Columbus Audubon

Upcoming Program: Tuesday, May 28

Please join us tonight as we welcome Mary Maloney, director of the Chadwick Arboretum at The Ohio State University.

Mary Maloney is a life-long tree activist who hiked across Africa in 1994, retracing African explorer Henry Morton Stanley's route to verify the source of the Nile and Congo Rivers. She is now the director of the 60-acre Chadwick Arboretum and Learning Gardens at The Ohio State University where she coordinates the mapping, inventory, and health assessment of the campus trees. This intensive project was launched in response to the near loss of two 150+ year old sycamore trees to a temporary construction road. A groundswell of popular dissent for the pending loss of those venerable trees, in tandem with the timely release of the One Ohio State Framework Plan, propelled the Chadwick Arboretum into a leadership role in a significant paradigm shift at Ohio State. Tree Campus USA certification was awarded to The Ohio State University on Arbor Day, 2012, as a result of these efforts.

7-7:15 p.m. Short Program: We celebrate CA's 100th anniversary with a historic review and more. Refreshments are available from 7:00 pm onward, and the main program kicks off at 7:30.

Columbus Audubon public programs are held at the Grange Insurance Audubon Center (505 West Whittier Street) in the Scioto-Audubon Metro Park on the Whittier Peninsula.

OBCI Bird Window Collision Webinar Available Online

If you were not able to attend the May 15 webinar on Finding Solution to Bird Window Collisions, you can see and listen to a recording of the webinar online. The webinar was presented by Amanda Duren of the Ohio Bird Conservation Initiative. You also can find additional resources on preventing collisions at the OBCI Web site.

The next OBCI webinar will be Field Techniques for the Digital Age, with speaker Tim Daniel of the Ohio Division of Wildlife at noon on Wednesday, June 19. You can register for the webinar here.

Note: You will need Adobe Flash Player to view the webinar recording.

CA Anniversary Ice Cream Social

Ice cream cone You're Invited to Columbus Audubon's Anniversary Celebration and Ice Cream Social!

Columbus Audubon's amazing volunteers and members have supported our mission for 100 years and have enjoyed field trips, monthly programs, and education and conservation activities. Loyal members like you are the reason for our longevity, and as a special thank you, you're invited to help us celebrate the anniversary of the first CA meeting on June 9, 1913.

Join us on Sunday, June 9 for the CA members' ice cream social from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at GIAC. We'll have ice cream treats and special activities, including animals from Ohio Wildlife Center, bird banding demonstrations, games for all ages, and giveaways.

We hope you'll be our guest and help us celebrate this special centennial event. Your RSVP is needed for a headcount (to help us order enough ice cream): you can register online right now or email Suzan Jervey ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ). Please respond by Monday, June 3.

And we need some helpers to serve ice cream and such. If you can help for an hour or two, please conntact Tamara James ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ) to learn about volunteer opportunities.

Build a Solar Powered Birdbath

Solar-Powered Birdbath Installed We know that birds are attracted to water, especially running water. However, most fountains or small ponds require a 120-V electrical pump, which may be expensive to install, may require permitting, and -- if not installed properly -- could potentially pose an electrocution danger to humans and wildlife. Mel Hinton of the San Diego Audubon Society has come up with a solar-powered alternative. And the best part is that you can make it yourself!

Mel's design uses readily available parts and it's inexpensive (about $85), easy to maintain, and is relatively simple to build and install.

You can see complete instructions, including a parts list and suggestions for installation, on the Audubon Website. By the way, don't be put off by the pictures at the top of the page: those are of the unit before installation. There are several pictures of the installed final version near the bottom of the article, and they look pretty doggone good!

Teen Summer, Unplugged

Gerry Brevoort

CA OYBC unplugged Think teenagers spend their lives indoors in front of video games, wired to earbuds, or glued to smart phones? Well, think again. The teen members of the Central Ohio Chapter of the Ohio Young Birders Club (OYBC) spend their summers outside celebrating the natural world in many different ways.