Yesterday, at Eagle Bluffs Conservation Area, southwest of Columbia, the February sun was taking a toll on the winter landscape. Slushy roads, muddy sloughs, half frozen ponds and snow splotched fields set the scene. Flocks of Canada geese, mallards and a mix of winter ducks huddled along the banks or cruised the open waters. Red-tailed hawks patrolled the area from barren trees, a lone bald eagle circled overhead and a group of crows chased a northern harrier across the corn stubble.
The afternoon sun glowed through a sheet of high clouds, the temperature hovered in the mid thirties and a chilly west wind reminded visitors that winter had not yet abandoned the refuge. Then, out of the south, appeared a flock of snow geese, their wavering lines moving just above a distant ridge. As they approached, their white plumage reflected the sunlight and their high-pitched calls echoed across the valley. Circling the refuge, they surely sensed the coming storm and were looking for a safe spot to settle down, just one stop on their journey to the Arctic.
Having wintered in coastal marshlands of Louisiana and east Texas, these geese are headed for the tundra of northern Canada where they will spend the warmer months and raise their young. Among the first migrants of spring, snow geese will stream northward through February and March, bringing a message of renewal and stirring the souls of those who witness their journey.
