Newsletter of the Columbia Audubon Society | September 2022 | Volume 65, Number 1
In this issue:
Sun. Sep. 4, 2022
First Friday Bird Hike-3M Wetlands
by Lottie Bushmann
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.
Thu. Sep. 1, 2022
In Memoriam: Susan Hazelwood
by Edge Wade, David Erickson, Lori Turner
The Missouri birding community lost a dear friend this week. Susan Hazelwood passed away Sunday, August 28th after a long battle with cancer.
Susan’s contributions to non-profit organizations in Missouri are inspiring and we cannot measure the positive impact she has had to our Missouri birding community and habitat restoration efforts.
Susan joined Columbia Audubon Society and found birding companions and mentors, including Ike Adams, Jim Wallace, Bill Goodge, Don Duncan, and Brad Jacobs. She contributed to the Columbia birding community as field trip leader, board member, vice president and president of CAS, and Christmas Bird Count coordinator. She was also very active in watershed protection and working with the Friends of Rock Bridge Memorial State Park to protect the park resources. She was a founding member of the Missouri Bird Conservation Initiative. Visit mobci.net to read her tribute from longtime Treasurer of the MoBCI Foundation, Dave Erickson.
She represented the Columbia Audubon chapter as a devoted and active member of the Missouri Audubon Council during the 1980s and 1990s as the group tackled a host of conservation and environmental challenges. She then served a term on the Audubon Missouri Board of Trustees.
Susan held a degree in Life Sciences and had pursued an M.S. in invertebrate physiology. She conducted breeding bird surveys, was a certified Master Naturalist, and held leadership positions in MoBCI, The Missouri Birding Society, and several other organizations.
Susan did not wish to have a service and asked that her ashes be scattered in Alligator Alley, Florida alongside Don Hazelwood. The full obituary can be found here: https://www.columbiamissourian.com/obituaries/family_obituary/susan-elizabeth-hazelwood-sept-8-1948-aug-28-2022/article_4e3ff244-27cf-11ed-962e-8736cbeab526.html
She asked for any donations to be made to the Missouri Prairie Foundation or to MBS’s Graduate Research Scholarship fund. She served 15 years on that scholarship committee. The address for contributions to the Graduate Research Scholarship is:
The Missouri Birding Society
2101 W. Broadway
PMB 122
Columbia, MO 65203-1261
If you have a fond memory you’d like to share please send them for inclusion in MBS’s quarterly journal, The Bluebird, to Edge Wade at edgew@mchsi.com.
Thu. Sep. 1, 2022
Note from the President
by Lori Turner, CAS President
Happy September! I hope you were able to stay cool during the hot, dry summer we had. Fall is almost hear and for some, it’s the best season of all—cooler weather, pumpkin patches, beautiful fall colors, bike rides on the trail and migrating birds. It’s always been my favorite season and this year it will be marked by my new role as CAS President. I’ve spent the summer getting caught up on all that CAS has been busy with. I look forward to being part of this organization again in my new role and can’t wait to see you at our first Program of the season which will be on September 18th at Bonnie View Picnic Shelter, starting at 4 PM. Andrew Briggs from Bradford Farms will be talking to us about the new policies that affect the way we use the property to bird watch. Be sure to bring a dish and your own utensils. See you then and happy almost fall!
We are looking for someone to fill the Field Trip Chair position on the CAS Board. Field trips are scheduled from September through May, with 2 to 3 separate trips per month. There is a list of past events on our website and we have contacts for previous trip leaders to get you started. It’s a rewarding position and is an important one on the CAS board. If you’d like to learn more please email Lori Turner at lturner@booneelectric.com.
Thu. Sep. 1, 2022
Missouri Bumble Bee Atlas Training at CANS
by Bill Mees, Nature Areas Committee
Science always starts with a question. Scientists then design a study to find the answer. How many bumble bee species reside in Missouri? How are they distributed across the state? Are populations stable, increasing, or decreasing?
These and other questions will be answered by the Missouri Bumble Bee Atlas. The MBBA will assist natural resource professionals, land and area managers, and policy makers refine current bumble bee conservation practices using evidence-based recommendations.
The MBBA is a study being led by the Xerces Society in cooperation with MDC, MU CAFNR, and Pheasants Forever/Quail Forever and volunteers like you.
Citizen Scientists testing their netting skills on the CANS prairie.
Saturday, July 30 was a gorgeous day – moderate temperatures, sunny, gentle breeze – perfect for not only volunteers but more importantly for bumblebees.
Seventeen volunteer citizen scientists gathered at Columbia Audubon Nature Sanctuary for a training session led by Kellie Hayden, the Xerces Society Bumble bee technician.
Participants learned about bumble bees in general. Did you know, there may be up to 11 bumble bee species in Missouri? Unfortunately, one of those, the rusty patch bumble bee, is probably no longer a Missouri resident. The scientists-in-training learned how to identify the species and gender. One useful piece of information to know is females can sting, but males lack stingers.
Each captured bee is placed in a capped vial. The vial is kept in ice so the bee enters a stupor which allows handling. Up to five photos are taken of each bee. The photos allow the real experts to corroborate the species identification assigned in the field.
Missouri has been divided into 75 grids, 42×42 miles each. Volunteers register for one of the grids for collection and reporting. In addition to the bees’ species and gender, the flower the bee was on, the immediate habitat as well as neighboring habitat are also documented.
Bumble bee technician Kellie Hayden who led the MBBA training at CANS this summer.
CANS was selected for the training event specifically because of its prairie. Prairies are prime habitat for many different species of pollinators. The trainees were able to wade into the prairie and test their new skills. In a short 30-40 minutes in the prairie, they netted 3 bumble bee species as well as a number of carpenter bees. Carpenter bees look similar to bumble bees, but aren’t.
The Xerces Society plans to return to Columbia next year to recruit and train more volunteers. CANS Is the perfect training site for the Missouri Bumble Bee Atlas. This is another (and unexpected) educational use for CANS.
Thu. Sep. 1, 2022
Kick Off Picnic at Bonnie View Shelter
by Judy Lincoln, CAS Programming
September 18th is our kick off meeting and picnic for CAS! It will be held at the Bonnie View Shelter near Rollins roundabout NW of Fairview School.
We have the shelter rented from 4-8. Bring your own picnic supper and beverage. Utensils provided. Socializing until 6pm
At 6:45, Andrew Biggs, Assistant Director from MU Research Extension will share with us the new ground rules for birding at Bradford Farms. See you there!
Thu. Sep. 1, 2022
Bird Photographers! CAS needs you!
by Allison Vaughn, CoMoGives Committee
The CoMoGives campaign kicks off in late November, and as part of CAS’s campaign, we like to send out a charismatic winter bird postcard. We’re looking for a high resolution image that will be printed on a large format postcard to mail out to members and donors from years past. Credit will be given to the photographer, and the CoMoGives Committee would be very grateful for any submissions. Please send any winter bird scene pictures to me at Allisonjv@yahoo.com. The deadline for submission is November 1!
Thu. Sep. 1, 2022
Summer Happenings at the Nature Areas
by Bill Mees, Nature Areas Committee
Prepping the area for new prairie seeds at Wild Haven
During the summer, everything seems to slow down a little, but nothing really stops. In fact, for CAS habitat restoration efforts quicken.
AT CANS, many seedlings were planted in early spring with the intention of re-establishing some of Missouri’s missing brushy, bushy species. Unfortunately, the heat combined with the lack of precipitation conspired to thwart our efforts. Although most of the seedlings expired, some are struggling on. However, the mile and a half of trails continued to require mowing – thank you, Dean Ravenscraft.
The new prairie seeded in January has transitioned from the brown and dead field into something green again. It will be another year before we really know how many species survived this Missouri summer.
AT Wild Haven, removal of invasives, especially autumn olive, continues. The results are beginning to show. The removal of competition from the autumn olive is allowing the native species to sprout.
Trail clearing and improvements at Wild Haven are ongoing. Question: do dead trees and limbs always fall across a trail? David Neely has the answer that question, and Riley Nichols and his mower know that grass keeps growing.
Preparations for the next Wild Haven prairie have begun. The single most important part to building a prairie is preparing the area. That requires removing anything that will compete with the native seeds that will be planted.
Prairies provide so many ecological services: no mowing, no watering, habitat for pollinators and “bugs” which in turn become a food source for other species, especially birds. Prairies also absorb water, slow erosion, and mitigate flash flooding. Eventually, Wild Haven will be the beneficiary of all these benefits provided by the expanded prairie.
Thanks go out to the Audubon volunteers who have worked to improve the habitats at Audubon’s properties. We hope you enjoy the birding on your next visit.
Columbia Audubon Society is supported in part by a generous contribution from
2010 Chapel Plaza Court, Suite C • Columbia, MO 65203 • 573-446-5941
Upcoming Events
First Friday Bird Hike-3M Wetlands
Friday, October 7, 2022 | 8:00 AM
October Meeting and Program: “Know Your Optics” by Edge Wade
October 19, 2022 | 7:00 pm
First Friday Bird Hike: 3M Wetlands
November 4, 2022 | 8:00 AM
November Meeting and Program: “eBird Tips and Tricks” by Lottie Bushmann
November 16, 2022 | 7:00 pm
First Friday Bird Hike: 3M Wetlands
December 2, 2022 | 8:00 AM
Christmas Bird Count Chili Supper
December 17, 2022 | 5:30 pm
First Friday Bird Hike: 3M Wetlands
January 6, 2023 | 8:00 AM
January Meeting and Presentation: Slow Birding by Bridget Butler
January 18, 2023 | 7:00 PM
First Friday Bird Hike: 3M Wetlands
February 3, 2023 | 8:00 AM
February Meeting and Program: Falconry in Missouri by Steve Heying
February 15, 2023 | 7:00 pm
First Friday Bird Hike: 3M Wetlands
March 3, 2023 | 8:00 AM
March Membership Meeting and Program: Australian and New Guinea Birds by Carl Gearhardt
March 15, 2023 | 7:00 pm
First Friday Bird Hike: 3M Wetlands
April 7, 2023 | 8:00 AM
First Friday Bird Hike: 3M Wetlands
May 5, 2023 | 8:00 AM