September is usually a good time to visit Eagle Bluffs Conservation Area, southwest of Columbia. The songbird migration has begun, shorebirds are peaking, blue-winged teal are beginning to arrive and large flocks of white pelicans and great egrets congregate there before heading south. Looking forward to this annual spectacle, I headed down to the refuge last evening.
Entering the preserve, I found a large number of turkey vultures roosting on the transmission towers and spotted a lone bald eagle flying above the Missouri. A pair of white-tailed deer bolted for the woods as I approached and cottontails scampered from the roadway at every bend. Other than those expected encounters, the refuge was remarkably quiet. Green-backed herons were well represented and the occasional great blue heron stalked the shallows; but only a couple of great egrets flapped across the wetlands and, other than a lone coot, the only waterfowl were a group of decoys placed by a hunter. Only the red-winged blackbirds, gathering in their huge, autumn flocks, were abundant.
Disappointed by the low turnout, I was making a final loop through the flooded fields when I caught sight of a large, black and white bird flying toward the river; it was a common loon! A variety of loons migrate through Missouri and some winter on the large lakes, especially across the southern half of the State. But seeing one in early September, especially on an evening when more common birds were scarce, was an unexpected treat. Nature always comes through in one way or another; you just have to get out there!
