Grassland Birds – Dubuque Audubon Society

Grassland Birds at Technology Park

With the disappearance of suitable grasslands for bird species like the Bobolink, we were happy to discover in summer 2023 that these birds were nesting at the Key West Technology Park in Dubuque! This is a future development area, but in the meantime, the city is mowing the undeveloped lots only outside of nesting season, which provides the perfect habitat for certain species of grassland birds.

View Map
(Digital Dr. & Data Ct.)

With city approval, beginning in spring 2024, we will post signs to share information about these birds during the times of year when they may be present (late April through August). We would like to thank Iowa Audubon and the LaVonne and Dale Foote Memorial Fund for awarding us a grant to cover the cost of the signs.

We hope that people and pets will remain on the mowed areas, in order not to disturb nesting birds.

While visiting, enjoy the city’s approximately 1 mile Granger Creek Nature Trail.

View Trail Map

The habitat at Technology Park is what some grassland bird species seek, rather than the taller mixed prairies full of flowers which are found in other areas, such as at Mines of Spain and Whitewater Canyon. Here are some of the birds we were particularly happy to find:

Bobolink*
Dickcissel
Savannah Sparrow
Grasshopper Sparrow*
Eastern Meadowlark

Use the eBird button to see the full list of species that have been spotted.

* Both the Bobolink and the Grasshopper Sparrow are on Iowa’s list of species of high conservation priority. Use the Iowa Audubon button to see information on Iowa’s Important Birding Areas (IBAs), which includes Iowa’s list of endangered species, threatened species, and species of high conservation priority, with links to interesting details for each bird.

Use the All About Birds buttons below for details and to listen to calls and songs. (You can also use the free Merlin app to hear bird sounds.)

Bobolink

The Bobolink is a type of blackbird that nests in the fields at Technology Park. They are here from mid-May until late August, when they begin their long journey south — 12,000 miles roundtrip! They winter in Argentina and other places in South America. Their numbers are currently in decline over all their range, with habitat loss a primary contributor.

Grasshopper Sparrow

The Grasshopper Sparrow is named for the insect-like buzz of its song. Wintering in the southern United States, the Grasshopper Sparrow visits Iowa each summer to nest and raise its young.

To help with identification of these local grassland birds, we have created the following slide shows for side-by-side comparisons:

Bobolink

Dickcissel

Savannah Sparrow

Grasshopper Sparrow

Eastern Meadowlark

The Western Meadowlark is extremely similar to the Eastern Meadowlark and is best distinguished by sound. (The Merlin app can help with that!)

A study entitled “Evaluation and management of grasslands at the Dubuque Technology Park for grassland bird diversity” was completed in the summer of 2023. A private donation covered the cost of this study. View study.