During the duck hunting season, which seems to get longer each year, birders are permitted to visit Eagle Bluffs Conservation Area for 2 hours (1-3 PM) each day. While not exactly a prime birding period, local birdwatchers take advantage of the window and file through the accessible part of the refuge in a silent parade.
This afternoon, birding within that window proved to be rather productive. Mallards were abundant, joined by lesser numbers of northern shovelers, northern pintails, ring-necked ducks, gadwall, green-winged teal, American coot and pied-billed grebes. Raptors were also well represented; three bald eagles, four red-tailed hawks, two northern harriers, a sharp-shinned hawk and a merlin patrolled the floodplain. Last but not least, killdeer, Wilson's snipe and a lone least sandpiper foraged along the channels.
The birding window will stay in effect for the next two months or so, offering a peaceful refuge for wintering waterfowl and for those who hope to kill them. Sometimes, conservation policies don't make much sense.
