As a consequence of the lowest water levels that I have ever encountered at Eagle Bluffs Conservation Area, dead carp lined the central channel, providing a feast for numerous turkey vultures. Usually seen soaring above the countryside, these large scavengers had gathered on the mudflats and levees to partake in the bounty of rotting fish.
Of course, the low water was also beneficial to great blue herons, great egrets and green-backed herons, concentrating their prey in the shallow pools. Other highlights included a large number of wood ducks, the attentive females ushering their broods across the calm waters, and an unusual abundance of migrant shorebirds for late May. Cormorants and diving ducks were noticeably absent but small groups of coot, blue-winged teal and mallards plied the shallows or huddled on the shorelines. Throughout the evening, a steady background chorus was provided by bullfrogs, green frogs, cricket frogs, killdeer and indigo buntings as white-tailed deer emerged from the woods to browse the marshlands and crop fields.
Since the Missouri River is still fairly high, I suspect that the low water at Eagle Bluffs reflects an artificial drawdown, often utilized to mimic natural fluctuations that foster the welfare of native floodplain vegetation while discouraging the invasion of alien species. Whatever the cause, the drought-like conditions surely favor the hunters and scavengers; for the time being, it's vulture heaven at Eagle Bluffs.
