For the first time in more than twenty years of visiting Eagle Bluffs Conservation Area, I found that the refuge was nearly devoid of water this morning. One shallow lake and scattered pools along the central channel offered the only evidence of "wetland habitat."
A modest number of ducks and shorebirds clustered at the oases; blue-winged teal, green-winged teal and northern shovelers dominated the waterfowl while pectoral sandpipers, killdeer and lesser yellowlegs were the only shorebirds I encountered. Augmenting the feel of a desert landscape, at least 75 turkey vultures perched in the trees or soared above the floodplain; other raptors included four bald eagles, three northern harriers and a lone red-tailed hawk.
Local and visiting birders are surely disappointed by the arid state of the refuge during the heart of the spring migration. Likely more disturbed are the nesting pair of bald eagles, deprived of the abundant fish and waterfowl that usually inhabit the refuge at this time of year.
