will consist of a potluck picnic from noon to 3:00 p.m. at the Bonnie View picnic shelter, 3300 Rollins Rd, preceded by a morning bird walk. To help CAS make this a greener event, we encourage attendees to bring their own reusable dishware to reduce waste, though CAS will have some

Saturday, May 18

Field trip: Columbia Audubon & Bonnie View Nature Sanctuaries

8:30-11:30 a.m.

Join us for a stroll through the restored prairie and woodlands of the Columbia Audubon Nature Sanctuary and the adjacent Bonnie View Nature Sanctuary to explore the areas’ birds, wildflowers, and other natural features. We’ll start and end at the Bonnie View picnic shelter, 3300 Rollins Rd, where the CAS May membership meeting will subsequently

May 7, 2019

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

7:30 p.m.

THIS TRIP IS POSTPONED due to the forecast for heavy rain from Monday night through Tuesday night, including a Flash Flood Watch. We will try the trip again next Tuesday, May 14 at the same location and time. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Join us for this evening walk through the mixed habitats of Rocky Fork Lakes Conservation Area

Meeting Minutes for March 20, 2019

COLUMBIA AUDUBON SOCIETY BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING March 20, 2019 President John Besser called the meeting to order at 6 p.m. Present:  John Besser, Nancy Bedan, Lottie Bushmann, Laura Hillman, Greg Leonard, Bill Mees, Eric Seaman, Lori Turner, Eric Wood Minutes:  Bill M moved (Greg L seconded) approval of the Feb. 20 minutes. Motion approved

CAS News & Notes for April 2019

Upcoming events CAS has quite a few events planned this spring. April field trips will be heading to Grindstone Creek, Prairie Garden Trust, Schnabel Woods Natural Area, while May trips will include Hinkson Creek and Bonnie View Nature Sanctuary. April also features a  field trip/workshop on learning to record bird vocalizations and a variety of

CAS Celebrates Its 60th Anniversary This April

-by Jan Mees What do April 26, 1785 and April 26, 2019 have in common? The former is the birth date of John James Aubudon, while the latter is the date Columbia Audubon Society is celebrating its 60 year anniversary! CAS members Nancy Bedan, Lottie Bushmann, Lori Hagglund, Judy Lincoln, Jan Mees, Doug Miller, Lori

CAS is now an affiliate member of the Conservation Federation of Missouri

-by Bill Mees and John Besser Last month, the CAS board voted for our organization to become an affiliate member of the Conservation Federation of Missouri (CFM). This article provides some context for this decision. What is CFM? The mission of CFM is “to ensure conservation of Missouri’s wildlife and natural resources, and preservation of

Wednesday, May 1st

Nature walk along Hinkson Creek

5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Enjoy some fresh air and exercise while learning how streams and their diverse riparian communities benefit Columbia’s residents and visitors, including migratory birds. John Besser (CAS’s president),  Lynne Hooper (Boone County’s urban hydrologist), and Dave Dittmer (a forester with Columbia Parks and Recreation) will lead this walk along Hinkson Creek. Registration is not necessary. Dress

Meeting Minutes for February 20, 2019

COLUMBIA AUDUBON SOCIETY BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING February 20, 2019 President John Besser called the meeting to order at 6 p.m. Present:  John Besser, Greg Leonard, Eric Wood, Eric Seaman, Bill Mees, Doug Miller, Lori Turner, Allison Vaughn, Nancy Bedan Minutes:  Bill M moved (Doug M seconded) approval of the Jan. 16 minutes. Motion approved