Birding the Byways

Barred owl at Riverton WMA (photo by Carter Oliver)

May is a big birding month in Iowa. It kicks off with National Bird Day on May 4th, then is followed by the Iowa Ornithologists' Union 100th Anniversary celebration from May 5th to 7th. World Migratory Bird Day on May 13th coincides with the predicted peak migration, which has been forecasted to occur between May 9th and 14th.

We have compiled a list of birding resources to help you explore the wonderful birding opportunities in western Iowa. Read about them below.

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Birding Organizations

Ornithologist is a big word, but the philosophy of the Iowa Ornithologists' Union is by no means elitist. According to the IOU, if you enjoy the wild birds of Iowa then you are an ornithologist! No degrees, no training, no experience required.

The Iowa Ornithologists' Union spring meeting will kick off their celebration of 100 years of birding as an organization. The venue for the weekend is the beautiful Stine Barn and grounds in West Des Moines. Join them for exceptional programs, great birding, and fellowship with like-minded individuals. The keynote speaker is Ted Floyd, of the American Birding Association, who will examine how much birding has changed over the course of one hundred years. Activities are planned for newer birders, families, photographers, and seasoned veterans alike!

If you cannot make the celebration, check out the IOU website. They have a wealth of information to learn about birds and find birds in Iowa, including an Iowa bird list with 433 species, an Iowa breeding bird atlas, birding by county, Iowa hot spots, and more! The  Ann Barker Library  includes issues of Iowa Bird Life dating back to 1931.

American goldfinch at Loess Hills State Forest Little Sioux Unit (photo by Carter Oliver)

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 Audubon is an organization of people, corporations and other organizations, including National Audubon Society chapters, all interested in improving bird habitat in Iowa. They are a grass-roots organization that maximizes the use of our collective resources to have the largest impact on habitat issues. Iowa Audubon is a non-profit member organization, with a mission to protect, restore and enjoy Iowa’s natural ecosystems with a focus on birds, other wildlife, and their habitats. Our focus on bird conservation fills a unique niche in Iowa. There is a great opportunity to conserve and improve the habitats most essential to birds across the state.

Iowa Audubon offers small grants for bird conservation research and projects. They also partner with other organizations to manager and monitor Important Bird Areas. If you would like to support Iowa Audubon, consider becoming a member; they have several membership options.

Loess Hills Audubon Society is one of eleven chapters of Iowa Audubon. LHAS exists to educate individuals and the general public, to enjoy and promote birding, to support ornithology, and to be an advocate for wild areas and environmental issues. They meet at the Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center in Sioux City on the first Thursday of the month during the months of September through May at 7:00 PM.

Loess Hills Audubon Society has a dedicated group of members that offer programming and bird outings in the greater Siouxland area. They are currently seeking Bird Friendly designation for Sioux City. Golden Hills RC&D is partnering with LHAS to revise their Siouxland Bird Guide that was originally published in 2003.

Check their Conservation Notes blog for bird-related news. Also, take a look at their calendar for a birding event in the Siouxland area. LHAS organizes annual Christmas Bird Counts, among other birding excursions.

Bald eagle at Deer Island WMA (photo by Carter Oliver)

Founded in 2011 to encourage young Iowans ages 8-18 to study and enjoy birds and birding, Iowa Young Birders has offered nearly 60 field trips all around Iowa.  More than 600 participants have included over 300 young birders, 200 parents and 100 volunteer trip leaders.

Join IAYB at Springbrook State Park on May 20th at 9 AM as they search for the last migrants of spring and pause to appreciate the local breeding birds as they sing and establish territories. May 20th often marks the peak of warbler diversity in Iowa as amazing species such as Connecticut Warbler, Mourning Warbler, and Canada Warbler fill the woods with their beautiful songs. IAYB will search for these fleeting species and learn about the breeding strategies of different birds. This event is free but advanced registration is required. This outing is open to young birders and their parents/guardians/caretakers. No previous knowledge or experience is necessary.

Bird Friendly Iowa is a statewide bird habitat conservation and educational outreach program created by a partnership of Iowa conservation organizations. The program instills pride in Iowa's communities for maintaining healthy ecosystems for ourselves and our birds. Cities and counties can acquire Bird Friendly designation after meeting several criteria that support bird conservation. Audubon and Clay have been designated as Bird Friendly counties in western Iowa. A REAP grant for 2022 has allowed the organization to contract with a part-time coordinator to help support its growth.

Red-bellied woodpecker at Schaben Park (photo by Carter Oliver)

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Birding the Byways

From the Missouri River to the Raccoon River, Western Skies Scenic Byway traverses four of Iowa's landforms and many unique habitat types. If you're looking for waterfowl, upland birds, woodland birds, Western Skies Birding Trail has you covered. 

​Check out the Western Skies Birding Trail website to learn where you can go birding in the Western Skies corridor (Audubon, Guthrie, Harrison & Shelby counties) and what species you might find. 

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The Broken Kettle Grasslands Bird Conservation Area is located in the northern Loess Hills. Its 24,500 acres contain the largest remaining contiguous prairie tracts in Iowa. Much of the land is managed by The Nature Conservancy and  provides prime habitat for grassland bird species as the bobolink, grasshopper sparrow, western kingbird, and upland sandpiper. This unique region plays host to Iowa’s only population of  Black-billed    Magpies. Recent research has indicated that these birds had a historical association with bison, a captive population of which now roams the Broken Kettle Grasslands.

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The Loess Hills Bird Conservation Area is located in the most unique landform of Iowa. The Loess Hills were created by windblown loess from the Missouri River bottomland and piled 200-300 feet deep. Once near-totally covered by prairie, today the Loess Hills’ land cover is a mixture of native prairie, bur oak savanna, and woodlands. This BCA contains 94,048 acres in Monona and Harrison counties, of which nearly 19,000 acres are protected by conservation easements or publicly owned.

Bird diversity here is exceptional, with 249 species identified, including 80 Iowa Species of Greatest Conservation Need. Currently, 111 species are known to nest in this BCA’s prairies, savannas, woodlands, and wetlands. This same crucial habitat supplies important bird wintering grounds and migratory stopover sites. Special birds of this area include wood thrush, Bell’s vireo,  whip-poor-will,  redheaded woodpecker,  grasshopper and field sparrows, Blue-winged warbler, and both meadowlark species. The BCA’s western Iowa location makes it a good place to see western bird species that are less often seen elsewhere, like  western kingbird, Townsend’s solitaire, and perhaps Lazuli bunting.  

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The Lower Loess Hills Bird Conservation Area was never dedicated and so is not officially recognized. However, the Iowa DNR does have a brochure about the bird conservation area, although much of the information is identical to the aforementioned Loess Hills Bird Conservation Area. The Lower Loess Hills BCA covers Fremont and Mills counties in southwest Iowa.

Snowy owl near Harlan (photo by Carter Oliver)

There are numerous parks and nature centers in western Iowa that are excellent birding sites. State parks managed by the Iowa DNR, parks managed by county conservation boards, and other publicly accessible lands in western Iowa all offer birding opportunities. Check the park's respective website for organized birding events and tips.

DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge offers great birding year round. The visitor center viewing windows provide great birding of waterfowl and bald eagles during the spring, fall and winter season. Bird feeders are stocked daily at the visitor center and provide good “backyard” birding opportunities.

Hitchcock Nature Center is home to HawkWatch, a citizen science driven research project that monitors raptor migration from September 1st to December 13th, counting an average of 13,000 migrating raptors annually. Anyone can join the Hitchcock HawkWatch volunteer team. All you need is a love of birds and a willingness to learn. On-the-job training is provided by the experienced team of HawkWatch volunteers and park staff. To become a Hitchcock HawkWatch volunteer, please complete and submit a volunteer application on the HawkWatch website. 

The Chris L. Lloyd Swan Restoration Refuge in Buena Vista County is a 10-acre area to promote the restoration of trumpeter swans. A kiosk with information and an observation deck help inform the public about the swans. A five acre lake is surrounded by prairie grasses. The swan refuge is located 10 miles south of Sioux Rapids on Highway 71.

Other notable birding sites include, but are not limited to, Sawmill Hollow Wildlife Area in Harrison County, Riverton Wildlife Management Area in Fremont County,and Prairie Heritage Center in O'Brien County.

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Birding Resources

Besides the aforementioned organizations, the following resources are helpful to both novice and experienced birders.

eBird is among the world’s largest biodiversity-related science projects, with more than 100 million bird sightings contributed annually by eBirders around the world. Discover bird hot spots, track your own bird lists, share sightings, and more.

The BirdNET research project uses artificial intelligence and neural networks to train computers to identify nearly 3,000 of the most common species of North America and Europe. You can record a file using the internal microphone of your device and see if BirdNET correctly identifies the probable bird species present in your recording.  BirdNET is a citizen science platform as well as an analysis software for extremely large collections of audio. BirdNET aims to provide innovative tools for conservationists, biologists, and birders alike.

Merlin features community contributed photos, songs, and calls, tips from experts around the world to help you ID the birds you see, and range maps from Birds of the World—all powered by billions of bird observations submitted to eBird.

The Audubon Bird Guide is a free and complete field guide to over 800 species of North American birds, right in your pocket. Built for all experience levels, it will help you identify the birds around you, keep track of the birds you’ve seen, and get outside to find new birds near you. With over 2 million downloads to date, it is one of the best and most trusted field guides for North American birds.

Yellow-headed blackbird at Missouri Bottoms Wetland Area (photo by Carter Oliver)

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