As the water level continues to fall at Eagle Bluffs Conservation Area, the number of most duck species has fallen significantly. An exception are blue-winged teal which usually begin to arrive in mid March and reach peak numbers by mid April. I counted 750 of these warm weather ducks on the refuge this am (no doubt a conservative estimate).
Having wintered from the southern U.S. to northern portions of South America, blue-wings are the last ducks to appear in the spring and the first to migrate south in the fall, generally moving through Missouri in September and early October.
It is thus no surprise that the falling water level at Eagle Bluffs and our recent warm temperatures (expected to reach 80 degrees F today) have encouraged most ducks to depart for cooler, northern climes while blue-winged teal are perfectly content to feed in the shallows and bask in the sun. By May, most will have moved on to the northern tier of the U.S. and across Canada. One might suggest that they are more like humans than our other duck species.
