McBride Raptor Project

What a delightful spot is the raptor center! The first I heard of it was a few weeks ago, and apparently my wife and the kiddos had been here once in the past. It proved to be a very fun and very educational outing filled with many birds and even a little bit of wildlife in the surrounding area.
The place is basically a refuge for large and small birds that have either been hurt or are not fit for the wild for some reason or another. The actual entrance to the area off the main road by Lake Macbride is not very well marked so make sure you’re paying attention to your GPS.
After driving a mile or two down the park road you come to a dead end. You have to park out on this road and then walk down a path to the Raptor Center. It only takes about 5 minutes and as a really picturesque walk. After turning a corner, you’ll see some of the bird cages as you walk up to the Raptor Center. The cages are big wooden boxes with screens on the front of them and the birds inside.
There are about 15 or so birds in all that range from small American kestrels all the way up to a bald eagle. Apparently you can make reservations for larger groups where they bring some of the birds out. We happened to catch them when they were weighing a few of the birds and giving one of the medication. We got to see a Harris Hawk up close and it is both Majestic and terrifying. Well it only weighs 2 pounds, I’m pretty sure it could pick up our two-​year-​old if it wanted to.
The actual walking trails that lead you to the birds are very manageable, probably only a quarter mile in total. Part of the Walk goes through the woods and down to an area overlooking the water. It was really nice it made for a very relaxing afternoon.
Aside from the bird watching, they have a good amount of additional trails that are pretty short but have some nice signage talking about the flowers and what not. In addition, they have a butterfly garden that is managed by the Johnson County Master Gardeners Society. It looks like it would be a great place to come hang out for an evening.
While we were walking around, we saw 4 deer and a turkey, all of which made for some great discussions with a two and four-​year-​old!
The place has great hours, 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. in the summer months. It seems like there’s somebody here actually staffing the place during some of those hours, but not always. Either way, it was a really fun afternoon and a place we wish we’d discovered a lot sooner. Well worth going if you got kids, if you like birds or if you just want to do something a little bit out of the ordinary.

Birds. You think you are cool and birds are boring? WRONG.
Basically, in McBride Recreation area, you can walk down this trail into the woods, and there are a bunch of pens where birds of prey are being rehabilitated by the Iowa Raptor Project. Not only is this a really great program, but these birds are BADASS. I never realized how crazy it is to be right next to a bald eagle or great horned owl until I visited here. These birds are either incredibly scary (giant golden eagle!) or adorable beyond reason (tiny owls!!!).
Secret tip: it never closes. You can come here at 3am on a Tuesday and look at eagles. What could be better?
Maybe you’re finishing up dinner on a great date, and you want a girl to think you are the most adventurous and interesting and environmentally-​councisous guy ever. Drive her out here!
Maybe you are drunk and have a non-​drunk friend willing to humor your request to check out some red-​tailed hawks. Do it!
Did I mention tiny owls!!!