Of my hundreds of trips to Eagle Bluffs Conservation Area, on the Missouri River floodplain, the great majority have occurred in the morning. Yesterday, enticed by mild, sunny weather, a fellow birder and I opted for an evening visit.
Rewarded with serene vistas and the mellow tones of evening light, we saw a large number of great blue herons and great egrets, concentrated by the drying summer landscape. They were joined by a lone black-crowned night heron, killdeer, spotted sandpipers and a few wood duck families. Indigo buntings were abundant in the open woodlands and a trio of bald eagles patrolled the refuge. White-tailed deer were especially common in the waning daylight and restless flocks of red-winged blackbirds swirled above the darkening floodplain. Other sightings included yellow-billed cuckoos, Baltimore and orchard orioles, dickcissels and lark sparrows.
Not a morning person by nature, I thoroughly enjoyed our evening visit to Eagle Bluffs. Indeed, it reminded me of my early birding years when, after a day at the hospital, I would escape to local parks and nature preserves to hone my skills and to decompress.
