Every now and again, I'm going to reserve the right to feature some non-Northwest Arkansas places on this blog but I think are still in like mindset to the rest of the blog.
Today is one of those days.
Squaw Creek National Wildlife Reserve is about 3 miles west of Mound City, MO -- 30 minutes North of St. Joseph, and 90 minutes North of Kansas City. The area is a wildlife reserve that provides about 3200 acres of natural wetlands that serve as a stopping point of many species of migratory birds.
The reserve features a 10 mile circular road that circles the reserve and several lookout points (many with very good, free, microscopes that can help you see long distances). There are also a handful of short walking trails, including Eagle Point Trail, which is a 1 1/2 mile round trip trail along one of the many levies that separate different resevoirs in the reserve.
There are also a couple of boardwalks for easy observations -- and what looks to be a great visitors center (but it was closed for the winter).
One of the really spectacular scenes is the migration of the Snow Geese. Every year these geese migrate from the Hudson Bay to the Gulf of Mexico and back again. This is a major stop in route. Today, there was an estimated 1.1 million geese on the reserve -- with more than 2 to 2.5 million expected in the coming weeks. February is the best time to see the Northern migration.
I lost count, so I can't confirm the numbers, but 1.1 million sounds about right. In addition to the spectacular scene, the sound of them honking is spectacular. The geese come in both white and azul. They're the same species, and the colors are not gender-specific.
There were also about 80 or so Trumpeter Swans out today. The Trumpeter Swans didn't used to migrate through this area, but seem to a lot now. Interestingly, they don't hang out with the geese and were in a completely separate area of the reserve (also notice the Mallard Ducks in the foreground, there were hundreds of these as well.
Also migrating through the area are Bald Eagles. They're preditors, so they apparently regularly follow the migrations of other species and hunt as they go. As our national bird, I can't help but find them to be breathtaking. We saw several mature adults out today. They're tough to get close to, so a very good zoom lense is helpful.
Bald Eagles generally don't get their white head and tail until about 4-5 years of age. We also saw several immature Bald Eagles (which were seemingly easier to get close to). They're also VERY tough to pick out from the variety of other predatory birds (including several different species of hawk). All of which were fun to watch in their own right.
I'm including this pic because every now and again the snow geese get spooked and they flutter to a new location. Hearing the wings flutter of thousands of geese at the same time is an amazing sound. There are a lot of other species of birds and animals that live here at different times of the year....but I had heard about the migrating geese and wanted to go check it out. It was definitely worth it.
After touring the preserve, we stopped off at a place called the Sportsman's Bar and Grill. The Sportsman is in the old schoolhouse in the nearby community of Biglow, MO. With a population of 38, Biglow no longer has a school (the students attend nearby Mound City schools), but this schoolhouse has been converted to a bar and grill. There are many hunters who come to the area and most of the houses in town now serve as hunting cabins. In the evenings, the hunters come to Sportsman's bar to tell tall tales and have some homemade barbeque and a couple of drinks. For a late lunch, it was just us and a couple of other folks in the place and the owners couldn't have been more hospitable. The old stairs, and chalkboards of the school have been well preserved and has a great vibe.
We really enjoyed this little treck not far from Kansas City -- and are looking forward to going back to check out other species of birds.
Good footwear isn't required because you can see a lot by never leaving your car although if decent footwear is necessary if you want to take the Eagle's Nest Trail. Bring binoculars and a zoom lense or it may be frustrating for you.
