UPDATE (Tuesday ~1:00 pm): The forecast remains as no more than light showers, which can be good for birding. The upcoming forecast for the next few days is worse, and further postponement would lose too much day length, so we’re going ahead with the trip! Dress for drizzle and come prepared to enjoy trailside birds.

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Come join the Columbia Audubon Society for a fun evening bird-watching walk along the Katy Trail through scenic Rocheport. All skill levels are welcome on this chance to explore diverse trailside habitats. We’re scheduling this for a weekday so that overall trail traffic is lower.

We’ll depart from the official Katy Trail trailhead on the east side of town (see map here) at 6:00 pm, then walk west along the trail, crossing Moniteau Creek and taking a short boardwalk out to an overview of Diana Bend Conservation Area. We’ll then pass through the old railroad tunnel before turning around to walk back east through Rocheport and out to the riverside bluffs for a scenic view of the river as the sun goes down (sunset at 7:56 pm). If we’re lucky, we’ll see or hear some owls!

Length & trail conditions: We’ll remain on the flat gravel Katy Trail except for a short side trip on the Diana Bend boardwalk. Total walking distance about 2 miles.

Backup date: If weather conditions are uncooperative, we’ll consider Wednesday, August 14 as a backup. Official updates will be made to this posting.