During duck season, Eagle Bluffs Conservation Area, on the Missouri River floodplain, is half-open for wildlife viewing between 1 PM and 3 PM. On this cool, cloudy and showery afternoon, a friend and I took advantage of the hunting hiatus and made a brief visit to the refuge.
Our first sighting was of a distant flock of geese, heading northward through the valley; the lighting and distance made identification difficult though their flight pattern suggested they were snows. A good variety of ducks on the pools and central channel was dominated by mallards, ring-necks and coot, though redheads, northern shovelers, lesser scaup, green-winged teal and ruddy ducks were also observed. Other sightings included a pair of bald eagles, great blue herons and pied billed grebes.
Despite the weather and the limited viewing time, it was (and always is) worth the short drive down from Columbia. Human hunters may rule the refuge for the next two months but I don't envy their time in the cold muck; we are not naturally designed for duck habitat.
