The Boone Forks Wildlife Area Dedication began with a early morning bird hike. It was sunny and calm (good conditions for hearing the birds) and I enjoyed getting to hike along with some of Iowa's best birders.
The 200-acre property, now in public ownership, is diverse and provides critical habitat for species that need large blocks of contiguous woodland. Read more about this great project and the partners who made it happen here.
There were many people, with very different levels of I.D. experience (me = none), who braved the steep ravines and muddy bottoms to find some birds, including a spunky old woman who charmed the whole crowd upon her arrival to the parking lot because, knowing what women of her experience know, she had brought a large thermos of hot coffee to share.
