After several days in the dry, warm Sonoran Desert, we have returned to Missouri, finding the State enveloped in a cool, moist air mass; showers are expected throughout the day, changing to snow overnight. Not unusual for early April, the weather seemed perfect for waterfowl and I headed down to Eagle Bluffs, the best wetland complex in our region.
As expected, there was a great deal of activity at the refuge, dominated by large flocks of coot, blue-winged teal and northern shovelers. Great blue herons, lesser yellowlegs and an occasional muskrat also stalked the shallows while squadrons of tree and cliff swallows skimmed the surface, feasting on insects. Northern harriers patrolled the fields, vultures tilted in the west wind and a lone bald eagle soared above the wetlands. Flooded woodlands along the Missouri were alive with the calls of chorus frogs and the drumming of flickers; wood ducks, cardinals, downy and red-bellied woodpeckers, song sparrows and yellow-rumped warblers were all found in this area.
But the highlight of my visit was a large flock of lesser golden plovers, resting on a purple field of henbit. On their way to the Arctic, they appeared to be perfectly comfortable in the chilly mist of this April morn and, unlike many humans, will take this cold, wet interlude in stride.
