Author Archives: Allison Vaughn

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

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

Sunday, January 1, 2023

1st Day Hike at Rock Bridge Memorial SP: January 1, 2023, 2:30-4:30pm

2:30-4:30pm

Celebrate the New Year with the Columbia Audubon Society by joining an afternoon birding hike at Rock Bridge Memorial State Park on January 1st, 2023. We’ll walk the Grassland Trail from 2:30–4:30 p.m., exploring the mixed grassland, shrub, and forest-edge habitats to look for sparrows, raptors, and any other fauna or flora of interest. We’ll

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

Meeting Minutes from October

COLUMBIA AUDUBON SOCIETY BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING OCTOBER 19, 2022 MEETING CONDUCTED AT UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CHURCH Present: Lori Turner, Judy Lincoln, Louise Flenner, Eric Seaman, Greg Leonard, Jim Gast, Lottie Bushmann, John Besser Time called to order: 6:11 pm. Previous Minutes Jim Gast moves we accept the September 2022 minutes as written. Louise Flenner seconds

January 15, 2023

January 15, 2023: Birding without Binoculars at Grindstone Nature Area

2:30 pm

Birds can be enjoyed with the naked eye, and doing so can challenge birders of all skill levels to become keener observers of various species’ characteristics. On this trip, we’ll walk a loop at Columbia’s Grindstone Nature Area to practice observing, listening to, and identifying common winter birds using just our own senses. All skill

Sunday, November 27, 2022

November 27: Field Trip- Birding without Binoculars at CANS

2:30pm

Birds can be enjoyed with the naked eye, and doing so can challenge birders of all skill levels to become keener observers of various species’ characteristics. On this trip, we’ll walk a loop at the Columbia Audubon Nature Sanctuary to practice observing, listening to, and identifying common winter birds using just our own senses. All

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,

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

CAS Board Meeting Minutes for September 21, 2022

COLUMBIA AUDUBON SOCIETY BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING SEPTEMBER 21, 2022 MEETING CONDUCTED AT DANIEL BOONE REGIONAL LIBRARY Present: Lori Turner, Alison Vaughn, Shelby Thomas, Judy Lincoln, Louise Flenner, Eric Seaman, Kevin Wehner, Greg Leonard, Jim Gast, Eric Wood, Bill Mees Time called to order: 6:00 pm Previous Minutes Jim Gast moves we accept the April

March 15, 2023

March Membership Meeting and Program: Australian and New Guinea Birds by Carl Gerhardt

7:00 pm

Join us for our March membership meeting and a program by longtime CAS member, Carl Gerhardt as he tells us about the birds he’s encountered on his travels in Australia and New Guinea. Free and Open to the public.

February 15, 2023

February Meeting and Program: Falconry in Missouri by Steve Heying

7:00 pm

Join us in February for our monthly meeting and a presentation on Falconry in Missouri by Missouri Falconer and CAS member Steve Heying. Free and open to the public.

January 18, 2023

January Meeting and Presentation: Slow Birding by Bridget Butler

7:00 PM

Join us on Zoom for our January Membership meeting and a presentation on Slow Birding by Bridget Butler. Register here for the Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYlduCtqTwiH9EOpN1Y7MGvdt4ReEpB4rCk

December 17, 2022

Christmas Bird Count Chili Supper

5:30 pm

Join us for the annual Christmas Bird Count and the CBC tabulation party beginning at 5:30 pm, our annual chili supper. We all gather at the end of the CBC to tabulate our circles’ findings to submit to National Audubon in this epic Citizen Science event. More details forthcoming for joining the count.

November 16, 2022

November Meeting and Program: Know Your Optics by Edge Wade

7:00 pm

Join us for our November membership meeting at the Universalist Unitarian Church and following the meeting we will have a hands on presentation by Edge Wade and friends on various optics to use for birdwatching. Free and open to the public. All are welcome.

October 19, 2022

October Meeting and Program: An eBird Tutorial for Beginners and Beyond!

7:00 pm

Join us for our October Membership Meeting at the Unitarian Universalist Church for a brief meeting and presentation by Lottie Bushmann and friends. Free and open to the public. An eBird Tutorial…for Beginners and Beyond Interested in joining thousands of other birders by inputting your bird data into ebird? Don’t know where to start? A

May 5, 2023

First Friday Bird Hike: 3M Wetlands

8:00 AM

First Friday Fun! Join the Columbia Audubon Society for a bird walk. This walk is open to anyone who enjoys birds, and beginners are encouraged to attend. We will walk at the 3M Wetland Trail, just off the MKT Trail near Forum Blvd. We’ll meet at the Songbird Station parking lot at 8 a.m. sharp

April 7, 2023

First Friday Bird Hike: 3M Wetlands

8:00 AM

First Friday Fun! Join the Columbia Audubon Society for a bird walk. This walk is open to anyone who enjoys birds, and beginners are encouraged to attend. We will walk at the 3M Wetland Trail, just off the MKT Trail near Forum Blvd. We’ll meet at the Songbird Station parking lot at 8 a.m. sharp

March 3, 2023

First Friday Bird Hike: 3M Wetlands

8:00 AM

First Friday Fun! Join the Columbia Audubon Society for a bird walk. This walk is open to anyone who enjoys birds, and beginners are encouraged to attend. We will walk at the 3M Wetland Trail, just off the MKT Trail near Forum Blvd. We’ll meet at the Songbird Station parking lot at 8 a.m. sharp

February 3, 2023

First Friday Bird Hike: 3M Wetlands

8:00 AM

First Friday Fun! Join the Columbia Audubon Society for a bird walk. This walk is open to anyone who enjoys birds, and beginners are encouraged to attend. We will walk at the 3M Wetland Trail, just off the MKT Trail near Forum Blvd. We’ll meet at the Songbird Station parking lot at 8 a.m. sharp

January 6, 2023

First Friday Bird Hike: 3M Wetlands

8:00 AM

First Friday Fun! Join the Columbia Audubon Society for a bird walk. This walk is open to anyone who enjoys birds, and beginners are encouraged to attend. We will walk at the 3M Wetland Trail, just off the MKT Trail near Forum Blvd. We’ll meet at the Songbird Station parking lot at 8 a.m. sharp

December 2, 2022

First Friday Bird Hike: 3M Wetlands

8:00 AM

First Friday Fun! Join the Columbia Audubon Society for a bird walk. This walk is open to anyone who enjoys birds, and beginners are encouraged to attend. We will walk at the 3M Wetland Trail, just off the MKT Trail near Forum Blvd. We’ll meet at the Songbird Station parking lot at 8 a.m. sharp

November 4, 2022

First Friday Bird Hike: 3M Wetlands

8:00 AM

First Friday Fun! Join the Columbia Audubon Society for a bird walk. This walk is open to anyone who enjoys birds, and beginners are encouraged to attend. We will walk at the 3M Wetland Trail, just off the MKT Trail near Forum Blvd. We’ll meet at the Songbird Station parking lot at 8 a.m. sharp

Friday, October 7, 2022

First Friday Bird Hike-3M Wetlands

8:00 AM

First Friday Fun! Join the Columbia Audubon Society for a bird walk. This walk is open to anyone who enjoys birds, and beginners are encouraged to attend. We will walk at the 3M Wetland Trail, just off the MKT Trail near Forum Blvd. We’ll meet at the Songbird Station parking lot at 8 a.m. sharp

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

Missouri Bumble Bee Atlas Training at CANS

Science always starts with a question. Scientists then design a study to find the answer. How many bumble bee species reside in Missouri? How are they distributed across the state? Are populations stable, increasing, or decreasing? These and other questions will be answered by the Missouri Bumble Bee Atlas. The MBBA will assist natural resource

Kick Off Picnic at Bonnie View Shelter

September  18th is our kick off meeting and picnic for CAS! It will be held at the Bonnie View Shelter near Rollins roundabout NW of Fairview School. We have the shelter rented from 4-8.  Bring your own picnic supper and beverage. Utensils provided. Socializing until 6pm At 6:45, Andrew Biggs, Assistant Director from MU Research Extension

Bird Photographers! CAS needs you!

The CoMoGives campaign kicks off in late November, and as part of CAS’s campaign, we like to send out a charismatic winter bird postcard. We’re looking for a high resolution image that will be printed on a large format postcard to mail out to members and donors from years past. Credit will be given to

Summer Happenings at the Nature Areas

During the summer, everything seems to slow down a little, but nothing really stops.  In fact, for CAS habitat restoration efforts quicken. AT CANS, many seedlings were planted in early spring with the intention of re-establishing some of Missouri’s missing brushy, bushy species.  Unfortunately, the heat combined with the lack of precipitation conspired to thwart

Friday, September 2, 2022

First Friday Bird Hikes-3M Wetlands

8:00 am

First Friday Fun! Join the Columbia Audubon Society for a bird walk. This walk is open to anyone who enjoys birds, and beginners are encouraged to attend. We will walk at the 3M Wetland Trail, just off the MKT Trail near Forum Blvd. We’ll meet at the Songbird Station parking lot at 8 a.m. sharp

Cerulean Warbler Motus Research in Colombia

Thank you all who have donated to help fund the research project that will be stationed in Colombia to monitor Cerulean Warblers on their wintering grounds! This is an amazing opportunity for USFWS to collaborate with SELVA to gather data and will surely be the start of many collaborative projects for other neotropical migrants in

Friday, August 26-Saturday, August 27, 2022

Missouri Bird Conservation Initiative Annual Conference

5:00pm

For the first time since 2019, MoBCI is hosting an in person conference at the Columbia Country Club in Columbia. The theme is Weather or Not We Care about Birds, and covers climate-related issues facing bird conservation today. Friday night is a cash bar with heavy hors d’ouevres and Saturday’s lunch is provided with registration.

Request for Matching Donations to help Cerulean Warblers

Sarah Kendrick, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and Midwest Motus Coordinator, has teamed up with SELVA, a non-profit conservation group dedicated to studying and learning more about migration in Colombia, to start a 2-year long research project that needs our help.  SELVA will be Motus radio-tagging Cerulean Warblers (CERWs) on their wintering grounds in