Grasslands, upland and riparian mixed hardwood timber, wetlands and water impoundments; all these make for great bird habitat. All are found in the Grand River and Missouri River valleys of North Missouri. You will have the opportunity to visit these areas when you come to the 2008 ASM Spring Meeting in Chillicothe.

Headquarters will be at the Grand River Inn at the south edge of Chillicothe, a good central location close to most field trip destinations. Trips will depart from various spots in the parking lot.

Registration will begin at 3 p.m. on Friday, May 2, at Grand River Inn. Dennis Figg, Missouri Department of Conservation, will present the evening program. There will be time to look over and bid on the Silent Auction items beginning on Friday and concluding Saturday night after the evening program. Noppadol Paothong, MDC photographer, will present the Saturday night program.

Great habitats, great birders, great time to be out birding! Let’s set our goal at 110 species.

Meeting Schedule

FRIDAY, May 2, 2008

3:00PM – 8:00PM Registration in meeting room #1 Grand River Inn.

5:30PM – 7:00PM Social time and Finger Foods

7:00PM – 8:00PM Program "Bigger than Birds...Working Together for all Wildlife Conservation.” By Dennis Figg

8:00PM – 8:45PM Announcements-- Field trips, Silent Auction, etc

SATURDAY, May 3, 2008

6:00AM -7:00AM Breakfast Buffet @Grand River Inn in meeting room #1

6:30AM Fieldtrip to Squaw Creek Departs

7:00AM- 11:30AM Remainder of all day and ½ day field trips depart

11:30AM- 12:30PM Lunch on your own

12:30PM – 4:30PM Afternoon field trips

6:00PM – 7:00PM Banquet Dinner at Meeting room #1 Grand River Inn

7:00PM – 7:30PM Break for silent auction

7:30PM- 8:30PM Guest speaker, Noppadol Poathong, MDC Nature Photography

8:30PM; Acknowledgements and awards
Break for silent auction
Announcement of Sunday’s activities
Silent Auction concludes

SUNDAY, May 4, 2008

????—6:30AM Breakfast on your own

7:00AM – 11:00AM Field trips

11:00AM –11:30AM Compile birds for the weekend at Meeting room #1

Lodging

Grand River Inn, Chillicothe, MO Located near intersection of Highways 65 and 36 on Old Hwy 36. A block of 25 rooms has been reserved at a rate of $59.00+ tax per night. The rates are good thru April, 10, 2008. Mention Audubon Society of Missouri to assure room at that rate. Phone (660) 646-6590. (All field trips will depart from the East parking lot.).

Super 8 Motel, Chillicothe, MO Located at 580 Old Hwy 36, (660) 646-7888 or (800) 800-8000. Double occupancy $59.88 + tax

Best Western Inn, Chillicothe, MO Located near intersection of Highways 65and 36, (660) 646-0572 or (800) 990-9150. Double Occupancy 75.10 + tax

RVing or camping
Pershing State Park Brookfield, MO for those that want to camp or RV. Approximately ½ hour from Chillicothe. Contact for reservations 1 (877) 422-6766.

McCullough RV park 7 miles north of Chillicothe, MO. Call (660) 646-2795 for information and reservations.

Field Trip Locations and Descriptions

Poosey Conservation Area
This upland area contains a mixture of unique, heavily wooded hills, savannahs, open grasslands and assorted cropland. The area also contains Indian Creek Lake, which covers 192 acres, and numerous small sediment ponds. The area is good for most upland species including warblers, vireos and tanagers. Woodpeckers abound, and numerous sparrows and assorted waterfowl are possible. Species of interest are Henslow’s Sparrow, Bell’s Vireo, Ovenbird and Scarlet Tanager.

Pershing State Park
This 3500+ acre park has mature bottomland forest along meandering Locust Creek, upland forest, and an expansive wet prairie. It includes two designated Missouri Natural Areas. Special features are an award winning 1.5 mile boardwalk and a 6.5 mile riparian trail. This is one of the best places in the area for warblers and woodpeckers as well as other woodland species.

Crowder State Park and Helton Conservation Area
Crowder State Park is an upland woodlands area with a trail that leads to a riparian area along the Thompson River. Birds here are tanagers, Wood Thrush, Yellow-throated Warbler, and several warbler and vireo species.
Helton Conservation Area is a rugged, wooded area that contains a natural area filled with many different prairie plants, including Fringed Prairie Orchid and Mead’s Milkweed. Birds of interest are Lark Sparrow, Henslow’s Sparrow, Vesper Sparrow, Bobolinks, Towhee’s, Rose-breasted Grosbeak as well as Blue Grosbeak. (Note: Lunch on your own in Trenton, MO.)

Fountain Grove Conservation Area
This 7000+ acre site was the first wetland area developed by the Missouri Department of Conservation. Renovation of some of the older structures has occurred in the last couple of years. Managed primarily as wetland habitat for migrating waterfowl, it also has brushy, timbered and grassland areas that attract a wide variety of bird species

Swan Lake National Wildlife Refuge
This 10,000+ acre National Wildlife Refuge is also an important area for migrating waterfowl with many wetland pools. It also has bottomland forest, crop fields and native grasslands. The large diversity of habitat supports a great variety of birds. If conditions permit, parts of the refuge may be toured that are not normally accessible to public vehicles.

Squaw Creek National Wildlife Refuge
Squaw Creek’s loess hills geologic feature is unique to this area. The 7,350 acre wildlife refuge is comprised mainly of wetland and marsh habitat, a primary stop for migrating birds. Shorebirds and other waders, grebes, ducks, gulls, raptors including Peregrine Falcons and nesting Bald Eagles, Yellow-headed Blackbirds and Great-tailed Grackles are possible. This is mainly an auto tour with frequent stops for viewing. Scopes are helpful but not necessary. Prothonotary Warblers, American Redstarts, etc. are seen along the wooded north loop. One-way travel time: l ½ hours on four-lane roads. We will break at mid-day for lunch on your own in Mound City.

Jamesport MO
A visit to Jamesport is a step back in time, an opportunity to visit the largest Amish and Mennonite settlement in Missouri. We will visit the Amish and Mennonite stores and see farmers working in the fields with their horses. Jamesport is also a Mecca for antique hunters. We will visit Ivan Ray Miller, who has the largest colony of Purple Martins in the area. Last year he fledged over 700 young birds. A sight to see! This is basically a non-birding trip for those who would enjoy seeing an area that is a step back in time.