Arriving early this morning at Eagle Bluffs Conservation Area, I was greeted by dense fog and the stench of stagnant pools. On the other hand, it was pleasantly cool.
While this wetland refuge recovered significantly after heavy rains back in July, it has taken a giant step backward following the recent hot, dry weather. Available open water is limited to shallow pools and a couple of sluggish channels. As a result, waders were limited to 7 great blue herons, a single greater egret and a lone green heron. No ducks or geese were observed but there was one pied-billed grebe that managed to find a pool deep enough to dive in. Songbirds were also rather sparse and raptors were limited to a handful of turkey vultures and a lone red-shouldered hawk.
Once the fog cleared, it was a comfortable morning, with bright sunshine, relatively cool air and natural beauty provided by swaths of sunflowers and rose mallow. I'll likely be back in a few days.
