Capt. Matt Hendricks still is a few years away from retirement, but he’s already identified one of the standout moments of his long-running career at the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office.
Michele Nigg, a volunteer with Raptor Advocacy, Rehabilitation & Education, discusses how to use a bald eagle's beak to determine its age before it releasing it back into the wild north of Urbana on Feb. 4, 2017. RARE, a Johnson County-based nonprofit, is one of a number of organizations in Iowa that are particularly busy in the spring and summer helping sick or injured birds.
Sonja Hadenfeldt, coordinator for the Raptor Advocacy Rehabilitation & Education Group, talks about the barred owl during the Iowa Master Naturalists program Nov. 15, 2025, at Wickiup Hill Learning Center in Toddville. Hadenfeldt has been RARE’s coordinator since 2018.
Jenni Boonjakuakul, founder of Iowa Bird Rehabilitation in Des Moines, holds onto a rescued falcon ahead of its transport to Save Our Avian Resources, or SOAR, another Iowa-based bird rehabilitation group based in Carroll County. Iowa Bird Rehabilitation takes in all kinds of birds, although it often sends raptors to other groups for care.
Two young downy woodpeckers rest in the hand of an Iowa Bird Rehabilitation volunteer in June 2024 in Des Moines. The spring and summer are particularly busy for the nonprofit’s avian rehabilitators because of an increase in young birds needing help.
Baby American kestrels vie for the spotlight in this photo taken in May 2025 by volunteers at Iowa Bird Rehabilitation. Each spring and summer, there is an increase in calls for young birds in need of help.
Anna Buckardt Thomas, avian ecologist for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, releases a golden-winged warbler after banding in this undated photo.
Volunteer Michele Nigg releases a rehabilitated bald eagle near the spot where the injured bird was found near Bertram on Dec. 22, 2018. The female eagle spent four weeks with Raptor Advocacy, Rehabilitation and Education recovering from a fractured wing and being treated for high levels of lead in her blood.
Two young downy woodpeckers rest in the hand of an Iowa Bird Rehabilitation volunteer in June 2024 in Des Moines. The spring and summer are particularly busy for the nonprofit’s avian rehabilitators because of an increase in young birds needing help.
Jenni Boonjakuakul, founder of Iowa Bird Rehabilitation in Des Moines, holds onto a rescued falcon ahead of its transport to Save Our Avian Resources, or SOAR, another Iowa-based bird rehabilitation group based in Carroll County. Iowa Bird Rehabilitation takes in all kinds of birds, although it often sends raptors to other groups for care.
Baby American kestrels vie for the spotlight in this photo taken in May 2025 by volunteers at Iowa Bird Rehabilitation. Each spring and summer, there is an increase in calls for young birds in need of help.
Sonja Hadenfeldt, coordinator for the Raptor Advocacy Rehabilitation & Education Group, talks about the barred owl during the Iowa Master Naturalists program Nov. 15, 2025, at Wickiup Hill Learning Center in Toddville. Hadenfeldt has been RARE’s coordinator since 2018.
Michele Nigg, a volunteer with Raptor Advocacy, Rehabilitation & Education, discusses how to use a bald eagle's beak to determine its age before it releasing it back into the wild north of Urbana on Feb. 4, 2017. RARE, a Johnson County-based nonprofit, is one of a number of organizations in Iowa that are particularly busy in the spring and summer helping sick or injured birds.
Volunteer Michele Nigg releases a rehabilitated bald eagle near the spot where the injured bird was found near Bertram on Dec. 22, 2018. The female eagle spent four weeks with Raptor Advocacy, Rehabilitation and Education recovering from a fractured wing and being treated for high levels of lead in her blood.
Anna Buckardt Thomas, avian ecologist for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, releases a golden-winged warbler after banding in this undated photo.
