Author Archives: Allison Vaughn

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,”

Friday, May 6, 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, April 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

News and Notes from the President

 Election I have appointed Lori Turner, Shelby Thomas and Laura Hillman to be the nominating committee for this year’s election which will be held in April. We need candidates for president, vice president, secretary, treasurer and board member. If you are interested in becoming an officer or want to nominate someone (make sure that person

Audubon Camp Hog Island Recipient of CAS Scholarship featured

https://www.columbiamissourian.com/innovations/education/green-future-students-build-houses-to-understand-eco-friendly-architecture/article_5edc3da2-544d-11ec-9c31-9f481be5cd46.html Congratulations to Smithton Middle School teacher Heather Jones, who was featured in the Columbia Missourian’s Jan. 27 “Innovations in Education” special section. Heather received a scholarship from Columbia Audubon to participate in Educator’s Week at the Hog Island Audubon Camp in Maine. Read the full article in the link above about how she brought her skills

ComoGives Campaign 2021 Report

2021 marked Year 7 of participation by CAS! Thank you CoMoGives donors! Thanks to the generosity of 115 donors, CAS will add approximately $11,000 to our treasury.  CAS was also awarded a Challenge Grant from CoMoGives in the amount of $500 for raising the second highest amount among organizations with an operating budget of $25,000

Proposed Managed Deer Archery Hunt at Bonnie View Nature Sanctuary

The mission of the Columbia Audubon Society is “to preserve the natural world and its ecosystems, focusing on birds and other wildlife, and the earth’s biological diversity through education, environmental study and habitat restoration and protection.” As such, and as a land managing organization, we aim to preserve and protect our land holdings for the

Wednesday, February 16, 2022

CAS February Meeting and Nature Photography Program

7 p.m.

Stay safe and warm at home while you enjoy the nature photography and commentary of local naturalists Randal and Denise Clark at our Feb. 16 Zoom meeting and program. The program, titled “Sharing the Seasons of 2020/2021,” features their pictures of native plants, birds, wildlife and scenery. Randal led the spring nature walks at Rock

Note from the President

Happy New Year and here’s to a wonderful 2022.   CoMoGives Campaign Thanks to the generosity of our supporters, we raised $10,507 for the 2021 CoMoGives campaign. January Program Join us—via Zoom—for Columbia Audubon’s January program, Bird Nests–The Wonder of Avian Engineering  on Wednesday, January 19th at 7:00 PM. Paige Witek, education coordinator for the

Nature Area Notes

 Wild Haven prescribed fire On December 2, a crew of 15 volunteers conducted a 20-acre prescribed burn in the creek valley west of the Wild Haven picnic area. Volunteers came from CAS, Boy Scout troop 242, and from ‘SAFE’, the MU student forestry club. Because many of our crew had limited experience, burn boss Roxie

2021 Christmas Bird Count Results-Not many birds, warm weather

This fall’s unseasonably warm weather continued on December 18, the day of the Columbia Christmas Bird Count. Temperatures were mostly in the 40s, above normal for the date, although the risk wind made it feel a bit colder and may have kept some birds in heavy cover. The turnout of count volunteers was high as

Wednesday, January 19, 2022

January Meeting and Program: Bird Nests, The Wonder of Avian Engineering

7 p.m.

The bare trees of winter make it easier to spot bird nests, so what better time to learn about the “whys” and “hows” of these remarkable structures. Join us—via Zoom—for Columbia Audubon’s January program and membership meeting at 7pm on January 19. Paige Witek, education coordinator for the Missouri River Bird Observatory, will talk about

Saturday, January 29, 2022

Field Trip to Binder Lake

9:00AM

Join Edge Wade for a field trip to Jefferson City’s Binder Lake. Meet at the AC/Grindstone Commuter Lot to carpool to Jefferson City. We will leave at 9:00am, so plan to arrive no later than 8:50. We’ll bird Binder Lake by car, getting out to scope waterfowl from various points, and will be watching for

Friday, March 4, 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, Feb. 4, 2022

First Friday Bird Walk

8 a.m.

First Friday Fun! Join the Columbia Audubon Society at 8am on February 4th 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 Wetlands Trail, just off the MKT Trail near Forum Blvd. We’ll meet at the Songbird Station parking

Friday, January 7, 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

January 20, 2022

Women’s Winter Birding Webinar

6:00-7:30pm

Join the Missouri River Bird Observatory for the webinar section of the Women’s Winter Birding program. See details here: https://mrbo.org/event/womens-winter-birding-workshop-hybrid-event-webinar-portion/

January 1, 2022

1st Day Hike on the KATY Trail : Jan. 1, 2022 8:30 am

8:30 am

Missouri State Parks and Rock Bridge Memorial State Park are hosting a First Day Hike on the KATY Trail, starting at the McBaine Trailhead on Jan. 1, 8:30am. The hike will be one mile altogether, hiking out 1/2 mile and returning to the trailhead. Free and open to the public but registration required. The event

How to Enter CBC Data in eBird

COUNT AND IDENTIFY BIRDS: This is the fun part! PREPARE ONE OR MORE EBIRD CHECKLISTS, using Mobile eBird app (e.g., on your smartphone) or eBird website (eBird.org) or Ask someone in your group for help with eBird data entry. DATA ENTRY DETAILS: Select an existing eBird hotspot or personal location or click on your location

Note from the President

Happy Holidays! I can’t believe it’s already December. I hope you all had a nice Thanksgiving. CoMoGives: The 2021 CoMoGives campaign has started.  This campaign is Columbia Audubon’s major fundraising campaign, and this year we have a goal of $10,000. I cannot wait to see what this year’s postcard looks like–it features a beautiful photo of

CoMoGives Campaign Underway!

CoMoGives officially began Tuesday, November 30, 2021.  This online community fundraising platform provides 148 nonprofit groups, including Columbia Audubon Society, an opportunity to raise funds for their organizations. In 2020, 109 donors contributed over $12,350 to CAS through CoMoGives.  Our goal for the 2021 campaign is $10,000. CoMoGives is the only fundraising effort for CAS.

A Few Notes about the History of the Christmas Bird Count

Late in the 19thCentury, an annual Christmas Day celebration centered around a “side hunt.” A “side hunt” would land you in a federal courtroom in 2021. But, in the days before conservation was an issue, teams would form, and each team would try to kill as many birds (and other wildlife) as possible in a

Christmas Bird Count: December 18, 2021

With all our section leaders in place for this year, the Christmas Bird Count 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 plan to send out our teams on Saturday Dec. 18th. Please contact your section leader

Editorial: Photo and Video Permits on Conservation Lands need Commonsense Revision

The Missouri Department of Conservation has adopted new rules requiring fee-based permits for commercial photography or videography on MDC conservation areas. These permits cover any activity that “directly or indirectly results in financial benefit or gain.” MDC confirmed, in writing, that this has no exemptions, applying even to hobby photographers selling a few pictures at

Nature Area Notes

Six years have passed since we have conducted a prescribed fire in the open oak woodlands at Wild Haven. Our management goal for this area is to use periodic, low-intensity fire to maintain the open understory of the woodland and to help control invasive woody shrubs like Autumn Olive and Bush Honeysuckle. We’d like to

Good Turnout for “First Friday” Bird Walk with Songbird Station

Eighteen birders showed up to walk together at 3M wetlands on Friday, November 5, the first of our “First Friday” Bird Walks. It was a beautiful, frosty morning and pretty chilly when we started, but we had low winds, warm sun and plenty of birds to study. Sparrow populations here are strong. The group found

Saturday, December 18, 2021

Christmas Bird Count

Columbia’s 2021 Christmas Bird Count will held on Saturday, Dec. 18. If you would like to participate and aren’t already part of a team, or if you need more information, please contact Lottie Bushmann at lottie.bushmann@gmail.com. Everyone is invited to join in a discussion of the day’s highlights and preliminary count results via Zoom at

Note from the President

I can’t believe it’s already November. Lottie Bushmann’s First Friday Field Trip kicks off on November 5th. Contact Lottie at  lottie.bushmann@gmail.com for more information. The CoMoGives campaign starts on Tuesday, November 30th (Giving Tuesday). November Program Features Missouri Parks Association We’re going back to the Zoom format for our November 17th membership meeting. Two special

Band With Nature at CANS 2021

The weather was “iffy” at best for the 2nd grade field trip, Raptor Rehab was unsure they would be able to attend, MRBO was going to offer a program not attempted with this age group and the banding station was all new staff from Rockbridge High School.  With this prelude, what could possibly go wrong?

Crepuscular Creep a Huge Success at CANS

A rainy Friday night did not deter over 250 people from attending the first-ever “Crepuscular Creepl” sponsored by Columbia Public Schools Science Department and Columbia Audubon Society. 125 carved pumpkins lit by glow sticks were displayed on the concrete trail from the entrance of Columbia Audubon Nature Sanctuary, down the path and across the boardwalk,

Noah Strycker Joins CAS for Big Sit at Bradford Farms

Approximately 35 Columbia Audubon members and special guests participated in an all-day “Big Sit” on Saturday, Oct. 16, at MU’s Bradford Farm–our first CAS field event since spring 2020. Vicki Park, Edge Wade, Noah Strycker, Lottie Bushmann and Paul McKenzie talk birds.  Noah Strycker, author of “Birding Without Borders,” joined us for most of the