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On the third Tuesday of each month in spring and fall (unless otherwise noted)*, we invite members and non-members alike to enjoy a free educational program and learn what is new in your Audubon chapter! Meeting starts at 6:45 p.m.; come early for social time from 6:00 – 6:45. A short business meeting precedes the program and includes conservation news, discussion of recent bird sightings, and details of upcoming field trips and other events. Burroughs Audubon Society meets at the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation Conference Center at 4801 Rockhill Rd, KCMO 64110 EXCEPT AS NOTED. Some meetings are held in other locations due to scheduling conflicts at the Kauffman Foundation Conference Center.
There are often opportunities to join the speaker and members of the BAS Host Committee for dinner prior to the meeting. Please subscribe to the chapter’s monthly email (BurroughsAnnounce) to receive details of these outings.
Burroughs Audubon Society’s spring General Meetings are held in March, April and May. Fall General Meetings are held in September, October and November.
Cowbirds: Harmless Native Species or Dastardly Mobster Villains? A Scientist’s Perspective
Tuesday, March 16 on ZOOM – 6:30 p.m. Presentation by Sarah Winnicki, Ph.D. Candidate, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. To many birders, there is no such thing as a “good” cowbird. They lay eggs in other birds’ nests and their offspring deprive host chicks of food and care, often with fatal consequences. Nest parasitism is especially alarming in declining host species such as wood warblers. Yet cowbirds are also a protected native species and cannot be completely eradicated. Sarah will share insights from her research into this conundrum. Send request for meeting link by email: zoom AT burroughs DOT org.
Enhancing Your Birding with eBird
THURSDAY, April 22 on ZOOM – 6:30 p.m. Presentation by Mary Nemecek. Ever-expanding, accessible to all, and a boon to scientists, eBird maintains the largest collection of ornithological data ever assembled, much of it contributed by ordinary folks enjoying time in the field. Managing your personal birding records with eBird is easy and fun, and now you can learn to utilize everything that the site has to offer. Mary’s presentation will include “real-time” manipulation of eBird lists and data, and will be helpful to any birder, from novice to veteran. Mary has served as a Missouri eBird reviewer for 4 years, is a member of the Missouri Bird Records Committee (MBRC), and is passionate about birding, education, and habitat preservation, serving on the BAS Board of Directors and is current Conservation Committee Chair. Send request for meeting link by email: zoom AT burroughs DOT org.
Trumpeter Swans in Iowa and Beyond: The Restoration and Research of An Iconic Species
Tuesday, May 18 on ZOOM – 6:30 p.m. Presentation by Anna Buckhardt Thomas. As an avian ecologist with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Anna will tell us about the recovery and restoration of Trumpeter Swan populations in the Midwest. These huge, graceful birds (among the largest North American waterfowl) can be readily seen in our region during migration. Send request for meeting link by email: zoom AT burroughs DOT org.
Saving Birds and Spreading the Word: How Our Campus Is Working to Reduce Window Collisions
Tuesday, September 21 on ZOOM – 6:30 p.m. Presentation by Krystal Anton, Zero Waste Coordinator at Johnson County Community College in Overland Park, KS. Multitudes of birds in North America die annually due to window collisions. Mortality is highest during migration, when birds travel in darkness. Fall migration is especially dangerous as young birds attempt their first long-distance journeys. In 2017, after discovering a series of window victims, Krystal enlisted the help of students and staff to monitor bird collisions at campus buildings. In 2019, the college began applying remediation measures to the most problematic windows. The mitigation work and bird surveys continue today. Krystal will discuss the results of this project, including which mitigation measures proved most successful. She will also describe features that make some windows more hazardous than others, and talk about methods everyone can use to make their homes and workplaces safer for birds. Send request for meeting link by email: zoom AT burroughs DOT org.
The Regal Fritillary Butterfly in Missouri
Tuesday, October 26 on ZOOM – 6:30 p.m. Presentation by Steve Buback, Natural History Biologist with the Missouri Department of Conservation. Some native prairie remnants in Missouri host the beautiful and uncommon Regal Fritillary. Like some of our most endangered grassland birds, it’s a prairie specialist, and its presence is an indicator of high quality habitat. Steve will discuss efforts to monitor these unique butterflies and the status of their population in Missouri. You can view the recorded program here.
For the Love of Delta Wind Birds
Tuesday, November 16 on ZOOM – 6:30 p.m. Presentation by Jason Hoeksema, Professor of Biology at the University of Mississippi. Dr. Hoeksema will give an overview of the history of the Sky Lake Nature Reserve near Belzoni, MS and the Delta Wind Birds organization. He will also describe the collaborative conservation work with farmers in the Mississippi Delta featured in the Summer 2021 issue of Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Living Bird magazine. You can view the recorded program here.
| IN-PERSON MEETINGS ARE CANCELLED THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF 2021; JOIN US ON ZOOM AND FACEBOOK LIVE |