CAS Events Listings
Columbia Audubon Society field trips and events are informal and friendly. Advanced registration is (normally) not required and all participants are welcomed, whether or not they are CAS members. Please help us maintain this relaxed approach by being prepared for the risks inherent in such activities (especially those involving the outdoors and/or driving), acting responsibly, and understanding that complete elimination of risk is not possible. Further guidelines are available for field trip leaders and participants.
Tuesday, January 13, 2026 | 5:00 PM to ~6:30 PM
Winter Weeknight Social at Bur Oak Brewing Co.
Hang out with birders and discuss winter 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, cocktails, non-alcoholic sparkling water, and soft drinks are available from Bur Oak (map), and they have brats, soft pretzels, and Shakespeare’s frozen pizzas that are cooked to order.
We’ll be at the tables in the back right as you walk in, past the cornhole players if the brewery has cornhole set up. For those new to the group, clues to identify us include bird-themed table decorations. Wren you’re there, time may fly swiftly, and you’ll have no egrets.
Contact: Ben West, Email: benjwest AT gmail DOT com
Saturday, January 17, 2026 | 9am
Change in Plans for CAS workday, January 17
On January 17, CAS volunteers will converge on the west side of Columbia Audubon Nature Sanctuary to clear flammable vegetation around cedar trees and brush piles. This work is necessary to reduce the risk of ‘hot spots’ during the upcoming prescribed burn for this area. (The workday previously planned at Wild Haven will be postponed until February 14.)
We ask volunteers to bring lawnmowers, weed whackers, and hand tools for clearing dried vegetation around isolated cedar trees and brush piles. We have identified at least two cedars that are fire threats, as well as a number of brush piles and standing dead trees.
We plan to access the area from the west side to reduce the burden of carrying tools long distances. We would like to recruit at least two volunteers with mowers and two or more with more weed trimmers and hand tools. We will give directions for the most convenient access to the work area. We will start at 9AM and we expect to finish before noon. If conditions are too wet, snowy, or cold, we will postpone until Sunday the 18th.
Contact: If you are interested, contact John Besser 573–639–2211 (jbesser1@gmail.com) or Bill Mees, 573-289-7855 (jandbmees@mchsi.com)
Sunday, January 18. 2026 | 3:00 PM to 5:15 PM
Sunday Afternoon Birding at Rocky Fork Lakes Conservation Area
Join us to enjoy an afternoon birding walk at Rocky Fork Lakes Conservation Area. We might see anything from sparrows and woodpeckers, to soaring raptors, to waterfowl, to flyovers of swans and blackbirds. All skill levels welcome!
We’ll follow a route that winds through stands of pines and deciduous trees, past multiple ponds, and across open ground to an upland ridge with a view across grasslands as the sun descends. Our goal is to linger near dusk in hopes of catching swan and blackbird movements that are locally common this time of year. If we’re lucky we’ll catch sight of a beaver!
This is an out-and-back walk of 2-3 miles (depending on where we turn back) with gentle topography. The trail is wide and mowed, but it may be mucky in places if the temperatures are sufficiently warm.
Meet at 3:00 pm at parking lot on north side of lake (see map linked here), where pit toilets are available. We’ll aim to return around sunset (5:15 pm). Anyone who needs to turn back early can easily follow the route back.
Contact: Ben West; benjwest@gmail.com
January 21, 2026 | 7:00 PM
January Membership Meeting: Allison Vaughn on the Positive Effects of Managed Deer Hunts in Missouri State Parks
Learn how 30 years of managed deer hunts in state parks has evolved and what we’ve learned about the importance of managing deer to help keep stable, viable and thriving plant communities. Allison Vaughn is a former Ecologist for MDNR and served as the Deer Hunt Coordinator for 8 years.
Contact: buckinghame@missouri.edu
Friday, February 6, 2026 | 8:00 AM
First Friday Bird Hike: 3M Wetlands
Meet in parking lot of Songbird Station
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. sharp and then drive down the hill to park near the wetlands (less than a 5 min. drive). We’ll enjoy all the Missouri birds in this natural, lush landscape. The walk is about 1.75 miles on a level, gravel trail. Waterproof shoes are recommended, but not required. After our walk, we’ll return to Songbird Station by 11 a.m. and enjoy coffee and donuts.
Contact: Lottie Bushmann, lottie.bushmann@gmail.com
Saturday, February 7, 2026 | 2 PM
Saturday Afternoon Birding at Twin Lakes and Forum Nature Area
Start at Twin Lakes parking lot
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. Starting at 2 PM from the main parking lot for Twin Lakes (map here), we will walk the 2-mile loop around the larger lake. We estimate we will spend about an hour at Twin Lakes. After birding Twin Lakes, we will return to the parking lot, and anyone who is interested is welcome to join us and continue birding at the adjacent Forum Nature Area. Trails in both areas are flat with a gravel surface.
Trip subject to change based on weather conditions; check back as the date gets closer to see if there are any changes to the trip details!
Contact: Ben West; benjwest@gmail.com
Wednesday, February 18, 2026 | 5 PM to ~6:30 PM
February Weeknight Social at Bur Oak Brewing Co.
Hang out with birders and discuss winter 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, cocktails, non-alcoholic sparkling water, and soft drinks are available from Bur Oak (map), and they have brats, soft pretzels, and Shakespeare’s frozen pizzas that are cooked to order.
We’ll be at the tables in the back right as you walk in, past the cornhole players if the brewery has cornhole set up. For those new to the group, clues to identify us include bird-themed table decorations. Wren you’re there, time may fly swiftly, and you’ll have no egrets.
Details subject to change based on winter driving conditions and Bur Oak’s event schedule; check back as the date gets closer!
Contact: Ben West; benjwest@gmail.com
February 26, 2026 | 7:00 PM
February Membership Meeting: Mark Glenshaw, “How To Find An Owl In Your Neighborhood”
Do you ever see or hear an owl in your neighborhood and want to experience more of these beautiful birds? Well award-winning naturalist Mark H.X. Glenshaw aka “The Owl Man” is here to help. Mark has studied Great Horned Owls in St. Louis since 2005. He gives dozens of lectures on the owls all over Missouri and Illinois and leads scores of owl prowls in Forest Park each year. In addition to this, he helps people all over the St. Louis metro area find owls in their neighborhoods whether in subdivisions, city neighborhoods, pocket parks or large public parks. Mark’s talk will show which owls you are most likely to see or hear, where to look for them, how to look for them in a safe and ethical manner, and the importance of research and collaboration.
Contact: buckinghame@missouri.edu
Friday, March 6, 2026 | 8:00 AM
First Friday Bird Hike: 3M Wetlands
Meet in parking lot of Songbird Station
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. sharp and then drive down the hill to park near the wetlands (less than a 5 min. drive). We’ll enjoy all the Missouri birds in this natural, lush landscape. The walk is about 1.75 miles on a level, gravel trail. Waterproof shoes are recommended, but not required. After our walk, we’ll return to Songbird Station by 11 a.m. and enjoy coffee and donuts.
Contact: To be announced at a later date
Sunday, March 15, 2026 | 8:00 AM
Heron Rookery Count at Gans Creek Recreation Area
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 part of the area we usually bird. There are over 50 new trees that have been planted along it, and it has opened up access to some wooded areas. We will continue to bird a part of the park that the trail covers and occasionally use the trail to access the wooded areas. We will not be birding the area of the proposed intermediate mountain bike trail.
We will also bird the tree line between GCRA and Gans Creek Wilderness Area, the wooded area that leads down to the rookery, the mixed woods and open field areas that border the cross-country course, and wherever the call of birds leads us.
Most of the ~2 mile walk is on wide grassy paths. However, access to the active rookery is via an overgrown path that descends a steep hillside. If you are not able to navigate this terrain, you can continue to bird while others go down and back.
Meet in the Gans Creek Recreation Area parking lot at 8:00 a.m. The park is on the south side of E Gans Creek Road, about 1 mile west of the US 63 Discovery Parkway exit. Click for a map.
Contact: Louise Flenner, lflenner@hotmail.com / (573) 268-7468