Persistent, oppressive heat, an ongoing drought and diminished flow from the Missouri River has left Eagle Bluffs Conservation Area simmering in the midst of a Midwestern summer. Many of the pools are either dry or coated with algae and the central channel is rapidly evaporating, stranding many fish (especially Asian carp) in the warm, oxygen-poor shallows.
Taking advantage of these conditions, great blue herons and great egrets were abundant this morning, joined by a large number of killdeer that noisily patrolled the expanding mudflats. Vultures have yet to descend on the hapless victims but small, mixed flocks of shorebirds gathered along the shrinking pools. Wood ducks were rather numerous and a few double-crested cormorants dove for fish in the deeper areas of the channel. Other sightings included four bald eagles, a Cooper's hawk, red-headed woodpeckers, indigo buntings, yellow-billed cuckoos, dickcissels and lark sparrows, among other common residents.
Waiting on heavy thunderstorms or late summer cold fronts, this floodplain ecosystem must endure the hot, dry weather. Many songbirds will retreat to the shade of riparian woodlands while some mammals will estivate until conditions improve. In the meantime, waders, swallows, shorebirds and turkey vultures will be the primary beneficiaries of the heat and drought.
