John Castrale, in this picture with an osprey, is leaving the Department of Natural Resources after more than 30 years on the job. Courtesy photo
If you walked into John Castrale’s office and looked around, you could without a doubt guess what he does for a living. Framed photos of birds adorn his walls and life-size models of birds perch around the computer and paperwork on his desk.
“He dedicated his career to Indiana fish and wildlife resources,” said Glen Salmon, a coordinator for landscape conservation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. “The state of Indiana is so much better off that John Castrale chose Indiana to do his work in it.”
Castrale, having worked as a nongame bird biologist for the Indiana Department of Natural Resources division of fish and wildlife for almost 33 years, is bringing his career to a close in August. As one of the most esteemed nongame bird voices in the state, Castrale, who is based in Mitchell, has structured his career around aiding in the comeback of species that are losing ground or are endangered in Indiana.
It began for Castrale in grade school, with a love for science and math. In high school, his favorite biology teacher sparked his interest in zoology. Then college furthered the passion for him as he got a degree in wildlife management.
“Even in college my focus was on birds, especially nongame birds, so it all fell into place,” he said.
His passion for nongame birds is obvious, and is clear from Castrale’s list of accomplishments in more than three decades on the job.
Castrale has played a large role in restoration projects of many birds, including bald eagles, peregrine falcons and ospreys. During these projects, he, his coworkers and various volunteers would bring declining species of birds back into the state to bolster the current populations. They then would check nests over time to see if they were successful in increasing the populations.
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