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 Waterfowl Field Trip-Big Marsh on Fri, March 24th
and 
Field Trip-Downtown Waterloo on Sat, March 25th
See details on the Field Trips page.

In the Sky: March 2023
Here is what will be happening in the sky during March.
Of special interest will be the close passing of brilliant Venus and very bright on March 1.  This should be quite a sight if the clouds go away.  They will be almost as close on March 2.  Also of special interest will be the movement of bright Mars from between the horns of Taurus (the Bull) to the feet of Castor one of the twins of Gemini (the Twins).  -- David Voigts

"Lying on our backs and counting the stars."
    - Wendy Waldman and Jim Phologto.  Fishin' in the Dark.  1987. 
       Recorded by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band

MOTUS Towers in Iowa

PRAS has helped to fund MOTUS towers in our service area (Calkins and Bremer County are the first to implement). Check out the MOTUS towers in Iowa; once the list of towers is displayed, click on the number of tags recorded for the tower you are interested in to see what species have been recorded so far.  

The Motus Wildlife Tracking System is an international collaborative network of researchers that use automated radio telemetry to simultaneously track hundreds of individuals of numerous species of birds, bats, and insects. The system enables a community of researchers, educators, organizations, and citizens to undertake impactful research and education on the ecology and conservation of migratory animals. When compared to other technologies, automated radio telemetry currently allows researchers to track the smallest animals possible, with high temporal and geographic precision, over great distances.

Watch a recent presentation about the Iowa MOTUS tower project by Iowa DNR Non-game Bird Specialist, Anna Buckardt-Thomas, courtesy of the Iowa City Bird Club. 

Panama Fruit Feeder Cam - Enjoy!

Edifying Articles to Learn From...

Song on a Wire - Wikimedia Commons
Bird Flight Patterns and Music Concert Program
You are now able to access the online concert video and curriculum (see link and password below-posted with permission by the copyright holder).
The link provides the full concert video and online curriculum with activities, lessons, extra musical performances, composer interviews and educational games. 
This resource will remain active through June 2022 (for one year), so utilize it for your programs, personal edification working with your children or grandchildren to teach them about music and birds!

Password:  BFPMC  (case sensitive)

      Find an injured bird or animal? Call Black Hawk Wildlife Rehabilitation Project 319-277-6511


Subscribe to the PRAS YouTube Channel if you are interested in watching recordings of our past Zoom meetings for which we have permission to post for viewing.

Contribute to our Flickr Photo Stream
Go to this URL:   https://www.flickr.com/photos/prairierapidsaudubon/
Click "Login" 
The email address associated with PRAS's account is:   praudubon@gmail.com
Email praudubon@gmail.com to request password for email; we won't post it here online.
Save the UN and PWD so it is quick and easy the next time you upload photos.
Click the Upload icon (looks like cloud with an arrow) and follow prompts.
Here is Flick's help page for uploads.
Click the Photos link on the above navigation bar to see photos.

Find us on Facebook
We share information about field trips, local sightings, fun and interesting photos and stories about birds, nature, the environment, etc. on our Facebook page. Check it out and like us and "share" our posts.