Q&A: Gravel Roads in Wintertime

By Tony Moline
[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.
Starling Murmuration

By Marty Corfman
Dubuque Audubon Society President
I will never stop being awed by this phenomenon, called a murmuration, when birds fly in synchronized patterns. This time of year, these formations can be seen most often toward dusk, when birds are looking for a roosting site, but they can be seen throughout the day as well.
Q&A: American Robins

By Mary Leigh
[from winter 2024 newsletter]
Question: Do American Robins remain in the Midwest all winter?
Answer: Yes! Although American Robins are regarded as a sign of spring in the Midwest, they are here year-round.
Magic – Chimney Swifts

By Marty Corfman
[from fall 2024 newsletter]
My husband and I were driving past Wartburg Theological Seminary in Dubuque at dusk, and I heard and saw many swifts hunting insects in the sky. I said, “Pull over, honey! This is gonna be cool!”
Whitewater Canyon Survey Results

Dubuque Audubon’s 3-year survey of grassland birds at Whitewater Canyon Wildlife Management Area is complete!
Bluebird Monitoring Results

Our volunteers monitoring bird houses at Mines of Spain counted 99 Eastern Bluebird eggs, 72 nestlings, and 52 fledglings this year!
Merlins Nesting in Dubuque!

On Sunday, July 28th, Dubuque Audubon members were able to confirm Merlin nesting in Dubuque for the first time in over a century!
Installation of Signs at Technology Park

With permission from the city of Dubuque, the Dubuque Audubon Society has created and installed educational signage at Technology Park to share information on birds that nest in those fields.