On this bright, cool morning at Eagle Bluffs Conservation Area, southwest of Columbia, snow geese had not yet graced the Missouri River floodplain. On the other hand, ducks and raptors were abundant.
While some ponds remain frozen, open channels attracted a wide variety of ducks, dominated by mallards, gadwalls and northern shovelers; a fair number of green-winged teal and northern pintails were also present. Large flocks of Canada geese fed on the open grasslands, great blue herons waded in the shallows, belted kingfishers chattered above the waterways and white-tailed deer raced through the corn stubble. Surveying all of this activity were four adult bald eagles, a few American kestrels, a handful of red-shouldered hawks and the usual abundance of northern harriers and red-tailed hawks.
The snows should begin to arrive over the next week, followed by white-fronted geese later in the month. March and April will bring American white pelicans, sandhill cranes, the peak of duck and grebe migration and the arrival of early shorebirds. Spring and autumn waterfowl migrations are, for me, the highlights of nature's year and its a joy to know that the semiannual spectacle will soon unfold. For now, a bit of patience is in order.
