Past Events

Saturday, March 8, 2025

Twilight Timberdoodle Trek at Rocky Fork Lakes Conservation Area

5:30 p.m.

Join us for the 2025 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). We’ll walk out into the southern grasslands at Rocky Fork Lakes Conservation Area to (hopefully) enjoy this annual treat while experiencing whatever other evening bird activity develops.

Monday, March 10, 2025

Volunteer Workday at Wild Haven for Invasive Species

TBD

CAS volunteers continue to work with Davyn Orcutt, who has been hired to control invasive plants at the Wild Haven nature area. Davyn worked on Sundays and Mondays during February as weather pertmitted. We expect warmer weather soon and we hope to recruit volunteers to work with Davyn on his remaining work days: March 2, 3, 9, 10,

Saturday, March 15, 2025

Heron Rookery Count at Gans Creek Recreation Area

8:00-11:00 a.m.

This year’s trip to the Great Blue Heron rookery is particularly important. Gans Creek Recreation Area (GCRA) has approved a mountain bike trail to be built in the park. We will be counting heron nests and the number of returning birds. We have kept records of nests and birds for 10 years, but this will

Sunday, March 16, 2025

Volunteer Work Day at Wild Haven for Invasive Species

TBD

CAS volunteers continue to work with Davyn Orcutt, who has been hired to control invasive plants at the Wild Haven nature area. Davyn worked on Sundays and Mondays during February as weather pertmitted. We expect warmer weather soon and we hope to recruit volunteers to work with Davyn on his remaining work days: March 2, 3, 9, 10,

Monday, March 17, 2025

Volunteer Work Day for Invasive Species at Wild Haven

TBD

CAS volunteers continue to work with Davyn Orcutt, who has been hired to control invasive plants at the Wild Haven nature area. Davyn worked on Sundays and Mondays during February as weather pertmitted. We expect warmer weather soon and we hope to recruit volunteers to work with Davyn on his remaining work days: March 2, 3, 9, 10,

March 19, 2025

March Membership Meeting: Talk by Isaac Breuer on landscape management at the Gustin Golf Course

7pm

Gustin Golf Course was the first college golf course in the United States certified by Audubon International. It was recognized as a Cooperative Sanctuary in 1997 and has maintained that status ever since. The golf course has been recognized for its excellence in wildlife habitat management, water conservation, and environmentally friendly turf management practices.

Sunday, March 23, 2025

Volunteer Work Day for Invasive Species at Wild Haven Nature Area

TBD

CAS volunteers continue to work with Davyn Orcutt, who has been hired to control invasive plants at the Wild Haven nature area. Davyn worked on Sundays and Mondays during February as weather pertmitted. We expect warmer weather soon and we hope to recruit volunteers to work with Davyn on his remaining work days: March 2, 3, 9, 10,

Monday, March 24, 2025

Final Volunteer Work Day for Invasives at Wild Haven

TBD

CAS volunteers continue to work with Davyn Orcutt, who has been hired to control invasive plants at the Wild Haven nature area. Davyn worked on Sundays and Mondays during February as weather permitted. We expect warmer weather soon and we hope to recruit volunteers to work with Davyn on his remaining work days: March 2, 3, 9,

Friday, April 4, 2025

First Friday Bird Hike: 3M Wetlands

8:00 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 (map) at 8 a.m.

Saturday, April 12, 2025

Second Saturday Birding: Rudolf Bennitt Conservation Area

Carpool 7:00 a.m., meet on-site 7:45 a.m.

Join CAS as we explore Rudolf Bennitt Conservation Area, ~30 miles northwest of Columbia at the intersection of Boone, Randolph, and Howard Counties. This 3575 acre landscape includes a mix of forests, fields of restored native grasses, and a lake, providing a variety of habitats for interesting birds. In spite of this diversity of excellent

April 17, 2025

Archaeological Institute of America talk by Dr. Alicia Dissinger: “Birds in Cypro-Archaic Art: Classifications, Comparanda, and Case Studies”

5:30 PM (reception at 5 PM)

As part of her visit to Columbia, Dr. Alicia Dissinger (American School of Classical Studies at Athens) will be giving two talks, one hosted by the Central Missouri Chapter of the Archaeological Institute of America (AIA) on Thursday, April 17 and one by Columbia Audubon on Friday, April 18 (as part of the April Membership

April 18, 2025

April Membership Meeting: Talk by Dr. Alicia Dissinger (American School of Classical Studies at Athens), “Images of Birds in the Ancient Mediterranean World”

4 PM

Come and put your birding skills to the test and learn about avians in antiquity!   We will be having a special April Membership meeting, co-hosted by the Central Missouri Chapter of the Archaeological Institute of America (AIA) and University of Missouri Museum of Art & Archaeology. People (and artists) in the ancient world spent

Saturday, April 26, 2025

Birds, Bees, & Blooms – two birding walks at Arrow Rock spring festival

8:00 and 10:00 a.m. walks

Please note: Registration is required for these bird walks. Please see link below. Arrow Rock Birding Walks with MRBO Date: Saturday, April 26th, 2025; 8:00 AM and 10:00 AM starts Meeting Location: Arrow Rock State Historic Site Visitor Center (parking available on-site) Join the Columbia Audubon Society (CAS) and the Missouri River Bird Observatory (MRBO) for guided

Tuesday, April 29, 2025

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

7:00-8:45 p.m.

Update: The trip is ON for April 29. See you there! 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. During the fall 2024

Friday, May 2, 2025

First Friday Bird Hike: 3M Wetlands

8:00 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 (map) at 8 a.m.

Tuesday, May 6, 2025

Kiwanis Park: Birding Without Bush Honeysuckle

7:00 a.m.

The Missouri Conservation Corps, a local nonprofit, has been working hard on Kiwanis Park ecosystem restoration, including removing bush honeysuckle and planting native trees and shrubs. What birds make use of this improved habitat? The Columbia Audubon Society has been asked to help find out! On Tuesday May 6, near the peak of spring songbird

Wednesday, May 7, 2025

Birder’s Social at Logboat Brewery: Planning for Birding Big Day

6:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Join us at Logboat Brewery! Meet-up with fellow birders while making plans to take part in Birding Big Day on Saturday May 10. And there will be pizza!  As the thinking goes, it would be great:  to get lots of folks out looking at (& listening to) birds on Saturday May 10, Birding Big Day.

Saturday, May 10, 2025

Birding Big Day!

The second Saturday in May of each year is eBird’s Global Big Day! This coincides with peak songbird migration in central Missouri, so it’s a great excuse to head outside in order to look and listen for birds. Check out the article in The Chat (coming in April) on “A new tradition for Birding Big

Monday, May 12, 2025

Whip-poor-wills and Chuck-wills-widows at Rocky Fork Lakes CA

7:30 p.m.

Join us on the night of the full moon for our 2025 annual 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

Wednesday, May 21, 2025

May 21 CAS Picnic: 5:30PM

5:30pm

Come join us for socializing, favorite bird stories, a shared meal, and opportunities to hike/bird Bonnie View. END of CAS CALENDAR  YEAR –  MAY POTLUCK PICNIC  will be held afternoon/evening of Wednesday May 21, 2025 at the Bonnie View Nature Sanctuary Shelter off of W. Rollins. CAS will provide Table Settings and Ice. *NOTE! * Please

Friday, June 6, 2025

First Friday Bird Hike: 3M Wetlands

8:00 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 (map) at 8 a.m.

Monday, June 16, 2025

Field Trip: Birding at Gustin Golf Course (Registration required)

6:00 p.m.

Take part in a special opportunity to bird MU’s Gustin Golf Course, where native plantings and landscape management make for great birding habitat. As noted on the course’s website, Gustin Golf Course was the first college golf course in the United States certified by Audubon International.  Gustin Golf Course was recognized as a Cooperative Sanctuary

Thursday, June 19, 2025

Summer Social at Logboat Brewing Company

~5-6:30 p.m.

Hang out with birders and discuss summer bird happenings. Perhaps there will be gossip about goldfinches. Or chat about chats. Swallow some beer if you desire, but non-drinkers are equally welcome at this family friendly venue. Beer and hard cider are available from Logboat. Food trucks are sometimes an option, and bringing your own food/water

Saturday, July 5, 2025

First *Saturday* Bird Hike: 3M Wetlands

8:00 a.m.

Due to the Fourth of July holiday, we’re moving our normal First Friday Walk to Saturday, July 5. 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

Thursday, July 24, 2025

Summer Social at Logboat Brewing Company

~5-6:30 p.m.

Hang out with birders and discuss summer bird happenings. Perhaps there will be gossip about goldfinches. Or chat about chats. Swallow some beer if you desire, but non-drinkers are equally welcome at this family friendly venue. Beer and hard cider are available from Logboat. Food trucks are sometimes an option, and bringing your own food/water

Friday, August 1, 2025

First Friday Bird Hike: 3M Wetlands

8:00 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 (map) at 8 a.m.

Tuesday, August 19, 2025

Gans Creek Recreation Area Biodiversity Webinar

6:30pm

Join us for a program on August 19,2025 at 6:30 PM via Zoom. David Diamond and Mike Currier will talk to us about the complexity, bio-diversity, geophysical settings and connectivity of Gans Creek Recreation Area South, and the opportunity to conserve these natural features. They will also discuss the tenants of preserve design, and fundamentals

Thursday and Friday, August 21-22, 2025

Registration is Live for MoBCI Conference!

5:00 PM

The Annual Missouri Bird Conservation Initiative Conference will be held August 21-22 at the Columbia Country Club. This is a great event in a lovely setting with the theme of how maintaining natural communities for birds requires ongoing maintenance, something our Nature Areas Committee knows all too well! Thursday night will host the keynote speaker,

Tuesday, August 26, 2025

Summer Social at Logboat Brewing Company: SCHEDULE UPDATE

~5-6:30 p.m.

Important update: This gathering has been rescheduled for Tuesday August 26, 2025 (due to the unfortunate oversight that the originally scheduled date coincides with the first Mizzou home football game of the year). Hang out with birders and discuss summer bird happenings. Perhaps there will be gossip about goldfinches. Or chat about chats. Swallow some

Friday, September 5, 2025

First Friday Bird Hike: 3M Wetlands

8:00 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 (map) at 8 a.m.

Wednesday, September 17, 2025

Logboat: Social; Later: Swifts!

5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. (social), followed by swift watching, ending by ~7:45 p.m.

Feel free to take part in one or both components of the evening’s activities:  Part 1: Social at Logboat Brewing Company (~5:00 to 6:30 p.m.) Hang out with birders and discuss birds (plus nature in general, geology, and more)! Perhaps there will be gossip about goldfinches. Or chat about chats. Swallow some beer if you

Thursday, September 18, 2025

Swift Night Out: Chimney Swift Watch in Downtown Columbia

6:30 p.m. to ~8:00 p.m.

Update: The event is ON, in spite of a small chance of storms. Bringing a rain jacket is advisable (and preferable to umbrellas, which might interfere with viewing). Wednesday evening observations confirmed a very active roost. From the meeting point at the Armory, we will be walking past several other buildings that host roosts  on

Saturday September 20th

September 20 Work Day at Wild Haven

9am

With the fall picnic coming up, we will spend a few easy hours at Wild Haven on Saturday September 20th (9 AM to noon) getting the place ready for visitors. We plan to tidy up the picnic area and outhouse, clear brush and fallen logs off the hiking trails, and add or replace trail markers.