From November through January, most of Eagle Bluffs Conservation Area is closed to the public for duck hunting season. Only the northernmost section of this fabulous refuge is accessible; nevertheless, birders may still encounter a good variety of species.
On this cold, snowy morning, I ventured down to that floodplain preserve and was rewarded with a couple new sightings for the season: fourteen trumpeter swans and at least fifty snow geese. Raptors were limited to a Cooper's hawk and a red-tailed hawk and a host of other sightings brought the species total to sixteen, rather meager for this well-known birding mecca. The weather and my limited time frame were significant factors and I'm sure my species list would have doubled if I had another hour to explore the accessible region.
Except for a two-hour window in mid afternoon, birders must wait until February to more fully explore Eagle Bluffs once again. While I have no personal objection to duck hunting (assuming the meat is consumed), I have long wondered whether hunting and birding could not safely coexist across this large refuge (e.g. by narrowing the hunting zones and/or reducing the hunting hours).
On this cold, snowy morning, I ventured down to that floodplain preserve and was rewarded with a couple new sightings for the season: fourteen trumpeter swans and at least fifty snow geese. Raptors were limited to a Cooper's hawk and a red-tailed hawk and a host of other sightings brought the species total to sixteen, rather meager for this well-known birding mecca. The weather and my limited time frame were significant factors and I'm sure my species list would have doubled if I had another hour to explore the accessible region.
Except for a two-hour window in mid afternoon, birders must wait until February to more fully explore Eagle Bluffs once again. While I have no personal objection to duck hunting (assuming the meat is consumed), I have long wondered whether hunting and birding could not safely coexist across this large refuge (e.g. by narrowing the hunting zones and/or reducing the hunting hours).
