Dallas County Conservation has been keeping their eyes to the sky throughout 2019, and they’re now ready to wrap up the yearlong “Big Year Birding” program with one final event.

Conservation Outreach Coordinator Ken Keffer says at the beginning of the year they set a goal of seeing 100 different bird species around the County. They’ve flown right past that mark to the tune of 145 species, and Keffer says Naturalist Mike Havlik is hoping to get to 150 with a last push this Tuesday. “We’ve got some targeted birds, you know we need to find some horned larks and some longspurs. We’ll be driving the back roads of Dallas County between our nature areas looking for a great horned owl. Maybe we’ll get a push of snowy owls or snow buntings down. So you never know what we’re going to find, which is part of the fun, but it’ll be a great way to wrap up the 2019 Big Year!”

The program will be held Tuesday, December 31st from 9 a.m. – noon, starting off at Forest Park Museum in Perry. There is no cost to attend and registration isn’t required. Attendees should be prepared to hike or drive to various locations, and binoculars and bird books are recommended. For more information, stop in or call Forest Park at 515-465-3577. To learn more about this and other upcoming Conservation programs, listen to Monday’s Perry Fareway Let’s Talk Dallas County program on air and at RaccoonValleyRadio.com.