Save the Date! Tue, Sept 8th, 7 pm
for our first PRAS program of the season which will focus on the DarkSky Iowa initiative.
for our first PRAS program of the season which will focus on the DarkSky Iowa initiative.
Thu, August 20th, 5:30 PM: Birds & Blizzards
Birding @ Ham Marsh + Ice Cream - Buchanan County
Birding @ Ham Marsh + Ice Cream - Buchanan County
Join a Buchanan County Naturalist at Ham Marsh (1747 Indiana Ave, Independence, IA 50644) for an evening of bird watching fun. Will go out on the hiking trails to find our feathered friends throughout the park. Many cool birds such as the dickcissel, bobolink, and sandhill cranes call the marsh home. The park is located North of Independence and West of HWY 150.
After bird watching we will stop in Independence for a Blizzard provided by our friends at Dairy Queen! Guides and Binoculars are provided, but feel free to bring your own. This program intended for young bird watchers (14 years and younger).
Registration is Required limited number of spots. Call (319) 636-2617 if you have trouble registering or if you have other questions.
In the Sky: August 2026
Please click the link above to see David Voigts' article about what will be happening in the sky during August. Of special interest are the Perseid meteor shower on August 12-13 and the eclipse of the Moon on August 27. Both can be seen by everyone in the U.S., although in the far northwest, the eclipse will start before the Moon rises.
"I've seen it rainin' fire in the sky."
- John Denver. Rocky Mountain High. 1972.
(Inspired by his observing the Perseid meteor shower.)
Climate Change Responsibility
David Voigts' article entitled "Letter: Don't Vote for Candidates Who Won't Fight Climate Change" is available via this link. David's article is a reminder to all of us about our responsibility to the environment and our planet especially when make election year choices.
The Ames area provides outstanding birding opportunities during fall migration. Field trips will showcase several of central Iowa's premier birding destinations, each offering its own unique habitats and seasonal specialties. Ada Hayden Heritage Park has become one of Iowa's finest urban birding locations, with productive wetlands and restored prairie that attract migrating shorebirds, waterfowl, marsh birds, and a variety of songbirds. Just west of Ames, Ledges State Park offers scenic sandstone canyons and mature hardwood forests that can be alive with migrating warblers, vireos, thrushes, tanagers, and other woodland migrants. To the south, Saylorville Reservoir provides expansive mudflats, shoreline habitat, and open water that often host an impressive diversity of shorebirds, gulls, terns, wading birds, and early-arriving waterfowl. Additional field trips will explore other local gems, including McFarland Park, Peterson Pits Wildlife Management Area, Hendrickson Marsh, and the Skunk River corridor.
Connect with Us...
Click the Photos link on menu above to view.
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Subscribe to the PRAS Audubon YouTube Channel to view past programs
Submit a proposal for our consideration via the PRAS Grant Application Form to help your organization secure funding for a project that supports our mission.
Consider donating to the PRAS Quasi or PRAS Permanent Endowment funds through the Community Foundation of Northeast Iowa.
Call Black Hawk Wildlife Rehabilitation Project 319-939-4635
or if you are outside of our area, see other Iowa wildlife rehabilitators.