DUBUQUE AUDUBON
Bernard, IA
10/31/25
Deere Dike Park, Dubuque, IA
10/25/25
Peosta, IA
10/22/25
Peosta, IA
10/12/25
Peosta, IA
10/21/25
Peosta, IA
10/16/25
Peosta, IA
10/21/25
Peosta, IA
10/21/25
Bernard, IA
10/31/25
Peosta, IA
11/5/25
Welcome!
Anyone interested in birdwatching, nature, or the quality of the environment is welcome to become a member of the Dubuque Audubon Society.
Our tri-state region is a great place for birds, and one of the great things about birds is that you can enjoy them at all levels of involvement. You may be surprised how many different species we have in the area at different times of year and how quickly you can begin to identify many of them once you start looking. (Binoculars help!) Any time of year is a great time to be a birder, and we hope you’ll join us!
Our Mission
The mission of the Dubuque Audubon Society is to provide educational opportunities to the people of the tri-state area and to preserve the natural habitat of birds and other wildlife.
Dubuque Audubon December Program
Birding in Panama
Thursday, 12/11/25
6:45 PM Social Time
7 – 8 PM Program
EB Lyons Interpretive Center
8991 Bellevue Heights Road
Dubuque, IA 52003
View Map
Mary Leigh will share information and photos from her birding trips to Panama, which included the Canopy Family locations (Tower, Lodge, and Camp) and some places in western Panama. The Canopy Family offers great birding opportunities that include guides, meals, and transportation. Hopefully you’ll enjoy seeing the best and worst bird photos, along with some monkeys, sloths, and other fun photos. Marty Corfman, our Dubuque Audubon president, joined Mary for the last half of this year’s trip. Marty will also share some photos and stories!
They plan to invite fellow travelers to join in a Q&A at the end or just to give a wave if they’re in attendance (Jean Schmitz, who was all in, Chris Leigh, Mary’s husband who joined some of the time, and Susie Gilligan, who started this whole adventure). Also, board members Maggie O’Connell and Sandy Walton made a recent trip to Panama, so there may be plenty of people who can answer questions related to the Canopy Family!
Read more about Mary and Marty
Mary Leigh is a retired computer programmer who has been interested in birds since she was a kid. She didn’t consider herself a birder until 2022, when a friend showed her the light (that would be Susie), and she began keeping a bird life list and birding locally beyond her back yard. As her photos accumulated, she created MostlyBirdsByMary.com in order to have something to do with them. When looking for local birding opportunities that fall, she went to her first Dubuque Audubon Society meeting and ended up volunteering to fill the vacant secretary position, which put her on the board. The following summer, she started helping with the newsletter after learning the board didn’t have anyone to format it. After a year, she switched from secretary to web admin and redesigned the Dubuque Audubon website.
Marty Corfman’s interest in birding was a slow burn, starting with bringing a small camera to Mexico in 2010. She steadily increased her love of birding over the next years, while working on her bird photography. In the summer of 2023, Marty got connected with the local Audubon chapter through her discovery of the destruction of Bobolink nests on private property in Dubuque. That led to ongoing communication with our city leadership to promote the conservation of bird habitat and bird-friendly policy. Ken Kiss and Jim Olesson kindly asked her to join the board, and the rest is history! Marty’s first entirely birding trip was this one to Panama. What a fantastic experience!
Calendar of Events
We hold monthly programs from September through May on a variety of topics related to nature and the environment.
We also hold an annual Christmas bird count, an annual Duck Waddle at Green Island (traditionally the 2nd Saturday in March), and an annual spring species count (traditionally the Saturday before Mother’s Day), and we offer additional field trips throughout the year.
You can tailor your birding to your interest and activity level, and all levels of experience are welcome.
Latest Newsletter
News Releases of Interest
- 5/2/25: Iowa DNR: Black bear sightings on the rise in Northeast Iowa
- 4/12/25: Iowa Audubon: April 2025 Newsletter
- 4/5/25: National Audubon Society: New Report Shows U.S. Birds Declining Sharply Across a Range of Habitats
- 4/5/25: Dubuque County Conservation Board: Dubuque Conservation Nature Talk (quarterly newsletter with events and more!)
- 1/29/25 Iowa DNR: Osprey are a migratory raptor species that breed in Iowa. The Iowa DNR began the Osprey restoration program in 1997. See the DNR’s Osprey page for a link to the yearly Osprey status in Iowa report.
- 1/28/25 Iowa DNR: Donations and donors to the Chickadee Tax Check-off decline
- 1/22/25 Iowa DNR: Taxes are for the birds…and other vulnerable wildlife
- 1/22/25 Iowa DNR: Iowa DNR, Pheasants Forever: Partners for decades to expand wildlife habitat
If you provide an email address when joining or renewing, you will automatically be placed on our regular email list. As an experiment in 2025, we are going to try creating a separate email list for those who would like more group birding opportunities.
Read more on our “More Birding” Email Sign-up page.
More Links of Interest
- Summer 2025: Iowa DNR: YouTube Video: Poison Ivy and Parsnip Identification (5:12)
- Spring 2025: National Audubon Society: How do Birds Keep Themselves Clean?
- 5/7/25: Iowa DNR: Leave wildlife babies where they belong — In the wild
- 4/14/25: Environment for the Americas: Earth’s Fastest Hunter: Meet the Peregrine Falcoln
Protecting Birds from Window Strikes Day & Night
National Audubon Society articles on efforts to reduce bird collisions:
Dubuque, IA
Most Recent Blog Posts
Articles
[from fall 2025 newsletter]
The next time you’re tempted to feed the birds from that bag of bread, think again! You might just be depriving your feathered friends of a broader range of nutrition they’ll need throughout the year.
While bread does contain carbohydrates, bird specialist Dr. David Shealer, Professor of Biology at Loras College in Dubuque, IA, points out that birds also need proteins and fats in their diet...
Articles
[from fall 2025 newsletter]
This summer, I went on a guided bird walk at Cornell Lab of Ornithology's Sapsucker Woods, in Ithaca, NY... During the walk, our guide shared some fun facts about American Goldfinch that make them unusual.
Articles
[from fall 2025 newsletter]
The next time you’re tempted to feed the birds from that bag of bread, think again! You might just be depriving your feathered friends of a broader range of nutrition they’ll need throughout the year.
While bread does contain carbohydrates, bird specialist Dr. David Shealer, Professor of Biology at Loras College in Dubuque, IA, points out that birds also need proteins and fats in their diet...
Articles
[from fall 2025 newsletter]
This summer, I went on a guided bird walk at Cornell Lab of Ornithology's Sapsucker Woods, in Ithaca, NY... During the walk, our guide shared some fun facts about American Goldfinch that make them unusual.
Projects
[from fall 2025 newsletter]
It was another successful season for the bluebirds nesting at the Mines of Spain. This year Tom Davis and Galen Mathis joined me in monitoring 30 bird houses on a weekly basis.
News
Events
Below are highlights from recent outings:
Big Mill Creek Wildlife Management Area
A group of 7, led by Bob Walton, went to Big Mill Creek Wildlife Management Area on Tuesday morning, 6/3/25. Trumpeter Swan including 6 young were a highlight.
Articles
Question: Is it OK to feed bread to birds?
Answer: No! Please help us spread the word that birds should not be fed bread, popcorn, crackers, chips, cereal, and most processed foods.
Bird Counts, Events
On Saturday, May 10th, 28 Dubuque Audubon members and guests participated in the Annual Spring Bird Count. This year’s count coincided with World Migratory Bird day and the Global Big Day.
Articles
[from spring 2025 newsletter]
Question: Why do birds flock to gravel roads in the wintertime? Answer: Because they have no teeth! Instead, birds have a gizzard, a muscular part of their stomach that helps them grind up food. Small rocks and sand (or grit) are ingested by birds to create “teeth” in the gizzard.
eBird
eBird isn’t just a way for you to keep track of the birds you see; it’s a great resource for finding birds you’ve never seen.
Try out the links below to explore Dubuque County in eBird.
Learn about eBird on our Resources page.