IBA Site Information

Wickiup Hill-Cedar River Complex

State IBA

Linn County

Directions: From I-380, take Blair's Ferry Rd. west five miles to Feather Ridge Rd. Take Feather Ridge north one mile to Morris Hills Rd. Go west one mile to Wickiup Hill Natural Area. Continuing along Blair's Ferry Rd. are state lands bordering the river.

Description: Wickiup Hill Natural Area, adjacent to the Cedar River, features varied timber sections, Burr Oak savannah, prairie restoration, field habitat, two marshy ponds, and wooded Cedar River backwaters. Across the road is an extensive state grassland/savannah/wetland tract. Tracts of state land border the Cedar River in the immediate area. Jim Durbin is an experienced local birder who has birded Wickiup and the adjacent public areas extensively. Endangered species listed by Jim for the Wickiup-Cedar River area include Bald Eagle (which have nested along the Cedar River here), Northern Harrier, Red-shouldered Hawk, and Peregrine Falcon. Also found has been the threatened Long-eared Owl. Species of high conservation priority include Least Bittern, Broad-winged Hawk, American Woodcock, Black-billed Cuckoo, Pileated Woodpecker, Loggerhead Shrike, Bell’s Vireo, Veery, Wood Thrush, Cerulean Warbler, Prothonotary Warbler, Kentucky Warbler, Grasshopper Sparrow, and Bobolink.

Criteria for this site
Endangered or threatened species habitat
High conservation priority

Habitats found in this site
Wetland
Woodland
Grassland
Savanna/Shrub
Riparian

Ownership
County
State