Housed in the College of Education, UI WILD’s Iowa Raptor Project has been educating Iowans about birds of prey and their natural habitats since 1985.
UI WILD's David Conrads (Iowa Raptor Project director), Phoebe Yetley (Iowa Wildlife Camps director), and Katie Ibsen (Iowa Raptor Project assistant director) were interviewed by The Gazette to discuss future conservation efforts and educational experiences.
The following excerpt is from the article as it appeared in The Gazette:
“It was bird banding day at Wildlife Camp in MacBride Nature Recreation Area, and a special mystery guest arrived just in time.
Among five birds caught in the netting station, one in particular had a star-dazing effect on experienced and inexperienced birders alike: the White-eyed Vireo.
With yellow-washed feathers and stunning eyes, the East Coast native is a rare treat in Iowa — and often heard more than seen in any part of the country. But on this August day, he made a point of being heard and seen as dozens of campers watched him get tagged and cataloged.
‘To be able to see firsthand work out in the field, then see a rare nester like a White-eyed Vireo in the eye, and to see wide-eyed students — that’s where the connections are made,’ said David Conrads, director of the Iowa Raptor Project at the University of Iowa’s UI WILD (Wildlife Instruction and Leadership Development) department.
Then, they watched as the experienced birder banded a Northern Cardinal. As the molting female devilishly bit him in an attempt to cut her visit short, the unflinching director sustained only a piece of down feather stuck to his stubble.”