Missouri Birding Society

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Missouri Birding Society

The MBS Mission Statement:
The society is dedicated to the preservation and protection of birds and o

06/17/2026

Warble Bird Songs—a new, different kind of ear-birding App—Beta-testers Sought
Warble Bird Songs, an ear-birding app, is requesting help. The small team is looking for beta testers to try out this nearly completed app and provide feedback. Tired of automatic app-generated identifications? Ever struggled with terminology to describe a sound? Warble Bird Songs will help! It builds ear-birding skills by developing your pattern recognition skills. It contains tutorials and provides a new and interactive approach to learning bird sound.
Warble Bird Songs contains accessibility features that make it an effective tool for blind and visually impaired users to learn ear-birding. In fact, that is the primary goal of the app. Yet sighted users will find it useful without even realizing these underlying features.
This is a not-for-profit endeavor. Help improve the app that will allow the blind and sighted to become better ear-birders independently. All skill levels from beginner to advanced are welcomed. For more information or to sign up as a beta-tester, see https://warblebirdsongs.wixsite.com/warble-bird-songs.

06/15/2026

Pollinator Week, June 22 - 28
Pollinator Week is an annual celebration in support of pollinator health initiated and managed by Pollinator Partnership. It is a time to raise awareness for pollinators and spread the word about what we can do to protect them. The great thing about Pollinator Week is that you can celebrate and get involved any way you like! Popular events include planting for pollinators, hosting garden tours, participating in online bee and butterfly ID workshops, and so much more.
If you choose to celebrate this year, you can register your event on the map at https://pollinator.org/pollinator-week, and share your story by tagging on social media using the hashtag .

06/12/2026

Rudolf Bennitt Distinguished Service Award Presented to Edge Wade
The award for dedication to the principles of MBS and work carrying on the tradition of Dr. Bennitt in contributions to ornithology, the birding community, and conservation efforts of Missouri was presented to Edge Wade at the MBS spring meeting by former MBS president Sue Gustafson, Board member Lottie Bushmann, and President Michael O’Keefe.
Edge is the fifth to receive the award, joining Paul Bauer (2004), David Easterla (2006), Jim Jackson (2012), and Brad Jacobs (2016) with this honor. Thoroughly surprised, on coming forward to receive the award, Edge began by stammering that she was uncharacteristically speechless—a condition that lasted for about 3 seconds.
The June 2026 issue of The Bluebird carries an article (p.92) explaining the purpose and history of the award and comments from Missouri birders familiar with Edge’s birding and conservation activities.

06/10/2026

2026 MBS Spring Meeting Recap
Nearly 100 people attended the MBS 125th Anniversary Meeting in Chesterfield. President Michael O’Keefe reports approximately 170 species were observed on 21 field trips to 13 areas. Friday night speakers were State Ornithologist Kristen Heath-Acre and Mike Checkett, Executive Director of the Great Rivers Habitat Alliance. Saturday’s keynote speaker, Noah Strycker’s presentation with highlights and struggles of his quest to see 5,000 bird species in one year was entertaining and instructive. Many members enjoyed his companionship on field trips.
The Sunday picnic featured a good selection of food, much of it eaten in short order as high, chilly winds brought the event to an end before the scheduled species tally—reminiscent of the rapid exodus from the Cape Girardeau 2023 spring meeting picnic in a surprise sleet storm. Perhaps someone should remember to designate a person as weather guarantor for the picnics.

06/08/2026

L-A-D Sites in Shannon County: Birding Visits Encouraged
eBird hotspots Pioneer Forest—Virgin Pine Randolph Tract and Pioneer Forest--Woods Hole are contiguous sites between Hwy. 19 and the Current River, offering excellent birding in all seasons.
MBS and the L-A-D Foundation have an agreement for MBS members to conduct bird surveys at these hotspots to develop a more complete understanding of bird occurrence. The earnings from this program are credited to the MBS Young Birders Scholarship account.
No visits have been reported for:
Pioneer Forest--Woods Hole June weeks 1,2; July weeks 1,2,3
Pioneer Forest--Virgin Pine Randolph Tract June weeks 4; July week 2
Before you go, learn what to expect in the downloadable Birding Site Guide at https://mobirds.org/Birding/SiteGuides.aspx, and select the Pioneer Forest site guide.

06/05/2026

Echo Bluff Festival June 6, 10 a.m.- 2 p.m
Echo Bluff SP (Shannon Co.) will hold a festival featuring booths and nature-oriented activities beginning at 10 a.m., with a live bird show at the park amphitheater.

06/03/2026

Missouri Prairie Foundation Bioblitz June 6, 2:00 pm - June 7, 11:00 am-- June 4 registration deadline.
Join fellow prairie enthusiasts of all ages for an afternoon or a weekend at MPF’s Lordi Marker Prairie near Sedalia, Missouri for MPF’s 15th Annual Prairie BioBlitz and National Prairie Day celebration.
Activities begin at 2:00 p.m. on June 6 with a welcome, followed by an afternoon of guided breakout activities. You can join one of many study groups to search for and document butterflies, bees, plants, mosses, small mammals, amphibians, reptiles, fish, and more, as well as challenge yourself to learn the basics of nature sketching. Following afternoon study groups, relax under the big tent and participate in a potluck dinner, followed by a prairie edible plants lecture by special guest Dr. Kelly Kindscher.
A Saturday evening bird walk will be led by Tracy Lewandoski. Sunday morning activities include two early morning birdwatching group walks, led by Veronica Mecko and Drake Carr.
Attendance is free. Participants in the potluck dinner on June 6 are asked to bring a dish to share. See details at https://moprairie.org/event/mpf-15th-annual-bioblitz-and-national-prairie-day/

06/02/2026

CACHE/SPARKS Program

CACHE/SPARKS is a program with MBS members birding sites and submitting eBird checklists as a core element. Earnings from this program are used to support partnership projects in conservation-related activities and education.

Recent projects approved for support by the MBS Board include Motus Wood Thrush Tagging and Monitoring, 2026 Missouri River Adventure Camp, 2026 GLADE summer program, Motus receiver installation in Hannibal, and the 2026 Missouri Birding Challenge.

The weeks indicated below have had no eBird checklists submitted. Please consider birding one or more of these sites to help us complete a full year’s cycle on eBird bar charts.
Weeks, for eBird purposes, are computed as follows: Week 1 is composed of days 1–7; Week 2, days 8–14; Week 3, days 15–21; and Week 4, days 22 through the end of the month.
*Shelton Mem. CA, Dade Co., June Week 1 (new birding site guide on the MBS website!)
*Battle of Lexington SHS, Lafayette Co., June Weeks 1, 2, 4; July Weeks 1, 3
‡Grand Gulf SP, Oregon Co., June Week 1; July Week 1
‡Big Sugar Creek SP, McDonald Co., June Week 1
‡Morris Prairie CA, Putnam Co., June Week 1; July Weeks 2, 3, 4
‡Dark Hollow NA, Sullivan Co., June Weeks 1, 4; July Weeks 1, 4
*Shoemaker CA, Adair Co., June Week 3; July Week 4
*Huzzah CA, Crawford Co., June Week 3 (photo above)
*Fiery Fork CA, Camden Co., June Week 4
*Pomme de Terre Lake & SP, Hickory Co., June Week 4; July Weeks 1, 2
*Poague CA, Henry Co., July Week 4
*Has Birding Site Guide / ‡MDC or State Park Listing

05/27/2026

Worth Remembering
“Over increasingly large areas of the United States, spring now comes unheralded by the return of the birds, and the early mornings are strangely silent where once they were filled with the beauty of bird song.”
Rachel Carlson, Silent Spring. In 2006, Silent Spring (published in September, 1962) was named one of the 25 greatest science books of all time by the editors of Discover magazine.[5]

05/22/2026

Beak or Bill—What’s the difference?
Nothing—they are synonyms, often used interchangeably. Ornithologists tend to use the word “bill” more often than “beak.” Some people use “beak” when referring to songbirds with pointed bills, and “bill” when discussing birds like ducks with broad, flat, more fleshy beaks. However, both words are used in reference to a wide variety of species.

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http://mobirds.org/

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