On this cloudy, cool, damp morning in central Missouri, a friend and I visited Eagle Bluffs Conservation Area on the Missouri River floodplain. There it looked like May but felt more like March.
Forced to strafe the warmer water by the chilly air, clouds of swallows fed above the central channel and larger pools; cliff swallows were most abundant, joined by a sizable number of tree and barn swallows. Black terns, heading for the Northern Plains, mixed in with the swallows while a fair variety of shorebirds foraged across the mudflats. Canada geese, many with their goslings, seemed more abundant than usual and were joined by a lone, immature greater white-fronted goose. The number of ducks and coot had dropped dramatically since our last visit as these birds continue to move on to their northern breeding grounds; only blue-winged teal were still present in significant numbers (though less than a tenth or their peak population back in early April). Among the new summer residents were indigo buntings, eastern kingbirds, spotted sandpipers, common yellowthroats and a lone orchard oriole.
Indeed, there were mixed signals on the floodplain whether spring is gaining traction in the Heartland. While the chilly weather suggested otherwise, the greenery has exploded, late spring migrants are passing through and summer residents are repopulating the refuge. Before long, we'll be complaining about the oppressive summer heat!
