Loess Bluffs Eagles along Squaw Creek

Arriving at Loess Bluffs National Wildlife Refuge proved a relatively easy task, and understanding viewing procedure, as much so.  While the Welcome Center was closed, a plethora of information about the site stood in plain view.

The landscape remained mostly frozen in this part of Missouri in the wake of a recent ice and snow incursion.  The roads were mostly clear until crossing into the refuge, where the Wild Goose Interpretive Auto Tour Loop hosted a hard packed snow and ice mixture enabling an additional twist to the adventure.

The first sighting of the infamous Bald Eagle occurred within minutes of our arrival.  Frozen to the branches in a light breeze, his feathers were obviously ruffled over having awakened late the day after the party to find he had been left behind.

Only a small amount of other sorts of waterfowl were present at the site.  A handful of regular geese and their snowy brethren lounged about an open pool in the ice, with occasional new departures and arrivals at random intervals. Many were already airborne and heading south.  The wild crowd from only a few days earlier had flown the coop for warmer temperatures.

The eagles likely numbered less than fifty, and they all looked somewhat annoyed, squatting among the icy branches.  Another visitor suggested a count of 800 the week before, with a full array of other waterfowl among them.   Only a few here and there lingered along the western portion of the route.  Nothing long the north.

A couple of small communities dominated a tree or two on the eastern side.  Attempting to approach for a closer look, they scattered from one tree to another unimpressed with the perceived threat of a lone person stomping through the snow covered undergrowth.

Others nearby could not be moved.  They were older and wiser enough to know that this 0°C afternoon of New Year's Eve was no time to go wasting energy on such paranoia.  These lone wolves held their ground, while keeping a close eye on all trespassers.

The 20 km journey around the wetlands took a couple of hours or so, even with the requirement to share the road.  Not many other observers were out and about. Only another 10 or so circled the area, pausing at many of the same spots in front of and behind our party. It is likely human intrusion to this space is directly proportional to the bird population at any given time though, when word gets out.

Map of Loess Bluffs National Wildlife Refuge - US Fish & Wildlife Service

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Further Reading

Loess Bluffs National Wildlife Refuge
US Fish and Wildlife Service