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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.

Date/time of your choice

Self-guided moss walk: Wild Haven Nature Area

photos of mosses from the Wild Haven moss walk

Have you taken the time to examine mosses close up? And to think about the relationships between mosses and birds? We’re excited to announce a new, self-guided moss walk at Wild Haven Nature Area that encourages you to do just that!

The trail guide is formatted to be easily read on a mobile device (with the goal of saving paper; please don’t print it). 

Download the guide here: https://www.columbia-audubon.org/whmoss

The total length of the hike is under a mile, but it’s easy for time to fly when examining mosses, so plan for at least a couple of hours at Wild Haven. Conditions in winter and early spring are ideal for looking at mosses; sunlight bathes the forest floor, ticks aren’t especially active, and neotropical migrants aren’t yet distracting. But the trail can be completed at any time of year.

We suggest that you bring: 

—A hand lens or magnifying glass. This will help you appreciate the miniature world of mosses.
—A spray bottle with water (but no chemical residues). Use to rehydrate mosses when conditions are dry; watch the leaves swell with water in front of your eyes.
—A water bottle for yourself, plus snacks, standard hiking gear, and binoculars for the birds.

No bathrooms or potable water are available at Wild Haven.

Louise Flenner developed this trail to share her knowledge and enthusiasm about mosses and their importance to birds. Thanks, Louise!

Please direct questions and comments to: 

Louise Flenner (lflenner@hotmail.com), developer of the moss trail
John Besser (jbesser1@gmail.com), Nature Area chair
David Neely (dustandwood@gmail.com), volunteer manager of Wild Haven Nature Area


April 7, 2023 | 8:00 AM

First Friday Bird Hike: 3M Wetlands

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 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 resident birds in this natural, lush landscape. It is a moderate walk. 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. Led by John Besser.


Saturday, April 22, 2023 | 8:00 a.m.–11:00 a.m.

Migrants and Wildflowers at Wild Haven

Late April typically combines the best of the spring woodland wildflower display with increasing migrant songbird arrivals. Where better to enjoy it than Columbia Audubon Society’s own Wild Haven Nature Area, with its mature woods along upper Hinkson Creek? In addition, there’s a small sandstone glade that hosts interesting mosses, a prairie patch, and some edge habitats. Wild Haven has hosted a number of volunteer work days over the years, but this time, leave your work gloves at home and grab binoculars instead, as this is the time to enjoy the payoff of prior volunteer efforts, including an expanded trail system. 

Meet at Wild Haven at 8:00 a.m., and park near the picnic shelter. Plan for ~3 hours of naturalist-paced walking. 

The field trip will be led by John Besser (jbesser1@gmail.com), who has for years led the volunteer effort to manage and maintain Wild Haven. 


May 5, 2023 | 8:00 AM

First Friday Bird Hike: 3M Wetlands

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 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 resident birds in this natural, lush landscape. It is a moderate walk. 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. Led by Lottie Bushmann.


Sunday, May 7, 2023 | 8:00 a.m.

Hundred Acre Woods: Joint field trip with the Native Plant Society

Join us for a joint field trip of the Columbia Audubon Society and the Hawthorn Chapter of the Native Plant Society at Hundred Acre Woods, a property of the Greenbelt Land Trust. 

Hundred Acre Woods is a wonderful property with woodland and grassland habitats that feature high botanical biodiversity. As timing coincides with the season of peak songbird migration, this trip should be a delight to naturalists of all types. The land was owned and managed by the late Jim and Joanna Whitley, who donated the property with the intent that it be used for outdoor education. Active management at the property continues with prescribed burns, invasive control, and the seeding of native plants. 

Meet at 8 a.m. Estimated duration: 3–4 hours. Estimated walking distance: 1–1.5 mies. 

The property does not have formal trails, so please wear sturdy shoes. Tick abundance in Missouri tends to be on the upswing in early May, so please prepare accordingly. (If you apply bug spray at the site, please be considerate of others and do so downwind. Or consider protective clothing such as Rynoskin as an alternative to chemical control.) No bathroom facilities are available. 

RSVP: Advance signup is not required, but we would appreciate having a loose sense of how many people (and vehicles) might be coming. Email trip leaders Eric & Joanna Reuter: literatehobo@gmail.com

Directions to the site: (Please note: This property is not open to the public without permission.) From US 63 N, turn east and then immediately south on Pinnacles Road. At the entrance to Pinnacles Youth Park, follow the road left across a bridge and continue another ~1.25 miles, past a Girl Scout camp, to the property. Parking will be along the gravel road; trip leaders will be on-site. 

Rain date: Sunday May 13 at 8 a.m. Please refer to the listing on the Columbia Audubon Society website (https://www.columbia-audubon.org/hundred-acre-woods-2023/) for official updates on trip status.


Wednesday, May 10, 2023 | 7:00 a.m.

Kiwanis Park: Birding Without Bush Honeysuckle

A new local nonprofit, the Missouri Conservation Corps, has worked hard to remove invasive bush honeysuckle from Kiwanis Park. See this story from the March issue of The Chat for more details.

What birds will make use of this cleaned-up habitat? The Columbia Audubon Society has been asked to help find out!

On May 10, near the peak of spring songbird migration, we’ll explore the park while listening to and looking for birds. 

All skill levels welcome. If you’d like to borrow binoculars, please be in touch, as a few loaner pairs can be made available if needed.  

Meet at the Talbert Thurston shelter, located west of Maplewood Drive. We’ll start at 7 a.m. and bird until about 9 a.m.

Please refer to the listing on the Columbia Audubon Society website (https://www.columbia-audubon.org/kiwanis-park-may-2023/) for official updates on trip status.

Led by John Besser, jbesser1@gmail.com


Thursday, May 18, 2023 | 7:30 p.m.

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

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 darkness.

Meet at 7:30 p.m. We’ll take a walk along a level trail/service road, and we’ll have time for a bit of late-day birding before the sun sets around 8:20 p.m. Expect to hike ~1.5 miles (round trip) over ~1.5–2 hours.

Meeting place: No carpool, meet at the southern parking lot at Rocky Fork. When entering the area, go straight past the outhouse parking lot and boat ramp, following the road along the lake’s southern shore until it ends at a curving lot. Contact trip leaders Joanna & Eric Reuter with any questions.


Past Events

March 28, 2023

Twilight Timberdoodle Trek at Rocky Fork Lakes Conservation Area

March 15, 2023

March Membership Meeting and Program: Australian and New Guinea Birds by Carl Gerhardt

March 15, 2023

Heron Rookery Count at Gans Creek Recreation Area

March 3, 2023

First Friday Bird Hike: 3M Wetlands

February 18, 2023

Great Backyard Bird Count Feeder Crawl

February 15, 2023

February Meeting and Program: Falconry in Missouri by Steve Heying

February 15, 2023

February Meeting & Program: Steve Heying

February 3, 2023

First Friday Bird Hike: 3M Wetlands

January 18, 2023

January Meeting and Presentation: Slow Birding by Bridget Butler

January 15, 2023

January 15, 2023: Birding without Binoculars at Grindstone Nature Area

January 6, 2023

First Friday Bird Hike: 3M Wetlands

January 1, 2023

1st Day Hike at Rock Bridge Memorial SP: January 1, 2023, 2:30-4:30pm

December 17, 2022

Christmas Bird Count Chili Supper

December 17, 2022

2022 Christmas Bird Count information

December 10, 2022

Boone County blackbird roost

December 2, 2022

First Friday Bird Hike: 3M Wetlands

November 27, 2022

November 27: Field Trip- Birding without Binoculars at CANS

November 16, 2022

November Meeting and Program: Know Your Optics by Edge Wade

November 4, 2022

First Friday Bird Hike: 3M Wetlands

October 19, 2022

October Meeting and Program: An eBird Tutorial for Beginners and Beyond!

October 1, 2022

First Friday Bird Hike-3M Wetlands

September 18, 2022

Picnic at Bonnie View with Talk about Bradford Farms

September 2, 2022

First Friday Bird Hikes-3M Wetlands

August 26, 2022

Missouri Bird Conservation Initiative Annual Conference

July 28, 2022

Shorebird Identification Training-Part 2

July 1, 2022

First Friday Bird Walk

June 3, 2022

First Friday Bird Walk

May 22, 2022

CAS May Membership Meeting and Picnic

May 6, 2022

First Friday Bird Walk

April 24, 2022

Field Trip to Prairie Garden Trust

April 23, 2022

Special CAS Field Trip: Shorebirds at Eagle Bluffs

April 20, 2022

CHANGED: CAS Membership Meeting and Program on Shorebird Identification

April 16, 2022

CAS Work Day, Saturday, April 16, 9 AM–noon: Prepare Wild Haven for sixth-grade field trip

April 9, 2022

Cancelled: Field Trip to Rocky Top Trail

April 1, 2022

First Friday Bird Walk

March 23, 2022

CAS Special Event: Warbler Identification Webinar

March 15, 2022

Field Trip to Gans Creek Recreation Area

March 4, 2022

First Friday Bird Walk

February 26, 2022

Field Trip to Eagle Bluffs Conservation Area

February 16, 2022

CAS February Meeting and Nature Photography Program

February 4, 2022

First Friday Bird Walk

January 29, 2022

Field Trip to Binder Lake

January 20, 2022

Women’s Winter Birding Webinar

January 19, 2022

January Meeting and Program: Bird Nests, The Wonder of Avian Engineering

January 16, 2022

Field Trip to Garth Nature Area

January 7, 2022

First Friday Bird Walk

January 1, 2022

1st Day Hike on the KATY Trail : Jan. 1, 2022 8:30 am

December 18, 2021

Christmas Bird Count

December 1, 2021

CoMoGives Campaign Underway!

November 17, 2021

CAS November Meeting and Update on Missouri State Parks

November 6, 2021

Missouri Young Birders Club Field Trip to Rock Bridge Memorial State Park- 11/6/21 9am-11am

November 5, 2021

First Friday Bird Walk: November 5

October 31, 2021

Rescheduled Fireline Installation at Wildhaven Nature Area: Oct. 31 1:30-5:00

October 21, 2021

Sierra Club’s Zoom Meeting on Columbia’s Renewable Energy Potential-10/21, 7pm

October 20, 2021

October Membership Meeting & Book Discussion

October 16, 2021

Big Sit at Bradford Farm with Noah Strycker-Oct. 16

October 15, 2021

Noah Strycker Presentation at MU

September 19, 2021

Open House and Picnic at Wild Haven

September 11, 2021

Wild Haven Work Day-Sept. 11, 8am-Noon

June 13, 2021

June 2021 Wild Haven work day

May 22, 2021

Cancelled: Annual Picnic at Wild Haven Nature Area-May 22, 2021

May 16, 2021

Wild Haven Bird Walk: Sunday May 16, 8:30-11:30 am

May 15, 2021

Joint Field Trip with MBS: 3M Wetlands-Great for Beginners!

May 11, 2021

Joint Field Trip with MBS: 3M Wetlands

May 8, 2021

Migratory Bird Count-May 8

May 4, 2021

Joint Field Trip with MBS: Birding at the Columbia Audubon Nature Sanctuary

May 1, 2021

Fieldtrip with Missouri Birding Society-Rock Bridge Memorial SP

May 1, 2021

North American Migratory Bird Count-May 8

April 21, 2021

April Meeting: Bird Songs and Sounds with Ethan Duke of MRBO

April 11, 2021

Wildflower Walk at Wild Haven

March 17, 2021

March Webinar: Intro to Spring Birdwatching with Sarah Kendrick

February 17, 2021

February Meeting and Program: Featuring Filmmaker Tim Barksdale

February 12, 2021

Great Backyard Bird Count

January 20, 2021

CAS January Meeting and Program on Grassland Birds with MRBO

December 19, 2020

Christmas Bird Count

December 11, 2020

Winter Bird Identification with the Missouri Birding Society

November 18, 2020

CAS Virtual Membership Meeting and Program Is Wednesday, Nov. 18 — “See” You Then!

November 15, 2020

Wild Haven Bush Honeysuckle Hack-Part 2

October 17, 2020

October Big Day

October 17, 2020

CAS invited to visit Nature School site

October 4, 2020

Wild Haven Hike and Honeysuckle Hack

October 1, 2020

MDC encourages people to counter window strikes during fall bird migration

September 26, 2020

Gateway to the Stars

September 19, 2020

Volunteers Needed: Fall Cleanup At Wild Haven, September 19

May 20, 2020

May meeting

April 15, 2020

CANCELED April meeting: Greenbelt Land Trust of Mid-Missouri

April 11, 2020

12 Days of Earth Day

March 29, 2020

UPDATED Self-guided Wild Haven wildflower walk

March 22, 2020

REVISED Timberdoodle trek

March 18, 2020

POSTPONED March meeting: Robin Hirsch-Jacobson

March 14, 2020

POSTPONED Eagle Bluffs Conservation Area 25th Anniversary Open House

March 1, 2020

Field trip: Birding without binoculars at Stephens Lake Park

February 22, 2020

Join St. Louis Audubon at Clarence Cannon NWR

February 19, 2020

February meeting: Visiting Magee Marsh, a presentation by Bill Palmer

February 15, 2020

Field Trip: Great Backyard Feeder Crawl

January 15, 2020

January meeting: Sarah Kendrick, State Ornithologist

January 1, 2020

Field Trip: First Day hike at Rock Bridge Memorial State Park

December 14, 2019

Christmas Bird Count

December 14, 2019

Christmas Bird Count Chili Supper Potluck

December 8, 2019

Field trip: Bradford Farm

November 29, 2019

Field trip: Black Friday Birding at Songbird Station and 3M Wetland

November 20, 2019

November meeting: Why Our Yards Are So Important to the Full Life-cycle Conservation of Our Native Birds

November 10, 2019

Field Trip: Rocky Fork Lakes CA

November 9, 2019

Field Trip: Tim Ernst Presentation at Runge Nature Center

November 2, 2019

Field Trip: Binder Lake, Jefferson City

October 16, 2019

October meeting: Mike Szydlowski, Science Coordinator for Columbia Public Schools

October 13, 2019

Field trip: Third annual Big Sit at Eagle Bluffs

October 6, 2019

Field Trip: Rock Bridge State Park

September 29, 2019

Field trip: Beginning birder’s walk at Garth Nature Area, Columbia

September 24, 2019

Field Trip: Hawk Watch Happy Hour

September 21, 2019

Field Trip: Get Re-acquainted with Wild Haven Nature Area

September 18, 2019

September meeting: Earth exploration with Edge

September 14, 2019

Field trip: Prairie Garden Trust

September 11, 2019

Field trip: 3M Wetland, Columbia

September 7, 2019

Field trip: Columbia Audubon Nature Sanctuary

August 13, 2019

Field trip: Eagle Bluffs Conservation Area

June 19, 2019

Summer book discussion: Welcome to Subirdia, by John M. Marzluff

May 25, 2019

Field Trip to Three Creeks CA

May 18, 2019

Field trip: Columbia Audubon & Bonnie View Nature Sanctuaries

May 18, 2019

May meeting: picnic at Bonnie View Nature Sanctuary

May 14, 2019

Rescheduled Field Trip: Whip-poor-wills and Chuck-wills-widows at Rocky Fork Lakes CA

May 7, 2019

POSTPONED Field Trip: Whip-poor-wills and Chuck-wills-widows at Rocky Fork Lakes CA

May 1, 2019

Nature walk along Hinkson Creek

April 20, 2019

Field Trip to Schnabel Woods Natural Area

April 13, 2019

Field Trip to Prairie Garden Trust

April 6, 2019

Field Trip: Introduction to Recording Bird Vocalizations

April 3, 2019

Nature Walk along Grindstone Creek

March 23, 2019

Field Trip to Sinkhole Trail – Rock Bridge Memorial SP

March 20, 2019

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

March 16, 2019

Twilight Timberdoodle Trek

March 9, 2019

Field Trip to High Ridge Trail – Rock Bridge Memorial SP

February 23, 2019

Field Trip to Davisdale CA

February 20, 2019

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

February 16, 2019

Great Backyard Feeder Crawl

February 9, 2019

Field Trip to Clarence Cannon NWR

January 16, 2019

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

January 1, 2019

Rock Bridge Memorial SP – First Day Hike

December 15, 2018

2018 Christmas Bird Count

December 15, 2018

Annual Chili Supper Potluck

December 1, 2018

Field Trip to Bradford Farm

November 24, 2018

Field Trip to Grassland Trail – Rock Bridge Memorial SP

November 17, 2018

Field Trip to Longbranch Lake and Thomas Hill Reservoir

November 14, 2018

November Meeting: Raptors of Missouri including eagles, vultures, osprey, hawks, harriers, kites, falcons, and caracara.

November 10, 2018

Field Trip to Binder Lake

November 3, 2018

Field Trip to Bluestem Knoll Savanna

October 20, 2018

Field Trip to Rocky Fork Lakes CA

October 17, 2018

October Meeting: Birding Missouri State Parks

October 14, 2018

The Big Sit

October 2, 2018

Field Trip to Columbia Wilderness Sanctuary

October 1, 2018

Bradford Farms field trip

September 23, 2018

Bird Walk for Children

September 22, 2018

Field Trip to Little Dixie Lake and Tucker Prairie

September 16, 2018

September Meeting: Picnic at Bonnie View Nature Sanctuary

September 7, 2018

Field Trip to Rock Bridge Memorial SP

September 7, 2018

Field Trip to Rock Bridge Mem. State Park

August 26, 2018

Field Trip to Eagle Bluffs CA

August 8, 2018

Evening bird walk at Columbia Audubon Nature Sanctuary

July 16, 2018

Eagle Bluffs Documentary Airing on KMOS

July 12, 2018

Introduction to Bird Song Program

June 1, 2018

CAS summer schedule

May 31, 2018

[Of Interest] ABC’s of Climate Change

May 26, 2018

Field Trip to Hinkson Creek Nature Preserve and Big Sky Nature Preserve

May 22, 2018

[Of Interest] CoMO Public Workshop on the Climate Action and Adaptation Plan

May 19, 2018

Field Trip to Chert Hollow Farm

May 16, 2018

May Meeting: Picnic at Wild Haven Nature Area

May 8, 2018

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

May 6, 2018

Work days at Wild Haven Nature Area

May 1, 2018

Field Trip to Rock Bridge Memorial SP

April 29, 2018

Beginning Birder Event: Guided bird walks at the 3M wetlands

April 28, 2018

Dig In: Tree Planting at Columbia Audubon Nature Sanctuary

April 21, 2018

Field Trip to Prairie Garden Trust

April 18, 2018

April Meeting: Sharing the Magic of Nature at the Prairie Garden Trust

April 14, 2018

Field Trip to Bradford Farm

April 7, 2018

Basic Birding Skills class

March 31, 2018

Field Trip to Smith Creek Trail, Mark Twain National Forest

March 25, 2018

The Many Uses of Native Plants For Your Yard

March 21, 2018

March Meeting: Book Discussion of The Genius of Birds, by Jennifer Ackerman

March 17, 2018

Field Trip to Gans Creek Recreation Area

March 8, 2018

Return of the Twilight Timberdoodle Trek

March 3, 2018

Field Trip to Eagle Bluffs CA

February 24, 2018

CAS Lake Tour 2018

February 17, 2018

Great Backyard Bird Count Feeder Crawl

February 10, 2018

CANCELED: Field Trip to Eagle Bluff CA

February 3, 2018

Free Feeder & Seed Pairing Workshop

January 27, 2018

Field Trip to Riverlands and Columbia Bottoms

January 17, 2018

January CAS Meeting: Presentation by Sarah Kendrick (State Ornithologist for MDC)

January 6, 2018

Field Trip to Grasslands Trail – Rock Bridge SP

January 1, 2018

Cancelled – Field Trip to Forum Nature Area and Twin Lakes

December 16, 2017

Christmas Bird Count Chili Supper Potluck

December 16, 2017

Annual Christmas Bird Count

December 2, 2017

Free Woodpecker Seminar

December 2, 2017

Field Trip to Chert Hollow Farm

November 19, 2017

BIRDWISE! childrens’ program

November 18, 2017

Long Branch Lake field trip

November 15, 2017

November CAS meeting: “Photo Pot-Luck“

November 11, 2017

Field Trip to Binder Lake

November 4, 2017

Field Trip to Smithville Lake

October 28, 2017

Hart Creek CA and Katy Trail field trip

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