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.
Events in March 2026
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CMAS Meeting: Purple Martins CMAS Meeting: Purple Martins
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March 18, 2026
Photo credit: Mick Thompson/Audubon Digital AssetsDick Doll will speak to us about his passion, Purple Martins. He says, “I will talk on anything Purple Martin-related, from the basics of starting a new colony, roost chasing and band reading, to what to do about predators attacking your Purple Martin colony.Dick Doll tells us: “I have been a Purple Martin host for forty years. I am a licensed bird bander for Purple Martins and kestrels, and a Minnesota Purple Martin fall roost chaser. I have helped in two different Purple Martin studies involved with geo-locator tracking, tracking Purple Martins from Minnesota to South America and back.”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.
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.