This year’s spring turkey seasons ended on May 17.  Running for more than a month, Iowa’s spring seasons offer hunters plenty of options for bagging their gobbler while, at the same time, provides opportunities for a whole lot of high quality, outdoor recreation.  But regardless of the liberal venue, there never seems to be enough

I spend more time messing around with wood ducks than I do with any other waterfowl.  The cycle begins in late winter -- time to spruce up the nesting boxes where hens will lay, incubate, and hatch their eggs.  During summer, I watch as broods grow from fuzzy little ducklings to airborne adolescents.  Come October,

Iowa pheasant hunters are walking in tall clover.  Following a series of favorable nesting seasons, Iowa’s pheasant population and Iowa’s pheasant harvest has been slowly inching up since 2015.  Last year’s pheasant season was phenomenal.  When the results of the 2025 hunter game surveys are completed and released next month, wildlife biologists are anticipating they

For Iowa Birders; It Is a Time Like No Other This year’s spring songbird migration has been one of the most spectacular in recent years.  Orioles, grosbeaks, tanagers, buntings, wood warblers, you name it – all making their welcome appearance across Iowa’s spring landscape. Indigo Bunting – The indigo bunting is one of our most brilliantly colorful

For Iowa’s resident flock of giant Canada geese, the 2026 spring nesting season is nearly complete.  Although a few late nests are still going, most goslings were out of the egg by May 10.  Although this year’s nesting season presented a wildly fluctuating ride of extreme high and low temperatures – especially in Iowa’s northern

The ring-necked pheasant is Iowa’s most popular upland gamebird.  Everyone loves seeing wild pheasants, and most folks are familiar with the rooster’s spring crowing.  For those who aren’t, there will never be a better time to become acquainted the species’ unmistakable, signature call. With ear tufts raised and velvety crimson facial wattles expanded to capacity, the

“A wonderful bird is the pelican.  His bill can hold more than his belican”                                                                                                   -- Poet, Dixon Merritt 1910 With it’s massive size and nine-foot wingspan, the American white pelican is one of North America’s largest birds.  With snow white plumage, jet black wingtips, and outrageously long bill, it would be hard to mistake the pelican

The change of seasons is at hand.  And right on schedule, the first species of songbirds are beginning to arrive in Iowa.  During the next several weeks, bird numbers will continue to swell as a diverse and colorful parade of additional species moves into the state.  Jubilantly announcing their arrival, the skies will suddenly fill

Elvis has left the building.  For all practical purposes, this year’s spring snow goose season is over.  Not because of any calendar date, but rather because one of the planet’s most highly migratory bird species has left the state -- faithfully following the invisible pathways that lead to the arctic nesting grounds of their ancestors. This

               Preseason Scouting Can Pave The Road to Hunter Success Iowa’s five-part spring turkey seasons begin April 10 with a special, two-day youth hunt.  The final segment of this year’s four-part regular season concludes May 17.    With local woodlands already rocking with the staccato rattle of fired up spring gobblers, it’s no wonder that turkey hunting

Spring and fall migrations are a dangerous time for traveling songbirds.  This fact was rarely more evident that when winter storm Iona rolled into Iowa on Sunday, March 15.  Accompanied by rapidly falling temperatures, high winds, and dropping nearly nine inches of ‘wintry mix’, the dramatic change in weather was an unwelcome and life threatening

Most birding enthusiasts, myself included, are always on the lookout for something rare or unusual – a visiting species that normally doesn’t occur in our area.  I’ve been treated to several sightings that fall into this category.  The majority of these feathered travelers have been officially listed by the Iowa Ornithologists Union [IOU] as ‘rare