Author Archives: Allison Vaughn

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

CAS News & Notes for March 2019

Spring really is coming – By Eric Reuter Although central Missouri will experience temperatures ~30° below normal in the first week of March, watching birds reminds us that winter is on its way out. In just the past week here in northern Boone County, Joanna and I have observed tens of thousands of Snow Geese

2018: A Record-Breaking Big Year of Birding in Missouri

By Brad Jacobs, CAS past-president and retired MDC ornithologist For bird-watchers, a Big Year is a personal challenge to find as many bird species as possible. In 1991, Tim Barksdale achieved a Big Year record of 314 bird species for the state of Missouri. Though there have been several attempts to break that record in the

Wednesday, March 20th

March Meeting: “Eagle Bluffs: an environmental success story”

7:00 p.m.

At the March Meeting, Carl Gerhardt will present the documentary: “Eagle Bluffs: an environmental success story.” This newly edited version is a minute or two shorter than the version that was broadcasted on KMOS (about 24 min). The political story is unchanged and chronicles the efforts of a group of citizens—primarily Doug Elley ang Hank

Meeting Minutes for January 16, 2019

COLUMBIA AUDUBON SOCIETY BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING January 16, 2019 President John Besser called the meeting to order at 6 p.m. Present:  John Besser, Bill Mees, Laura Hillman, Greg Leonard, Allison Vaughn, Doug Miller, Lottie Bushmann, Eric Wood, Nancy Bedan, and Jan Mees, chair of the CAS 60th Anniversary Committee Minutes: Bill M moved (Eric

Saturday, April 6, 2019

Field Trip: Introduction to Recording Bird Vocalizations

8:00 a.m. to approx. noon

We can accommodate about 12 participants; please reserve a space in advance by email: contactus@cherthollowfarm.com. As of April 3, seven spaces are still available. Smart phones and other basic devices make it easy and affordable to record bird vocalizations without specialized equipment; via eBird, you can readily contribute to the Macaulay Library, a growing global

CAS News & Notes for February 2019

President’s Notebook: Looking ahead, honoring the past – By John Besser This especially wintry January has kept us away from many of our favorite outdoor pursuits, but it gives us a good opportunity to reflect on our past successes and to plan for the future. CoMoGives Rocks! The year 2018 ended on a very positive

CoMoGives Donations Will Help CAS Programs Grow

– by Nancy Bedan, CAS CoMoGives Committee The Columbia Audubon Society received $9,405 in donations during the 2018 CoMoGives online fundraiser for community nonprofit organizations. Columbia Audubon will use the funds to maintain and expand its education and conservation programs in 2019. The CAS board plans to continue converting pasture land on the west side

Meeting Minutes, November 14, 2018

COLUMBIA AUDUBON SOCIETY BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING November 14, 2018 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 Seaman, Lori Turner, Eric Wood Minutes: Bill M asked that the Oct. 17 minutes be corrected to indicate

Meeting Minutes, October 17, 2018

COLUMBIA AUDUBON SOCIETY BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING October 17, 2018 President John Besser called the meeting to order at 6 p.m. Present:  John Besser, Bill Mees, Lottie Bushmann, Lori Turner, Eric Seaman, Greg Leonard, Eric Wood, Laura Hillman, Allison Vaughn, Doug Miller, Nancy Bedan, and guest Edge Wade Minutes:  Nancy B will send corrected minutes

Meeting Minutes, August 29, 2018

COLUMBIA AUDUBON SOCIETY BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING August 29, 2018 President John Besser called the meeting to order at 6 p.m. Present:  John Besser, Bill Mees, Lottie Bushmann, Lori Turner, Eric Seaman, Eric Reuter, Eric Wood, Laura Hillman, Nancy Bedan Minutes: Bill Mees moved (Eric Wood seconded) approval of the April 18, 2018, minutes. Motion

Wednesday, February 20th

February Meeting: Dr. Charles Nilon (MU School of Natural Resources)

7:00 p.m.

Join CAS at our monthly meeting for a presentation by Charles Nilon, PhD, who will speak about his research on the relationship between humans and wildlife in urban communities: Since 1997, Nilon has been a co-principal investigator on the Baltimore Ecosystem Study (BES), one of two urban ecosystems included in the National Science Foundation’s Long-Term

Wednesday, January 16th, 2019

CANCELLED: Book discussion: Welcome to Subirdia, by John M. Marzluff

7:00-8:00 p.m.

We regret to announce that this event has been cancelled due to the potential for freezing fog/rain during the day and into the evening. We apologize for the late notice but had been waiting to assess the forecast as it developed in hopes that better conditions would prevail.  The CAS board meeting scheduled for 6

CAS News & Notes for January 2019

Many Thanks to Our CoMoGives Donors! -by Nancy Bedan, CAS CoMoGives Committee The 2018 CoMoGives fundraiser for area non-profit organizations ended at midnight Dec. 31; this was the fourth year of participation for Columbia Audubon. Although we won’t have final totals for the number of donors and dollars received until January, we are very grateful

2018 Christmas Bird Count results in 93 species

-by Allison Vaughn December 15th was a chilly but clear and calm day for the 2018 Christmas Bird Count. Over 45 participants fanned out across the 15 mile radius to count birds. Although the birding conditions were mild with little wind, full sun, and bearable temperatures, many participants reported that the birds were not very