The Marion County Conservation Department released their August Nature Notes on Monday. According to Marion County Naturalist Marla Mertz, many songbirds are appearing throughout the woodlands, prairies, and edges. Young woodpeckers, cedar waxwings, flickers, bluebirds, mourning doves, and many other birds are also being seen and heard. Mertz notes that Iowa’s State Bird, the American goldfinch, began nesting in late July and will continue nesting into August. According to Mertz, many American goldfinches have been seen in the area feeding on seeds from the plants throughout the prairie. Mertz also says that young bald eagles are soaring with family members and turkey vultures, and while they can still be a little clumsy and unpredictable, they are getting more confident with their hunting and flying skills.