The Rookery Cottage

06/08/2026

We have a lot of wildlife visitors here, but it’s not often we see a turtle! 🐢 Found this beautiful painted turtle sauntering across our lawn and then disappeared into the tall grass on its way towards a creek. Safe travels! We enjoyed hosting you 😊

05/07/2026

Saunter with Lindsey! 🌱🌼

My absolute favorite thing to do is saunter outdoors with people and talk about the plants we meet! My calendar is packed with festivals, retreats, public walks and group events and I will still make room for private land walks! If you and your family have land or even a frequented public space that you’d like me to survey for edible and medicinal plants, or perhaps you also need help identifying invasive species that could be beneficial to remove from your ecosystem. I highly encourage you to get on my schedule, booking available in July!

https://www.herbanforage.com/product/private-land-walks-for-plant-identification/34?cp=true&sa=true&sbp=false&q=false

05/05/2026

We are so lucky to have them at our place and at neighboring Whiterock Conservancy. ☺️

I am not the bird that sings at sunrise. That's everyone else. I'm the one chanting my own name from the same branch at 2 AM.

Whip-poor-WILL. Whip-poor-WILL. Whip-poor-WILL. Without pause. Without moving. If you've counted past a hundred and given up, you weren't close to the end.

I just flew here from Central America. Found the same dry oak woodland I used last year. Started calling the moment I arrived.

The call is an advertisement — to females passing overhead, to rival males nearby. It carries through still spring air farther than most people expect.

I time my breeding to the moon. My eggs hatch so the chicks reach peak hunger during the brightest moonlit nights of June, when I can hunt moths in near-daylight conditions. Almost no other bird in North America builds its calendar around moonlight.

🌙 How to hear one:

- Dry oak or pine-oak forest, eastern or midwestern US — May through June is peak
- Step outside between dusk and dawn — densest calling is around moonrise and moonset
- Pick a moonlit night — calling rates increase significantly when the moon is bright
- Listen for a rolling three-syllable chant repeating steadily from one fixed direction
- Stand still — footsteps in dry leaves silence every nightjar within range

A two-ounce bird that flew here from Central America, calling for a mate by moonlight 🌿

04/24/2026

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04/23/2026

Eat your yard! 🌱 Throughout the year we eat several plants we find on our property. One of our favorites is nettle pesto. (Yes, stinging nettle!) It is an earthy, springtime alternative to basil pesto and can be poured over pasta, spread on bread, or anything else you can dream up!

Want to give it a try? Recipe in the comments. 👇

(Insert all disclaimers to be smart about eating yard plants and don’t blindly follow instructions you found on the internet) 😁

04/21/2026

Raise your hand if you love birds 🙋‍♀️

I recently scoured through my eBird checklists and made a list of 89 bird species that have been spotted on (or flying over) our acreage in the last few years. 89!! 🦉🦃🐦🦅

A few of my all-time favorite visitors are the pileated woodpecker, woodcock, and red-breasted nuthatch. Buuuut who am I kidding, I love them all. 🥰

Here at The Rookery Cottage, we not only watch birds, but we manage for birds too! Most recently, we planted a few bird-loving tree species (like serviceberry🫐 and chokecherry 🍒) and hummingbird-friendly plants (like cardinal plant). We manage our prairie with fire to promote native species growth. We also maintain a handful of feeders (although natural food is always preferred), safe water sources, and bluebird nest boxes. We also don't discount that our property connects with Whiterock Conservancy, a HUGE land base that is a paradise for our feathered friends (but they also don't skip over our place either 😊).

If you love to birdwatch, consider a stay at The Rookery this spring migration. We still have some openings in May that will be perfect for warbler watching! Or if you are just getting into birdwatching, please reach out, I'd be more than happy to lead a short guided hike or point you to best viewing spots.

Happy birding! 🤗

04/18/2026

Saturday, April 25th, we'll be on watch & you can join us! 5th Annual Dunbar Slough Bird Watch. This free event is sponsored by Jefferson Matters, Raccoon River Watershed Association (RRWA) and Iowa Ornithological Union in partnership with Greene and Carroll County Conservation Boards. Life in the Raccoon River Watershed for more information and find the facebook event here https://www.facebook.com/share/18a1FWWMjE/

04/11/2026

Nice night for a little prairie burn 🔥🌸