No, these were not unidentified balloons or mysterious objects that I observed over Perry Phillips Lake. They were far more interesting and inspiring (though I did report them.....on eBird).
They were 870 snow geese in four separate flocks, all passing overhead at high altitude within a twenty minute period. Had I not heard their distinctive calls, I might not have even noticed them. As it turned out, I was fortunate to witness the hardy travelers, their lines shimmering against the deep blue sky as they moved off to the NNW; in fact, several thousand have been observed in the Columbia region over the past two days.
Of course, these early spring migrants are headed for their Arctic breeding grounds and will likely make a few more rest stops along the way. I certainly appreciated their decision to fly over Central Missouri on this mild, sunny afternoon.
