Spring break and the grandkids were out of school, so we piled in the car and headed south. Clear skies, light winds and moderate temps — a perfect day to witness the massive spring migration of waterfowl at Squaw Creek Wildlife Refuge, near Mound City, Missouri.
Squaw Creek is an ideal place for the birds to stop, rest and refuel before continuing on to their final destination (Canada?). The refuge covers 3,100 acres of wetlands surrounded by cornfields for them to feed.
The Visitor’s Center tracks the coming and going of all bird species and publishes the count once a week. This includes four species of goose, 24 of ducks, 4 different shorebirds and bald eagles. For example, two weeks prior to our visit there were only 2 snow geese sighted, but the count for this week was 1,087,439. Additionally, there were 39,030 ducks of various varieties; the Red-breasted Merganser, however, was unaccounted for that day.
Incredible sight, but the biggest question of the day was, “How do they count those birds?”
Thought for the Day: Art is born of the observation and investigation of nature. Cicero 106 BC – 43 BC
Ok how did you get those geese to fly that way with all the kids smiling? dis
LikeLike
Amazing photo! Do they count birds via computer?
Sherrie
LikeLike