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Note from the President

Hi all! I hope this finds you well and looking forward to the change in seasons. Before I became a birder, I dreaded what I considered the drabness of winter. I couldn’t have been more mistaken. Where I once saw a field of “dead” plants I now see habitat and so much life. It’s just

Win a Bird Feeder Camera at the CBC Chili Supper!

Win an Adorbee Smart Bird Feeder Camera! Thanks to a generous gift from Dick Madsen, we have an Adorbee Smart Bird Feeder Camera to give away. This is a solar-powered feeder camera with AI connected to Merlin. Wow! They are priced anywhere from $99-169 on-line. What a great gift for yourself or another bird lover

CAS participating in CoMoGives for the 10th year

Today marks the first day of the CoMoGives campaign and runs through December 31st. We are excited to be part of this annual online fundraising drive for the 10th year, which helps local nonprofits raise money to help our community. In 2023, 100 donors contributed over $10,000 to CAS through CoMoGives. Our goal during this

Bird Banding Update from Band With Nature, 2024

Bill Mees of the Nature Areas Committee has helped orchestrate the annual Band With Nature event with Columbia Public Schools. Here’s his report from this year of birds banded and many recaptures from previous Band With Nature events! Attached is my summary report for bird banding with the 2nd grade program at Columbia Audubon Nature

Thank You from the Nature Areas Committee!

CAS hosted a workday at Wild Haven Nature Area to remove invasive bush honeysuckle. There was a great crew working on this important project. David Neely, Nature Areas Committee, sends a heartfelt Thank You to everyone who helped! “THANK YOU to John, Kathy, Bill, Eric, Kent, Victor, Emily and Jean for a great day butchering

Martha Donnell, Denny Donnell’s Wife: 1934-2024

Longtime CAS member and former Missouri Bird Conservation Initiative Steering Committee member, one of the founders from CAS Denny Donnell’s wife, Martha passed away earlier in November. She frequently accompanied Denny on drives through Eagle Bluffs Conservation Area. She was always at Denny’s side at CAS picnics and the Christmas Bird Count Chili Suppers. In

Note from the President

Hi all. I hope this finds you well and enjoying some lovely fall weather. I also hope you were able to attend our CAS October meeting that was held on-site at the Boone County Nature School. I left feeling so positive and uplifted knowing that our future would be in the hands of children learning

Tips for Tyros: Lessons for Beginning Birders

Field trips led by experienced birders are proven ways for beginning and seasoned birders to expand their ability to locate and identify birds, learn about bird behavior, and share the pleasures of birding. Many beginning birders hesitate to go on field trips because they don’t know what to expect. Beginning birders are always welcome on

Field Trip to Albert Children’s Area: November 10, 1-3pm

Few Audubon members have visited the Albert Children’s Wildlife Area (Albert Area), although it has been owned by CAS for over 30 years. This approx. 80-acre property (see map here) is located in eastern Boone County along Cedar Creek. When CAS acquired this land, it was entirely covered by waste from coal mining which occurred

Field Trip Review: The Big Sit

One person (Kim Kraus) from CAS joined me for the well-advertised field trip to the 28th annual Swan Lake Big Sit hosted by Grand River Audubon Society. Emma Buckingham and fiance Bruce drove themselves and arrived in time for lunch. Brenda Morris came from Jefferson City. The weather was great–clear, and a bit warm, but

CoMoGives Campaign Begins December 1

Columbia Audubon Society is participating in the 2024 CoMoGives fundraising campaign for the 9th year. This annual fundraising drive for local non-profit organizations begins Sunday, December 1st and ends on Tuesday, December 31st. CAS has been very fortunate to have members and friends who support our mission… “to preserve the natural world and its ecosystems,

CANS and the Ticks and Mosquitoes

Rumor has it that the Columbia’s Audubon Sanctuary provides a ready supply of organic, locally grown food for its bird inhabitants. A 2024 study by the Mizzou’s Department of Veterinary Pathobiology confirms the rumor as true. Without a doubt, the fauna of the sanctuary grounds includes a variety of mosquitoes and ticks for the avian

Book Reviews of Bird-related Books

I was talking to Emma Buckingham about the CAS January 15th book discussion on Amy Tan’s The Backyard Bird Chronicles and mentioned that I have been reading some other bird-related books this year. She said she was always looking for good books on birds to read. You might want to check these out especially if

Draft Minutes from October Board Meeting

Columbia Audubon Society Board of Directors Meeting Wednesday October 16, 2024 Meeting conducted at Daniel Boone Regional Library Present: Lottie Bushmann, Lori Turner, Allison Vaughn, Vickie Park, Greg Leonard, Reed Gerdes, Shelby Thomas, Eric Wood, John Besser, Emma Buckingham Time called to order: 6:35 pm Previous minutes: John Besser moves to accept the August 28,

Christmas Bird Count RESCHEDULED FOR SUNDAY, DEC 15TH

All Day

THE 2024 CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT IS BEING RESCHEDULED TO SUNDAY DECEMBER 15 DUE TO INCLEMENT WEATHER ON SATURDAY. CHILI SUPPER IS STILL SATURDAY NIGHT. SEE DETAILS BELOW. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CHILI SUPPER INFORMATION ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Join us this year for the 125th annual Christmas Bird Count! We will plan to send out our teams on Sunday Dec 15.

Note from the President

Hello all! I hope this note finds you enjoying the beginning of fall weather and the migration of species through our area. Columbia Audubon has many ways for you to be involved either through birding, counting birds, counting down honeysuckle, learning about the Boone Co. Nature school or helping work with 2nd graders. If you

Edge Wade Birthday Event

A group of birders got together September 9 to celebrate Edge Wade’s 80th birthday. To all of us Edge has been a mentor, a teacher, a warrior and a friend. To mark the occasion, we all dressed like Edge and tried to imitate her Edginess. We each proudly wore the Alpha Code of our favorite bird. As Edge’s favorite bird

Gold Crest Warehouse Sale — Saturday, October 26

Gold Crest hosts their annual Public Warehouse Sale on Saturday, October 26th. Open to all in the Mid-Missouri community, this sale features samples, overstocks and slightly imperfect items at fantastic prices from $2 to $20. It’s a great time to pick up holiday gifts! The sale is held at the warehouse, 1600 Bassford Drive in Mexico,

Uncommon Butterfly Seen Thriving at CANS

Paul MacKenzie is a butterfly, graminoid and bird expert. He often birds at CANS and Wild Haven, submitting robust eBird checklists. He had a happy find this past late summer at CANS: One of the most noteworthy observations this season was the presence of 8 Gemmed Satyr butterflies. I have observed this species here before

Volunteers needed for Workday at Bonnie View: October 12, 9am-12pm

In the past two years, CAS has had several shared activities with the Missouri Conservation Corps. We held two well-attended bird walks at Kiwanis Park, where MCC has accomplished a remarkable project to remove bush honeysuckle. Stephen Bybee of MCC followed up with a presentation to CAS membership about recruitment of volunteers for this project

Note from the President

Hello friends! We’re off to another season with Columbia Audubon Society (CAS). Whether you’re reading this newsletter for the first time or the hundredth time, we hope that you’ll make your way to joining us either at a field trip, potluck or meeting. There are many exciting things happening in Columbia and Boone County. The

Field trip report

September is the traditional start of the CAS field trip season and your field trip coordinators are excited to be planning a diverse set of birding opportunities over the coming year. You can review past and future event listings on the CAS website. Here’s a brief report on the past year and what’s coming up.

Save the Date! 11th Annual Band With Nature Event

Volunteers are needed for this year’s Band With Nature 2nd grade field trip for 1200 students. If volunteering is in your blood then consider volunteering either 9:00-12:00 noon or 12:00 noon -2:30 PM or all day if that strikes your fancy. Dates are October 14, 15, & 17 (rain dates 16th & 18th). This is

Alspaugh Park Birding

The Missouri Birding Society(MBS) and Columbia Audubon Society (CAS) are providing bird occurrence information in partnership with the Missouri Department of Conservation and Columbia Parks and Recreation Department at the recently opened Alspaugh Park in Columbia. Stipulations in the gift of the park land to the City of Columbia include proscriptions of many typical park development features (playground, athletic

CAS-supported Range-wide Wood Thrush Motus-tagging Project Starts Strong

*Author’s note: Hey Columbia Audubon Society! I wanted to share a summary of the 2024 Range-wide Wood Thrush Motus-tagging Project since your chapter and many other Missouri birders helped support this project. The Wood Thrush (Hylocichla mustelina) is a medium-sized songbird of eastern deciduous forests that is known for its flute-like, ethereal, ee-oh-lay song

Nature Area Notes

Nature Area Activities – Summer 2024 At Columbia Audubon Nature Sanctuary, Area Manager, Bill Mees continued to work on invasive species control. The abundant rains have encouraged Common Mullein and Sericea Lespedeza and increased the need for mowing around the CANS parking lot, areas bordering yards of two neighbors and over 2 miles natural surface

Update on Eagle Bluffs Conservation Area

Summer is ending, and as fall begins with it comes some of the best times of the year for area users of all interests to get out and enjoy the area! We currently have both river pumps operational and have started putting water on the landscape creating flooded habitat in many of the wetland units.

A.L. Gustin Golf Course CAS Field Trip- June 17, 2024

International Pollinator Week (June 17-23) was kicked off by 13 CAS members on a three-hour field trip to the University of Missouri’s A.L. Gustin Golf Course at the invitation of course superintendent Isaac Breuer. Participants boarded two-person golf carts and paraded through the course with stops to step out and learn about the development and

Protecting Eastern Bluebird Populations

Columbia Audubon Nature Sanctuary (CANS) and Bonnie View (BV) Nature Area provide protection for plants and animals that live there as well as nature viewing for visitors. Nest boxes provide additional nesting sites as green space shrinks and urban areas expand. CANS/BV supports 14 nest boxes that are monitored weekly. The North American Bluebird Society

Free Bird Coloring Pages available online

The world of birds is diverse and colorful. If you’re feeling creative, feel free to visit ColorBird.org, where you can download bird illustrations to color, crosswords to do, and more! These activities were created by Michael Erb, an Arizona birder who wanted to combine the wonder of birds with his love of science and learning.

20th Missouri Bird Conservation Initiative Conference and CAS

CAS was a founding member 21 years ago of the partnership organization, the Missouri Bird Conservation Initiative, a stepdown organization of the North American Bird Conservation Initiative. Denny Donnell was a longtime MoBCI Representative and today Bill Mees has filled the role, serving as Chair for a three year term several years ago. MoBCI helped

Birding By Bicycle

It was early Sunday morning with very little traffic and clear skies. Louise Flenner, Lottie Bushmann, and Vickie Park met at Perry Phillips Lake Parking lot to set out on a route that Louise frequently traveled on her ebike. All three CAS members had ebikes which have some advantages over regular bikes for birding.

2024 Missouri Bird Conservation Initiative Conference

5:00pm

The 2024 MoBCI Conference will be held August 22-23 at the Columbia Country Club. Registration is now live at www.mobci.net.

Fall Picnic and Bird Walk

2:00-6:30pm

Come one, come all! Please join us for the CAS Fall potluck. Bring your favorite dish to share and come ready to share a bird story or two. We love to hear about all the birds you’ve been seeing. We’ll have a bird walk prior to the potluck. Meet at the pavilion at the Bonnie

Save the Date! Fall Picnic September 15

May Meeting and Picnic: Great Food, Camaraderie, Beautiful Setting

On Sunday, May 19, Audubon members enjoyed lovely potluck food, incredible weather, a nice nature hike and all of the improvements that have been made to Wild Haven Nature Area in recent months. The May meeting was President Lori Turner’s last meeting as president, and incoming president Lottie Bushmann had some words to share after

Dolores Pearl Clark, 87

Republished from the Columbia Tribune, May 16, 2024 Dolores was one of two daughters born to Carl and Berthenia Denny on a farm A dozen miles southeast of Clinton, Mo. She attended a one-room school and graduated from Clinton High School in 1955. She married Bill Clark on August 11, 1955, and the marriage produced

Note from the President

First and foremost, I’d like to say thank you for entrusting me as your president. It was a joy serving you all and helping where I could. My tenure as President ends on May 31. Here’s a list of accomplishments we’ve made through the year to help achieve our mission: Nature areas Columbia Audubon Nature

May 1: Bird For Brad Jacobs Day

Editor: Brad Jacobs was a longtime Columbia Audubon Society member and incredible person and ornithologist who truly left a legacy for bird conservation not only in Missouri, but worldwide. Former State Ornithologist Sarah Kendrick penned this call to action for all of us as a way to commemorate his unfortunate passing four years ago on

Contact Your State Representative: Invasive Species Plant Sales in Missouri

Contact your MO Representative to support HB 2412, which bans the sale of disruptive and invasive plant species in Missouri. HB 2412, the Invasive Plant Bill, aims to prohibit future sales and intentional distribution in Missouri of five invasive plant Species: Burning bush, Callery pear, Climbing euonymus (also known as wintercreeper), Japanese honeysuckle, and Sericea

Book Review: Making Bird-Friendly Birdhouses: Instructions and Plans for 15 Specific Birds

If you’ve been wanting a book on how to build bird boxes, then Bird Man Mel Toellner’s new book, Making Bird-friendly Birdhouses (2024), is the book for you! I’ve been wanting to build some nest boxes for different species and this book has plans for 15 species of birds and even a few bat houses.

Errata: Photos from Hannah Vonder Haar’s Hog Island Audubon Camp CAS Scholarship

In error, submitted photos from Hannah Vonder Haar’s Hog Island Audubon Camp as part of her 2024 scholarship from CAS were missing from her article in the April Chat. The following photos highlight some of her experiences while at Hog Island Audubon Camp. Vonder Haar spent some time exploring Hog Island and practiced her photography

Draft April CAS Board Meeting Minutes

Columbia Audubon Society Board of Directors Meeting April 17, 2024 Meeting conducted at Boone Electric Cooperative Present: Lori Turner, Eric Wood, Judy Lincoln, Shelby Thomas, Greg Leonard, Jim Gast, John Besser, Reed Gerdes, Eric Seaman, Louise Flenner, Lottie Bushmann Time called to order: 6:04 p.m. Previous minutes: Judy Lincoln moves to accept the March 2024

Note from the President

Notice of Election Pursuant to Article IV D section 2 of the bylaws, notice is given of an election for candidates for the board of directors to be held at the general meeting on Wednesday, April 17, 2024. The meeting starts at 7:00 PM and will be held in the Amp room of the

Meet the CAS Board Candidates!

At the April 17th membership meeting, members will vote on our new slate of candidates. Here’s a little information about the three new officers! President, Lottie Bushmann: “I came to birding later in life. My spark bird was a Cedar Waxwing. A flock flew into my yard and in that moment when I first laid

Spring Birding and Other Events

Spring brings lots of opportunities for birding and other outdoors fun. Check the CAS events listing for details of upcoming field trips; additional trips will likely be added for peak migration season in late April and early May. If you’d like to lead a trip, or if you have an idea for one, let us

2023 Hog Island Scholarship Recipient reflects on her Experience

Hannah Vonder Haar was a 2023 Columbia Audubon Society scholarship winner and attended Hog Island Audubon Camp in Maine last summer. She has worked as an educator in different capacities for 15 years. She has served as an art integration specialist, an adjunct professor, a faculty supervisor for pre service teachers, an elementary classroom teacher

Hog Island Audubon Camp Award Winners Announced

The Columbia Audubon Society is happy to announce the recipients of our summer scholarship for educators! The winners will attend a week long summer ecology or ornithology workshop at the National Audubon Society Camp on Hog Island in Maine. Each award covers tuition, room, and board for an intensive multi-day course of field study and

Wild Haven’s New Amenities

Wild Haven Nature Area is 103 acres located at 6900 O’Rear Road. This impressive property includes a nearly mile long stretch of Perche Creek enjoyed by visitors who hike the Yellow trail. The four well marked trails branch across the property’s different habitats, each offering different hiking experiences. The work of Columbia Audubon’s volunteers continues

Invitation from Burroughs Audubon Society to join Webinars

Columbia Audubon members were recently invited to tune into Burroughs Audubon Society’s monthly meetings and presentations. These are free webinars that may be of interest! You need to register in advance to get the link to the webinar, which you can do here: General Meetings < Burroughs Audubon Society of Greater Kansas City Prothonotary Warblers:

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