How Would You Like To Be a Bald Eagle Nest Monitor in Iowa?

If 2025 is the year you're looking to expand your horizons and try things you've never tried before, this opportunity might be just for you!

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is looking for volunteer bald eagle nest monitors.

To be a monitor, you must have a good pair of binoculars and, preferably, a spotting scope. You must be available for roughly eight hours total between March and July each year.

The Bird Nest Monitoring Program focuses on three species of raptors: Bald Eagle, Osprey, and Peregrine Falcon. These predators are particularly sensitive to environmental changes.

While eagle nests are found throughout Iowa, the vast majority are concentrated in four counties:

• Johnson County
• Linn County
• Polk County
• Story County

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Ready to take the next step?

To become a nest monitor, volunteers must go through training.

At a Bird Nest Monitoring workshop, volunteers learn about the bird’s nesting ecology and biology, and what data to collect on a nest site and how to do it without disturbing the birds.

The next workshop will be held via Zoom, Sunday, February 9, from 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM.

Visit IowaDNR.gov to register for the workshop.

If eagles aren't your speed, there are a couple of other unique volunteer opportunities in the Hawkeye State:

Frog and Toad Call Survey - Volunteers track how well the amphibians are doing as well as how they react to changes in their world, such as changes to land use or because of climate change.

Acoustic Monitoring Survey for Bats - Volunteers used special equipment to record the echolocation calls of bats. In the lab, the recordings are analyzed to identify the species of bat and how many individuals of each species flew over the vehicle during the route. Data collected each year on the same route can then be used to monitor the trend in different species abundances in the area.