Welcome to the  Iowa Ornithologists' Union website.  Our state is a land of many surprises.  Sure, there are endless fields of corn and soybeans, but tucked away in the gently sloping valleys one finds streams and rivers, lakes and ponds, and hardwood timber that all provide homes to a host of different species.   Dickcissel, Sedge Wren, Smith's Longspur, and even Eurasian Tree Sparrow may be found within our borders.