Yesterday, after a night of rain, a cold front passed through Missouri and northwest winds swept cool, dry air across the State. The central low of the storm, centered over the Upper Midwest, has produced flooding rains in that region but its counterclockwise winds have brought the first significant taste of autumn for those of us to the west and south.
Riding those winds, about 100 blue-winged teal graced Eagle Bluffs Conservation Area yesterday morning, joined by eleven pied-billed grebes; shorebirds were also increasing on the refuge mudflats. Of course, a few dozen teal hunters had moved in as well.
This morning, the temperature in central Missouri is 54 degrees F, the lowest it has been since spring. Unfortunately, this seasonal respite will be brief and afternoon highs will reach the upper 80s F by the end of the week. Nevertheless, it is reassuring that, despite climate change, the longer nights are beginning to have an effect.
