Events in February 2026

Annual Outings

Community Events

April

May

August

December

February

May

October

Summer/Fall

Meetings are held on the third Wednesday of the month from September through April. Speaker presentations are open to the public, providing environmental education to everyone in our community.

We sponsor outings and participate in bird- and conservation-related community events at the local, regional, and national level. We also participate in a number of community, regional, and even national events.

People watching for birds for the Christmas bird count on a winter day — Christmas Bird Count – St. Cloud

These are outings that occur every year.

Sand Prairie WMA – look and listen for Woodcocks in their mating ritual. Programming the date is challenging as we are still subject to snowstorms, but the display is always worth the effort.

Albany Wastewater ponds – migrating ducks and shorebirds

Peck Farm in Rockville – Annual picnic. This event has been held for the past thirty years.

Varying locations – Chimney Swift Sit. We choose a location where there is a migratory communal roost. This outing had been very popular in previous years. We have just restarted it this past year and plan to continue, hoping to identify additional communal roosts in the CMAS area.

St Cloud/Collegeville area – Christmas Bird Count. The CBC has been around for 125 years, and the St Cloud circle has participated since 1980. Brian Jungels is the compiler for the CBC

CMAS members are also encouraged to participate in area birding events:

Great Backyard Bird Count, promoted by National Audubon, Cornell Lab, and Birds Canada

Birding Days at St. John’s Arboretum, Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge, and Crane Meadows National Wildlife Refuge.

Sand Hill Crane Viewing at Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge.

14 9:30 am: Great Backyard Bird Count 9:30 am – 10:30 am February 14, 2026 The Great Backyard Bird Count (CBBC) is sponsored by Audubon, Cornell Lab, and Birds Canada. Everyone, novice to experienced, is invited to watch and count birds and report them using Merlin or eBird. You are able to do this on your own, any day from February 13-16, or to join Central Minnesota Audubon Society at the Beaver Island Trailhead in St. Cloud on Saturday, February 14, at 9:30 a.m. On a crisp February morning last year, we did this as a group outing for the first time. We hope you will join us. If you would like more information on the CBBC, you can find it here. We will be meeting at the Beaver Island Trailhead and Boat Launch, downstream from the dam and hockey arena. iCal Google

18 7:00 pm: CMAS Meeting: MN Biological Survey 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm February 18, 2026 Michael Lee of the Minnesota DNR will be presenting about the Minnesota Biological Survey (MBS), including recent highlights. The MBS enhances our knowledge of the distribution and status of the state’s flora, fauna, and native plant communities. Mike Lee is a botanist and plant ecologist with the Minnesota Biological Survey of the Minnesota DNR, based in St. Cloud, MN. He has been with the agency since 1992, specializing in native plant community classification and botanical surveys. We will meet at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship at 3226 Maine Prairie Rd. in St. Cloud (map below). The meeting is open to the public and will also be available on Zoom. Invite your friends and neighbors or request a Zoom link at centralmnaudubon@gmail.com. Refreshments and Door prizes to follow the presentation. Map of Unitarian Universalist Fellowship iCal Google

21 10:00 am: Kestrel Box-Building Event 10:00 am – 11:00 am February 21, 2026 CMAS will be supporting Stearns County Parks for a Kestrel Box-Building Event at Warner Park in Clearwater, MN, on Saturday, February 21st. CMAS is providing support and presenting information on kestrels for this project. For those who want to participate, there will be ten stations, and registration is required. It is recommended to sign up for a station as a family or group. To register, go to the Stearns County Parks website and click on ‘Events’ to find the Kestrel Box-Building Event. iCal Google

Removing Invasive Species, Planting Native Species, Building Bird Houses or Feeders, Placing and Monitoring BlueBird Houses in Trails.