Iowa Wildlife Center

10/10/2026

High Trestle Hawk Watch. The programs at the Madrid Public Library ended and we joined the identifiers & counters on the observation deck. Species-wise, the list is pretty good; numbers-wise, we may be a little shy of past years. We still have 2 1/2 hours left, and it's a gorgeous day!

county conservation

10/10/2026

ED Marlene here. The Raptor count has officially started at the High Trestle Trail bridge overlook west of Madrid and east of Woodward! It's a gorgeous morning, so head on out. Photos of that are coming later. Right now, I'm at the Madrid Public Library for the new indoor education program segment of this event. Lisa Hein, INHF/Bird Friendly Iowa, just started her program about how to be bird friendly. Next up, Anna Buckhardt Thomas, IDNR, will teach about how to identify birds at 11:00!

10/10/2026

The inaugural event of indoor family programs at the Madrid Public Library is kicking off with Dallas CCB Environmental Education Coordinator Mike Havlik and his Big Owls Hoot and Little Owls Toot program. He'll bring a live owl out pretty soon, so come on down! Lisa Hein, Iowa Natural Heritage Foubdation/Bird Friendly Iowa, is up at 10 talking about making our surroundings more bird friendly. At 11. Iowa DNR Wildlife Biologist Anna Buckhardt Thomas will teach everyone how to identify the birds around us!

10/07/2026

Just in case you don't read to the end: THE HIGH TRESTLE HAWK WATCH (HTHW) IS FROM 10:00-4:00; THE PROGRAMS AT THE MADRID LIBRARY ARE FROM 9:00-12:00! It's a little confusing this year.

ED Marlene here. When I invited what would become the founding partners (Iowa DNR Wildlife Diversity Program, Dallas and Boone CCBs, Iowa Audubon, and Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation) of the High Trestle Hawk Watch together in 2011 to discuss the possibility of such an event, little did I, or anyone else around that table, know that this unique event would be successfully carried out each Fall since then. What makes this hawk watch most unique is the location -- on the overlook of the bridge, 13 stories above the Des Moines River, of one of the most popular multi-use trails in the midwest. Perfect view.

Beloved bird biologists, naturalists, and expert citizen birders are on hand to teach children and adults how to identify flying raptors finding their way to their wintering grounds. Binoculars will be available to use. Don't know how to use them? Lessons are available! Field guides will be floating around, too, and if you've never used one -- guess what -- there is guidance for that, too. Some folks bring chairs and hang out for a few hours, some just stop in and check it out on their bike rides. Some bring lunches, or at least snacks. EVERYONE should bring water or other rehydration fluid. The forecast for Saturday is mid-80s (not so good) and breezy (good). Early in the day will likely be better than later for migration action.

New this year: the highway bridge over the river is closed for repairs, so folks should plan to access parking for the trail from the east; also new this year are educational programs and interpretive displays at the Madrid Library. See attached poster for QR code and more information.

We never know what the weather will be when we plan this, and climate change is making predictions even more difficult. We will have a spreadsheet posted with all the tallies since 2011 -- that's pretty cool to mull over. Come help with this year's tally and take home a soaring memory! NOTE: LIBRARY PROGRAMS ARE 9-12; HAWK WATCH COUNT RUNS 10-4, unless we close that early due to extreme heat and few birds
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High Trestle Hawk Watch - THIS WEEKEND
Saturday, October 10, 2026
9am-12noon
Madrid Library - Educational Presentations
100 W 3rd Street, Madrid, Iowa
10am-4pm
High Trestle Trail Bridge - Guided Birdwatching
2335 QF Lane, Madrid, Iowa (park and walk, peddle or roll to bridge)
FREE and open to the public ~ All ages are welcome!
Offered in partnership with Boone County Conservation and Iowa Wildlife Center

05/14/2026

AMES, IA—Ok, it's Ames' turn! Grab the family and come experience our final public release of over-wintered Big Brown Bats at Brookside Park.

Today, Thursday, May 14, the Iowa Wildlife Center (IWC), with cooperation from the City of Ames Parks and Recreation, is hosting “Best Wishes and Good Hunting, Bats!”, a release of Big Brown Bats, at Brookside Park. Meet near the baseball diamond.

These bats are among some of bats presented to IWC for care between October and April. Staff and volunteers are excited to share this unique experience with the public at what has become an annual event. Here are the activities and timeline planned for this short and sweet pop-up event:

• 7:30 p.m. Welcome attendees at the designated location
• 7:35-8:05 p.m. Q & A and viewing of live education bats up-close!
• 8:05-8:15 p.m. Prepare attendees and bats for the release
• 8:25 p.m. Begin releasing bats!

“The Brookside Park ‘Best Wishes and Good Hunting!’ Bat Release is a perfect way to celebrate the end of winter and the renewal that spring brings,” says IWC Executive Director Marlene Ehresman. “Come help us celebrate and wish the these ‘sky puppies’ good hunting as they take to the skies to find their insect meals! Thank them in advance for all the good they will do for humans.”

The event will be postponed to Friday if it is raining, so watch for announcements today from either the Iowa Wildlife Center page. No pets please.

05/14/2026

We'll tell you more about a special project regarding Lake Laverne in a future post, but kudos to Merry Rankin, ISU Sustainability Director, for the idea of sharing the fish with area wildlife rehabilitators, to ISU for supporting the idea, and to the participants for donating their catches! (Note: our own Jenna Maag's husband and daughter are in the lower right of this collage -- yes, Ellie caught fish!)

Thanks to all who attended the Free Fishing Event at Lake LaVerne on Saturday, May 9! We had an amazing turnout, and enjoyed seeing everybody having fun in nature. Fish caught during the event include bluegill, largemouth bass, black crappie and yellow sunfish. Catches that were not taken by fishers were shared with area bird rehabilitators currently supporting migratory species. To access the event photo gallery, visit the Live Green website and click "Multimedia," then "Photo Gallery." Again, thank you to all who participated, we had a great time.

05/13/2026

Des Moines, IA—Grab the family and come experience the release of dozens of over-wintered Big Brown Bats at Des Moines’ own Gray’s Lake Park.

Today, Wednesday, May 13, 2026, from 7:30-8:45 p.m., the Iowa Wildlife Center (IWC) and Des Moines Parks and Recreation are hosting “Best Wishes and Good Hunting, Bats!”, a release of 28 Big Brown Bats, at Gray’s Lake Park, 2101 Fleur Dr., Des Moines. Meet at the Northwest parking lot near the boat ramp.

These bats are among some of bats presented to IWC for care between October and April. Staff and volunteers are excited to share this unique experience with the public at what has become an annual event. Here are the activities and timeline planned for this short and sweet pop-up event:

• 7:30 p.m. Welcome attendees at the designated location
• 7:35-8:05 p.m. Q & A and viewing of live education bats up-close!
• 8:05-8:15 p.m. Walk to nearby release site to prepare attendees and bats for the release
• 8:25 p.m. Begin releasing bats!

“The Gray’s Lake ‘Best Wishes and Good Hunting!’ Bat Release is a perfect way to celebrate the end of winter and the renewal that spring brings,” says IWC Executive Director Marlene Ehresman. “Come help us celebrate and wish the these ‘sky puppies’ good hunting as they take to the skies to find their insect meals! Thank them in advance for all the good they will do for humans.”

The event will be postponed if it is raining, so watch for announcements today from either the Iowa Wildlife Center page or Des Moines Parks and Recreation. No pets please.

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05/12/2026

"We're not coming out until you get more meat!" Our young fox kits are growing quickly and they could use some generous human help. We don't need fish or seafood or anything with spices, but everything else would be welcome. We prefer you deliver it to our property near the Ledges State Park at a pre-arranged time, but we may be able to make other arrangements. Please email [email protected] and cc [email protected]. one of us will get back to you. Please include your phone number. Thank you!

05/09/2026

Join us tomorrow for a day all about birds at Iowa BirdFest 2026!

Click on the poster to view information on the walks, lectures and booths to learn about Iowa birds.

05/03/2026

If you can't, or won't, turn lights out during the year (motion detection lights are great), or during the migration season, at least firm them out tonight. It is forecast to be a peak migration night. Birdcast.org has more information.

Showcasing the Spectacle of Bird MigrationCurious about when, where, and how far birds migrate? Want to watch migration in your area as it happens? Find all this and more...Explore Migration Tools MYSTERY OF THE MISSING MIGRANTS | © Charley Harper Art Studio | Used with Permission Mission We use we...