Wednesday, September 27th ~ 7 AM ~ Rock Creek Marina & Campground, Camanche, Iowa ~ World Class birder, Kelly McKay, will lead this free class for people wanting to improve their bird watching skills. The cruises will idle through the backwaters, during bird activity “Prime-time”, looking for and recording bird species in the Rock Creek area. The boat has proven to be an extremely effective way to get close to birds using a variety of techniques to bring the birds up close to the water’s edge. Binoculars and spotting scopes are provided. Participants are encouraged to bring cameras as well.
The bird data is painting a picture of the summer habitat provided for a wide variety of birds in the Mississippi & Wapsipinicon flood plain forest.
An optional hike though the park for “extra credit” will be offered following the cruise portion. This is the season finale in this remarkable summer series. Previous classes have yielded 55 species of birds in less than 2 hours! Highlight birds recorded included; great egret, bald eagle, spotted sandpiper, yellow-billed cuckoo, pileated woodpecker, great crested flycatcher, yellow-throated warbler, American redstart, yellow-bellied sapsucker, rose-breasted grosbeak and Baltimore oriole.
Call the Mississippi River Eco Tourism Center at 563-259-1876 to sign up for this free class!
Sponsored by the Iowa Ornithologists Union and Clinton County Conservation. Rock Creek Marina is located at 3942 291st Street, Camanche, just off of the Great River Road.