For an Iowa waterfowler, few events spark the imagination or bring a higher level of anticipation than the arrival of October’s full moon.  The night air is crisp, humidity is dropping, a rising breeze is shifting to the northwest.  By the time midnight rolls around, it’s becoming downright chilly, and the landscape becomes covered in
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When the sun sets and evening stars shine bright, the night sky quickly becomes a busy place as millions of southbound songbirds take to the flyways.  And of all the feathery families cruising the moonlit flyways, few are more intriguing than the grouping of birds collectively known as wood warblers.  Listed among the smallest of
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Phenomenal!  Absolutely incredible!  Have never seen anything like it! Mild temperatures combined with the blue-wing’s preference for frequenting small, easy access wetlands, make Iowa’s special teal season a favorite with outdoor enthusiasts of all ages. Those are typical hunter comments regarding the September 1st opening of this year’s special teal season.  According to DNR Conservation Officers and
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The results of this year’s recently completed August roadside game surveys have been analyzed and released.  According to DNR Wildlife Research Biologist, Todd Bogenschutz, Iowa hunters can expect to see a 14 percent decrease in statewide pheasant numbers during the upcoming 2024 hunting seasons.   The annual cycle began on a high note with statewide winter
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When leaves fall and autumn winds blow, Iowa duck hunters can anticipate a strong migration of southbound waterfowl during 2024.  That’s the official assessment from this year’s North American Breeding Duck and Habitat Survey released earlier this week by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Conducted every year since 1955, the continent-wide annual survey measures trends
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The slow-moving cold front that swept into Iowa during the second week of August offered some much-needed relief from the stifling heat and humidity of late summer.  The temporary change of weather also provided a sharp reminder that fall hunting seasons are just around the corner. For Iowa waterfowlers, the fall seasons begin with the September
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Although hunting for summer mushrooms may be a lot different than searching for spring morels, it can be just as rewarding.  Despite the fact that summer foliage is generally much denser than spring ground cover, finding woodland mushrooms can actually be easier in August than it was back in April or early May.  Spring morels, for
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It’s late summer and the signs of the season are emerging.  Right on schedule, this year’s crop of annual cicadas are making their appearance, and the distinctive ‘song of the locust’ has begun filling the sultry summer atmosphere.  With volumes exceeding 100 decibels, the ear-piercing trill is impossible to miss.  Louder than your neighbor’s lawn
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Brightly colored and sculpted to a fault, the cardinal is one of my favorite backyard birds.  But the bird currently sitting at my feeder did little to fit that description.  By contrast, this cardinal appeared dull and disheveled.  Happens every summer.  Having raised their latest crop of youngsters, adult parents began losing and replacing their
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Iowa’s five-segment, 2024 spring turkey season ended May 12.  Participation ran high during this year’s spring season with hunters purchasing around 54,500 spring turkey tags.  Turkeys were harvested in all of the state’s 99 counties, resulting in a combined statewide bag of 16,051 birds – a notable increase from the average of around 12,000 to
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For Iowa birding enthusiasts, the spring warbler migration is a highlight event.  Not all migrations are created equal, of course.  The speed, timing, and abundance of the annual flights are largely dependent on developing spring weather patterns.  Not all warbler sightings carry the same weight.  While enjoying and identifying the more common species, experienced birders
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Fast, nervous, and colorful, the tiny green-winged teal is one of my favorite spring migrants. Green-wings, more so than most waterfowl, utilize a wide variety of nesting habitats from small prairie potholes to remote arctic tundras and just about every wet spot in between.  But if you had to pick a breeding stronghold, some of
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