It was a gray, mild, windy afternoon at Eagle Bluffs yesterday, as a strong southerly flow developed in advance of the next cold front. As usual, there was a large number of wintering ducks at this Missouri floodplain conservation area, southwest of Columbia. Mallards, pintails, gadwalls and green-winged teal were well represented and ring-necked ducks were especially abundant. On the other hand, only a small number of Canada geese were seen and no snows graced the refuge.
The highlight of this visit was the aerial spectacle of the numerous ducks as they attempted to move among the lakes, ponds and sloughs, challenged by the strong southerly winds. Those flying with the wind zoomed effortlessly across the landscape while other flocks, heading against the gale, were blown about, forcing them to veer off course or drop to the surface and wait for the wind to diminish. Many, especially the flight-challenged coots, huddled along the leeward edge of cattails while diving ducks, comfortable in the choppy water, formed rafts on the larger lakes.
To one who looked out across the refuge, the restless ducks, moving in small groups or large flocks, at various angles to the persistent wind, had the appearance of windblown leaves, scattered through the winter sky. Even they, equipped with lean, muscular bodies and instinctual flight skills, were at the mercy of nature's power.
