Central Minnesota Audubon Society

Events

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.

May 27, 2026

Grebe Outing to Lake Osakis

Grebe Outing to Lake Osakis

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May 27, 2026

Western grebe on Lake Osakis

An outing is scheduled to observe the Western Grebe mating dance (if we are lucky!), as well as other grebes and waterfowl. We will be hosted by Let’s Go Fishing, an organization that takes youth, the elderly, and people with disabilities on pontoon fishing outings. In the spring, they take people out on the lake to observe the mating dance. Even if we do not see the dance, forty-nine bird species have been documented on the lake, including Black and Forster’s Terns, Yellow-headed Blackbirds, and Red-necked Grebes. Attendees have been sent location details. We will meet near the dock at 9:30 to receive life jackets, etc. The pontoons will leave at about 10:00 a.m.

Cancellations: In case of inclement weather, you will be notified of cancellation the night before the outing and the alternate date of Friday, May 29th will be set.
Sandhill Cranes near Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge
Photo: Doris Minnerath-Kneip

Annual Outings

These are outings that occur every year.

April

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.

May

Albany Wastewater ponds – migrating ducks and shorebirds

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

August

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.

December

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



Community Events

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

February

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

May

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

October

Sand Hill Crane Viewing at Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge.

Summer/Fall

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