Author Archives: Allison Vaughn

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

September 18, 2022

Picnic at Bonnie View with Talk about Bradford Farms

4:00pm-8:00pm

Andrew Briggs from Bradford Farms will be hosting a talk at our September picnic about the new rules and regulations and policies regarding birding at Bradford Farms. Bring a dish and your own utensils. We have the shelter reserved from 4pm-8pm, with the picnic beginning at 4pm and talk at 6:45.    

Thursday, July 28, 2022

Shorebird Identification Training-Part 2

7:00 PM

Dr. Pete Monacell led a Zoom-based shorebird identification workshop sponsored by the Missouri Birding Society, Columbia Audubon Society, and Missouri River Bird Observatory on April 20, 2022.  The workshop was recorded and is available on the MBS website at https://mobirds.org/ASM/Videos.aspx Dr. Monacell will present a follow-up workshop via Zoom with the same sponsoring organizations at 7:00pm,

Tree Removal at Eagle Bluffs Conservation Area

by Brady Lichtenberg, Missouri Department of Conservation We’ve received some questions about the tree removal projects we’ve been working on for the past few years at Eagle Bluffs CA, so I am hopeful that this article will help to answer the common ones. In pool 2, we removed mostly cottonwoods and some willows because waterfowl

Note from the President

This is my last column as president of Columbia Audubon Society. I regret that we weren’t able to meet in person more often, but I think the Zoom meetings worked out well. I have enjoyed sharing eBird tidbits with you and hope that you found them useful. I want to thank Nancy Bedan for doing

Eagle Scout Project at Wild Haven

The highest rank obtainable in Scouts BSA (formerly Boy Scouts of America) is the rank of Eagle Scout.  There are many requirements necessary to receive the final rank including multiple merit badges, active leadership and participation in the scout’s troop and completing an Eagle project.  The project is selected by the scout and must provide

Friday, July 1, 2022

First Friday Bird Walk

8 a.m.

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, June 3, 2022

First Friday Bird Walk

8 a.m.

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

News and Notes from the President

 There’s a lot happening in April. There are field trips, an in-person program and our election of board members.  Be sure to visit our website, https://www.columbia-audubon.org/, for all the details.  While you’re there, you can read a Missourian article about the Columbia Motus station. April Program I hope you’ll attend our April membership meeting. We

Notice of Election and Short Biographies of the Board Leadership Candidates

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 20, 2022.  The meeting starts at 7:00 PM and will be held at the Twin Lakes shelter. The candidates for office are:

CAS applies for a second Boone Electric grant to cover cost of Pollinator Interpretive Panel

CAS has applied for a second grant to cover the cost of the installation of an interpretive panel discussing the pollinators that use CANS on the prairie. Grant dollars will pay for the hardware and laminated panel, while all content and graphic design, as well as photos, will be donated by CAS members or other

Nature Area Notes: It’s Spring!

Spring is finally here and the number of nice days is increasing.  Migration is almost here too, just ask the Eastern Phoebes who are already here fly catching.  But all property owners, whether birders or not, know it’s time to start spiffing up the yard and planning the garden.  This is true for Columbia Audubon

Winter Twig Browse Survey conducted at CANS

As mentioned in the March issue of the Chat, Columbia Audubon is beginning to examine the impacts of deer herbivory on plant life at CANS. For two days in early March, I joined Bill Mees who oversees management of CANS to collect deer browse information on the site’s shrubs. In late winter when supple buds

Columbia Missourian article on the Columbia Motus Tower

The Missourian published their article about the new Motus tower CAS funded in honor of Brad Jacobs. Here’s a link to the article: https://www.columbiamissourian.com/news/local/a-new-migratory-tracking-station-detects-birds-as-they-fly-over-columbia/article_06be9592-9a44-11ec-8594-a306405b0545.html

David Plank Watercolor Exhibit- Missouri on the Wing

The State Historical Society of Missouri is hosting a revolving exhibit in the gallery of watercolor paintings by wildlife artist David Plank. Some of you may be familiar with his prints that we offered as premium gifts for donations to CoMoGives several years ago, one of a Northern cardinal and the other of an Eastern

News and Notes from the President

March Program moves to March 23rd. We have a treat in store for Columbia Audubon members in March. Instead of our regular March 16th membership meeting, CAS is co-hosting a Warbler Identification Webinar, via Zoom, at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, March 23rd . The webinar will be presented by Dr. Sara Morris, who teaches field

CAS in Need of Photos from CANS for New Interpretive Panel

Columbia Audubon is seeking another grant donation from Boone Electric for CANS to promote our restoration efforts in the way of funding another interpretive panel. The theme of this panel will be the pollinators of CANS. We are seeking photos of pollinators taken from CANS itself, not wanting to muddy the waters with pollinators from

CAS to co-sponsor March 23 Webinar on Warbler Identification

Ever find yourself frustrated with hard-to-identify warblers? Struggling with the less-distinct female and juvenile birds? Columbia Audubon is teaming up with the Missouri Birding Society and the Missouri River Bird Observatory to sponsor a warbler identification webinar, via Zoom, on Wednesday, March 23, from 7-9 p.m. The webinar, titled “Tips, Tricks and Tools for Warbler

Sunday, May 22, 2022

CAS May Membership Meeting and Picnic

4-7 p.m.

Join us for Columbia Audubon’s annual spring membership meeting and picnic. We will gather at the Bonnie View Nature Sanctuary this year. Bird walks and prairie tours from 4-5:30 p.m, followed by the picnic at 5:30 p.m. and membership meeting at 6:30 p.m. This will be the perfect time to check out the newly seeded

Wednesday, April 20, 2022

CHANGED: CAS Membership Meeting and Program on Shorebird Identification

7 p.m.

Due to a forecast of rain and thunderstorms for the evening of Wednesday, April 20th, we will be switching to a ZOOM meeting for Columbia Audubon’s April general meeting. The meeting starts at 7:00 PM, and we will be holding the election of officers for 2022-2024. After the election, Dr. Pete Monacell, regional reviewer for

Wednesday, March 23, 2022

CAS Special Event: Warbler Identification Webinar

7-9 p.m.

Ever find yourself frustrated with hard-to-identify warblers? Struggling with the less-distinct female and juvenile birds? Columbia Audubon is teaming up with the Missouri Birding Society and the Missouri River Bird Observatory to sponsor a warbler identification webinar, via Zoom, on Wednesday, March 23, from 7-9 p.m. The webinar, titled “Tips, Tricks and Tools for Warbler Identification,”