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DNR News Releases

Archive by tag: migrationReturn

Radio tagged Iowa birds part of international migration survey

• 8/27/2024 3:00:00 PM
• View Count 5468

Anna Buckardt Thomas was crouched behind a tree about 20 paces off trail at Brown’s Woods county park, watching a mist net while playing a recording of a male wood thrush on a loop hoping to elicit a response.

The Migratory Dragonfly

• 9/8/2022 1:54:00 PM
• View Count 5434

If you’ve been lucky you may have had the surprising pleasure of happening upon a Common Green Darner (Anax junius) swarm in the late summer and early fall.  Maybe you’ve been hiking through the prairie or even just sitting in your yard when suddenly, everywhere you look, there are dragonflies, skimming along the tops of the grasses.

Spring snow goose hunting season open through May 1

• 3/8/2022 1:40:00 PM
• View Count 5667

The snow goose migration is underway and with it, the opportunity for waterfowl hunters to participate in the special conservation order allowing hunting of light geese in Iowa through May 1.

Iowa’s youth only waterfowl season starts Sept. 25 in the north zone

• 9/14/2021 3:06:00 PM
• View Count 1650

The first of Iowa’s two-day youth waterfowl seasons begin Sept. 25 in the north zone, allowing the kids to experience the fun of the hunt, without the pressure of keeping up with the adults, or fighting lousy weather. 

Migrating waterfowl killed by vehicles after confusing wet pavement for wetlands Monday night

• 11/10/2020 1:03:00 PM
• View Count 7571

A unique weather phenomenon caused migrating waterfowl in northwest Iowa to mistake wet parking lots and roads with wetlands and marshes last night, resulting in hundreds being stuck and killed by vehicles.

Warblers are Starting their Fall Migration

• 9/27/2018 2:25:00 PM
• View Count 4790

Migration season is always a birder’s paradise as species that aren’t usually found in Iowa can be seen passing through. August through October are typically peak migration months.

Red Rock’s wild side

• 7/3/2017 11:23:00 AM
• View Count 8916

The evidence was easy to see that hunters had found the recently mowed 10-acre sunflower field at the Red Rock Wildlife Area on the first day of dove season – 25-30 vehicles were parked along the road whose drivers had abandoned their bucket seats for real buckets set few rows deep in the remaining sunflowers waiting for the nation’s most popular game bird to come rocketing through.

Let's Talk Teal: Season Opens Sept 3

• 8/26/2016 1:02:00 PM
• View Count 4118

Early teal hunting season looks promising for Iowa hunters since a wet summer has kept Iowa's wetland areas filled with water. Now, according to DNR waterfowl biologists, it's up to weather and migration.

Wood Ducks Cuffed for Migratory Behavior

• 11/18/2015 6:22:00 AM
• View Count 12147

Each year in late summer at 31 Iowa locations, seclusive wood ducks are captured and banded as part of a U.S. and Canadian effort to learn their migratory pathways, survival rates and breeding areas. The efforts help establish hunting seasons and regulations.

Monarchs Embark on Nature’s Most Incredible Migration

• 9/9/2015 12:00:00 PM
• View Count 37161

As the days grow shorter and fall approaches, newly emerged monarch butterflies become restless. Although the bright orange- and black-winged insects currently visiting backyard flowerbeds may appear identical to those seen earlier in the summer, they are biologically different from all others. The group of adults currently flittering about are so unusual that scientists give them a special name—this year’s final crop of young are the annual super generation.

How Do Birds Know to Return in the Spring?

• 3/27/2015 9:07:00 AM
• View Count 11431

Common sense tells us birds fly south in the winter to escape the harsh conditions of the north, and return “home” in the spring when the weather improves. While that theory doesn’t fly in the face of truth, it isn’t altogether factual, given most birds are well-equipped to handle extreme temperatures.