Even naturalists, who spend a great deal of time in a wide variety of ecosystems, can recall a handful of adventures that are especially memorable. Many of the day trips on my short list would involve snow geese and the events of this weekend will long be remembered.
On Saturday morning I visited the Eagle Bluffs Conservation Area, along the Missouri River, southwest of Columbia. There I encountered a massive flock of snow geese (some 10,000 by my estimation), which had gathered in a field near the south end of the auto tour road. The restless geese, stirred by their urge to migrate, rose and fell in small groups, changing positions as other flocks arrived from the south. The ponds, fields and marshes of the refuge also harbored a wide variety of their cohorts, including Canada geese, greater white-fronted geese, a group of white pelicans and just about every duck known to migrate through the American Heartland. Surveying all of these waterfowl was an excellent mix of raptors, including bald eagles, red-tailed hawks, northern harriers, Cooper's hawks and American kestrels.
This morning, while exploring the farmlands east of Columbia, I was treated to the sight of many more flocks of snow geese, moving westward toward the Missouri Valley; wavering lines and Vs of these vocal travelers stretched across the clear blue sky, some at least a mile in length. There is no other spectacle in nature that has such a profound effect on my soul; what better symbol of wildness and freedom than a noisy flock of migrating snow geese?
