Event

January 21, 2026

January Membership Meeting: Allison Vaughn on the Positive Effects of Managed Deer Hunts in Missouri State Parks

7:00 PM

Important Announcement CAS is to receive a substantial financial donation. The funds are intended for the maintenance of the properties owned by CAS and may also be used to support the training for internships as well as education and outreach related endeavors. The intention is to utilize the funds that result from the investment growth

Friday, February 6, 2026

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 (map) at 8 a.m.

Sunday, February 8, 2026

RESCHEDULED: *Sunday* Afternoon Birding at Twin Lakes and Forum Nature Area

2 PM

Note: This trip was originally scheduled for Saturday, February 7, but will now be held on Sunday, February 8, 2026. Come birding with the Columbia Audubon Society on an afternoon trip to Twin Lakes Recreation Area and Forum Nature Area! Birds we could encounter include waterfowl, herons, gulls, raptors, kingfishers, woodpeckers, yellow-rumped warblers, and sparrows.

Sunday, February 15, 2026

*RESCHEDULED to Sunday, Feb 15* Great Backyard Bird Count Feeder Crawl

9 A.M. to 12 P.M.

**Originally scheduled for Saturday, February 14; due to the rain forecast we have decided to push this event to Sunday, February 15**   As part of the 2026 Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC), CAS will lead a Feeder Crawl on Sunday, February 15th. Starting at Songbird Station at 9 a.m, we’ll “crawl” to various backyard

Wednesday, February 18, 2026

CANCELLED: February Weeknight Social

Check back in the spring for more social events!

Saturday, February 21, 2026

Wild Haven Work Day

9:00 AM- 12:00PM

Weather permitting we will be burning several brush piles. This job may include dragging brush a short distance from brush piles to the burn site. Depending on the number of volunteers we may split several people from the burn crew to continue working on the fire break trail in anticipation of a controlled burn this

February 26, 2026

February Membership Meeting: Mark Glenshaw, “Forest Park Owls: Mating, Nesting and Owlets”

7:00 PM

Mark H.X. Glenshaw is an award-winning naturalist who has closely observed and documented the lives of Great Horned Owls in Forest Park in St. Louis, Missouri since December 2005.  Mark’s talk, “Forest Park Owls: Mating, Nesting and Owlets”, will share what Mark has been able to observe and document of the owls’ breeding cycle including:

Saturday, February 28, 2026

Work Day: Saturday 2/28 at CANS

9am to 12pm

WORKDAY THIS SATURDAY: Prepare fire lines at CANS On Saturday, February 28, at 9am-12pm, we will take advantage of warm and dry conditions to prepare a portion of the Columbia Audubon Nature Sanctuary for a prescribed burn. This will involve clearing tall grass and weeds from around cedar trees and standing dead trees, to prevent

Saturday, March 7, 2026

Twilight Timberdoodle Trek at Rock Bridge Memorial State Park

5:45 PM to 7:00 PM

Join us for the 2026 edition of the Timberdoodle Trek! Early spring is the time to enjoy the fascinating twilight mating displays of the American woodcock (a.k.a. timberdoodle). This year, we have permission from the Missouri DNR to linger after sunset at Rock Bridge Memorial State Park‘s High Ridge Trail to (hopefully) enjoy this annual

Sunday, March 15, 2026

Heron Rookery Count at Gans Creek Recreation Area

8:00 AM

We will do our annual trip to the Heron Rookery to count returning birds and the number of nests available.  We have kept records of their return for the past 11 years, always on March 15. This field trip has been dubbed the “Ides of March” trip. The beginner mountain bike trail is complete in

March 18, 2026

March Membership Meeting — Talk by Tim Scherrer: War Pigeon! Missouri’s role in the training of pigeons and pigeoneers in WWII

7:00 PM

Neosho, Missouri found itself the home to Camp Crowder, a US Army Signal Corps replacement training center, built in 1942. In 1943, the Army Signal Pigeon Corps moved from New Jersey to Missouri and began operations. Camp Crowder became the training and breeding home to the pigeon corps. Several of the ten Signal Pigeon Companies

Saturday, March 21, 2026

CANS Workday-Honeysuckle Removal with Missouri Conservation Corps

9:00am-12:00pm

Columbia Audubon Society and Missouri Conservation Corps and are organizing a cooperative honeysuckle removal event on Saturday, March 21st, from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. at the Columbia Audubon Nature Sanctuary (CANS), 3607 Bray Ave. Volunteers will be pulling and cutting invasive honeysuckle from this 28-acre nature preserve. By holding this event early in the

Saturday, March 28, 2026

Saturday Afternoon Birding at Alspaugh Park

1 PM

Join us on a field trip to one of the City of Columbia’s newest parks! Alspaugh Park is a 201-acre property where the City of Columbia, Missouri Department of Conservation, and Columbia Audubon are collaborating. Expect to spend up to 2 hours walking about 2 miles across diverse upland habitats. Wild turkeys, woodpecker, hawks, and

Friday, April 3, 2026

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 (map) at 8 a.m.

Saturday, April 11, 2026

Shorebirds and a Social: Katy Trail and Cooper’s Landing

Field trip: 1 PM; Social: ~3 PM

Join Columbia Audubon for a hybrid field trip and social event featuring a couple sections of the Katy Trail and Cooper’s Landing! Feel free to attend the field trip, the social, or both! Our first birding location will be Columbia Wetland Unit #1, assuming water levels are suitable for shorebirds and/or waterfowl. We will meet

Wednesday, April 15, 2025

Columbia Audubon April Membership Meeting: Sarah Kendrick on Tracking Migratory Songbirds to Inform Conservation Action

7 PM

The Wood Thrush is an iconic bird of eastern forests and a priority for conservation in 25 U.S. states and holds threatened status in Canada. Improving our understanding of the species’ full life cycle ecology, including migration patterns between their breeding and nonbreeding ranges, is essential in order to better understand the species’ conservation needs and

Tuesday, April 28, 2026

Swift Night Out: A Tour of Bird-Friendly Chimneys in Downtown Columbia

7:00 PM to 8:45 PM

Join us to explore the architecture of downtown Columbia from the perspective of Chimney Swifts, and to watch for possible roosting activity during spring migration. These fascinating birds use open chimneys as overnight roost sites, otherwise remaining in constant flight. Trip leaders Eric & Joanna Reuter have observed flocks of swifts roosting in chimneys on

Friday, May 1, 2026

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 (map) at 8 a.m.

Sunday, May 10, 2026

May 2026 Potluck and Bird Walk at Bonnie View and CANS

Bird walk at 3:30 PM, Potluck at 5:30 PM

Join Columbia Audubon for its annual May potluck picnic! Starting at the Bonnie View shelter (directions), we will be leading a pre-potluck bird walk to the Columbia Audubon Nature Sanctuary. The potluck will commence at 5:30 PM! Bring a dish to share and your own beverages; note that alcohol is not allowed at Bonnie View.