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Iowa

American Goldfinch Carduelis tristis ŠStephen O Muskie http://www.outtakes.com/birds/index.html

Located between two major river systems in the heart of the upper Midwest, Iowa offers a bit of everything for birders. Many species are at the limit of either their east-west or north-south range in this state.

Along Iowa`s eastern border, formed by the Mississippi River, one can find a typical sampling of the species found in eastern North America. The Mississippi Flyway is a major migration route for waterfowl, hawks, shorebirds, and most passerines. Extensive bottomland forest is typical. The eleven locks and dams on the Mississippi each have large pools above them that accommodate great concentrations of waterfowl. Vagrant winter Gulls are found quite routinely along the river. Large numbers of Bald Eagles winter here, with this species now ranging over the entire state. The western border of the state is formed by the Missouri River. The Loess Hills, ranging north along the river, are a unique geological feature, and attract many western species not found in other parts of the state. The Missouri flyway is the primary migration route for Snow and Ross`s Geese, as well as many waterfowl.

Historically a prairie state, Iowa is now extensively farmed. The most recently glaciated prairie pothole region, in the Northwest part of the state, is home to many waterfowl, gulls, terns and wetland birds. Its extensive marshes and pools attract shorebirds in migration.

The steep bluffs and hills in the Northeast Palaeozoic Plateau are the best areas to find Golden Eagle, Ruffed Grouse and Pileated Woodpeckers.

The most comprehensive and valuable website for Iowa birders is the Iowa Birds and Birding Page, sponsored by the Iowa Ornithologists` Union. It includes information about the IOU, publications available, the state Rare Bird Alert (Iowa Birdline); archives for the state listserv, and extensive list of e-mail addresses of birders who are willing to assist others, birding sites around the state, the official Iowa checklist, activity of the Records Committee, local birding groups, links to other Iowa websites, and more.

contributor

Ann Barker
(Princeton, Iowa USA)
Lostcreek1@aol.com

numbers

Number of bird species:409

useful reading

Birds of an Iowa Dooryard

Althea R Sherman 270 pages, 16 photos. University of Iowa Press 1996
ISBN: 0877455686
Buy this book from NHBS.com

Iowa Birdlife

(Bur Oak Original) Gladys Black Paperback - 176 pages (October 1992) Iowa State University Press
ISBN: 0877453934
Buy this book from NHBS.com

The Iowa Breeding Bird Atlas

(Bur Oak Original)Laura Spess Jackson, Carol A. Thompson, James J. DinsmorePaperback (November 1996) Iowa State University Press
ISBN: 0877455619
Buy this book from NHBS.com

useful information

State Bird

Eastern Goldfinch Carduelis tristis

clubs

Audubon Society in Iowa

http://www.audubon.org/chapter/ia/
Contact numbers and a list of local chapters

Big Bluestem Audubon Society

http://www.bigbluestemaudubon.org/
A local chapter of Audubon in Iowa with details of committee, newsletters etc...

Dubuque Audubon Society

http://www.audubondubuque.org/
Welcome to the Dubuque Audubon Society Online! Please explore and learn more about the Audubon Society, birding, wild birds, conservation and more. Join the DAS or pick up a bird list to begin birding on your own. It all begins here...

Iowa Records Committee (& Official Checklist)

http://www.iowabirds.org/iou/records.asp
The Iowa Records Committee, a standing committee of the Iowa Ornithologists Union, is charged with evaluating and voting on records of rare birds recorded in the state...

Iowa Audubon

http://www.iowaaudubon.org/main/default.asp
The Mission of Iowa Audubon is to identify, protect and restore Iowa's bird habitats, to educate Iowa's citizens toward a greater level of conservation awareness, and to promote enjoyment and greater pride in Iowa's natural ecosystems, birds, other wildlife...

Iowa City Bird Club

http://www.icbirds.org/
About Eastern Iowa Birds and Birders, local bird sightings etc...

Iowa Ornithologists Union

http://www.iowabirds.org
Welcome to the website of the Iowa Ornithologists' Union. Our state is a land of many surprises. Sure, there are endless fields of corn and soybeans, but tucked away in the gently sloping valleys one finds streams and rivers, lakes and ponds, and hardwood timber that all provide homes to a host of different species. Dickcissel, Sedge Wren, Smith's Longspur, and even Eurasian Tree Sparrow may be found within our borders. Wander through this website and discover for yourself the wonders of our state...

Loess Hills Audubon Society

http://www.lhas.org/
The Loess Hills... stretch from the town of Westfield in central Plymouth County, Iowa, to just south of the Squaw Creek National Wildlife Refuge in central Holt County, Missouri. Between those two points, the Loess Hills form a north-south band of varying width approximately 200 miles long.

Macbride Raptor Project

http://www.macbrideraptorproject.org/
The Macbride Raptor Project or MRP is a non-profit organisation devoted to the preservation of Iowa`s raptors and their natural habitats. They achieve their goals through the rehabilitation of sick and injured raptors, educational programs for the public, and field research of Iowa`s native birds of prey.

Nature Conservancy in Iowa

http://nature.org/wherewework/northamerica/states/iowa/
Well presented site but they should look at some other state NC sites - and copy their use of stunning photographs. The Nature Conservancy of Iowa is focused on the long-term protection and stewardship of the natural communities found throughout our state. We strive to balance human needs and ecological health. The Iowa Chapter was founded in 1963, since then we have purchased over 6,000 acres of significant landscapes. We currently own 30 preserves, lease two and participate in the management of one. We also hold conservation easements on two additional properties...

Raptor Resource Project

http://www.raptorresource.org/
The Raptor Resource Project is a nonprofit, 501c3 dedicated to restoring the Midwest`s population of Peregrine falcons and other raptors. Welcome to our website...

observatories

Hitchcock Nature Area Hawkwatch

http://www.raptorrecoveryne.org/hawkwatch.htm
Every September through December, bird of prey enthusiasts gather at Hitchcock Nature Area to observe and count thousands of hawks, eagles, and vultures that migrate south past Pottawattamie County`s Hitchcock Nature Area...

reserves

DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge

http://www.fws.gov/midwest/desoto/
DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge was established on March 12, 1958 under the Migratory Bird Conservation Act of 1929 for "...use as an inviolate sanctuary or for other management purposes, for migratory birds." The refuge lies in the wide, fertile plain of the Missouri River Valley in a former bend of the Missouri River about 25 miles north of Omaha, Nebraska...

Hawk Ridge Nature Reserve

http://biosci.umn.edu/~mou/ridge.html
Hawk Ridge Nature Reserve, located in east Duluth, provides some of North America`s best autumn hawk watching. From early August until early December, counters are at the ridge from morning `til night recording every raptor that passes by. During the fall, migrating hawks concentrate in impressive numbers at the western tip of Lake Superior. Reluctant to cross a large body of water, the hawks, migrating from as far away as the Arctic towards wintering areas as distant as South America, funnel down the North Shore along the bluffs at Duluth.

Iowa State Forests

http://www.state.ia.us
Iowa`s state forest system consists of 4 major and 6 smaller units totaling 40,706 acres. The Division of Forestry pursues an active land acquisition program with a goal of 250,000 acres by the year 2020...

Iowa State Parks

http://www.iowadnr.com/parks/index.html
List of sites.

Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge

http://www.tallgrass.org/
The Refuge re-creates the native plant and animal communities that greeted Iowa`s earliest settlers in the mid 1800`s...

trip reports

Travelling Birder
http://www.travellingbirder.com
The Travellingbirder.com birding trip report search engine guides you to 7,000+ birding trip reports on the Internet. You can search for trip reports from a specific country and time of year. Not all these reports are in English. So, if you cant find the trip report you want on this Fatbirder page give them a try!

2000 [February] - Pam Allen - Big Day

http://maybank.tripod.com/USA/IA-02-2000-BD.htm
just a bird list...

tour operators

Birding Pal

http://birdingpal.org/ia.htm
Local birders willing to show visiting birders around their area...

places to stay

Bluebird B&B

http://www.ohwy.com/ia/t/thluired.htm
The Bluebird B&B is nestled by a wooded creek valley in central Iowa, near the Des Moines River. Our home was built in 1918, and is furnished with family heirlooms and antiques. You`ll find our Bed & Breakfast to be a unique lodging experience. Carmen`s collection of vintage clothing and accessories is on display everywhere, and nature`s birds are just outside the window!

Lighthouse Valleyview

http://www.lighthousevalleyview.com/
Our bird`s eye view allows you to see and identify the many varieties of birds who make their home among the trees below us...

South-East Iowa Bed and Breakfast Association

http://www.jeonet.com/iowa-bed/breakfast.htm
Lists of B&Bs some with their own websites.

Strawberry Farm B&B

http://www.bbonline.com/ia/strawberry/
A walk about the property may even produce a deer family, interesting birds, or other wildlife. In the summer flowers of the past bloom about the yard and a vegetable garden grows near the back fence...

mailing lists

IA-BIRD

http://www.iowabirds.org/iou/IA-BIRD.asp
To subscribe to list:Through Website
The Iowa birds listserve has become a popular means to share information about what is going on around the state. For those unfamiliar with listserves, the concept is simple. You subscribe to the list through e-mail and everyone on the list receives copies of messages sent to the list. If you just want to view the messages, you are welcome to visit the archives...

Archives for the Iowa Rare Bird Alert

http://www.iowabirds.org/
Occasionally readers wonder what great birds they missed while out of town. These archives will let you peruse the rare bird alerts for the past few years.

BLOG - Rick Hollis - Thoughts of an Iowa Birdwatcher

http://iowabirdwatcher.blogspot.com/
These will be random thoughts about birds, birders, birdwatching, feeders, reptiles, wildflowers and nature in general. I will specifically discuss conservation interests, and other things as the mood hits me. The topics will probably lean a bit towards of interest to Iowa, as that is where I live...

BLOG - Wild Iowa

http://wildiowa.blogspot.com/
Photoblogging and vlogging the wild side of Iowa and the Midwestern United States...

BLOG Iowa Voice

http://www.iowavoice.com
A photoblog celebrating birding and other nature observation in Iowa, Illinois and the Midwestern United States...

Henslow`s Sparrow in the Midwest

http://www.public.iastate.edu/~hesp/homepage.html
This web site provides monitoring and research information on Henslow`s Sparrow Ammodramus henslowii in the midwestern United States...

Iowa Rare Bird Alert

http://www.iowabirds.org/birds/iarba.asp

Living Sound Recordings

http://www.livingsoundrecordings.com
A commercial source of bird song recordings. Welcome to Living Sound Recordings - It`s now possible to bring the outdoors inside with pure natural sounds of nature. Living Sound Recordings uses digital recording equipment with parabolic microphones to capture and record the purist example of a locations soundscape. Owner Dave Livingston is an American Birding Association member and a supporter of the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology and British National sound Archives, as well as a contributor to the Cornell Library of Natural Sounds.

artists

Photographer - Kent Foster

http://www.kentfosterphotographs.com/
Short on text, long on excellent photographs! Check it out!

Photographer - Kent Nickell - Bird Digiscoping

http://www.greenbackedheron.com/home.cfm
Photography & ID...

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