Today’s Wandering Wednesday took us to see the eagles on the west side of Missouri, 371 miles away.
We left town in short sleeves and 55 degree temperatures and arrived in Mound City to a blustery 33 degrees along with stiff winds that worked its way through our clothes to our skin, leaving a shiver running up and down our spine.
Loess Bluffs National Wildlife Refuge
Loess Bluffs National Wildlife Refuge was our destination. We had been told this area was the migratory path for all kinds of incredible waterfowl, December and January being the best time to view our favorites – the eagles.
With anticipation, we pulled into the wildlife refuge at 4 p.m. As we read the posted sign on the gate our excitement plummeted. The sign stated, “this gate automatically closes at sunset.” Not a word about making sure everyone was out. Not a phone number to call if we had car trouble and couldn’t leave before sunset. If that gate closed and we were not on the outside world, we would be sleeping with the waterfowl.
Dinner in Mound City, Missouri
Our evening meal in Mound City was at Quackers, the only steakhouse in town. Being a small town with a population of 1,150, it may have been only one of two sit-down restaurants in the area beside a couple fast food joints. Quackers was quite proud of their steaks priced between $35.00 and $40.00 per pound, so we settled on a couple chopped steaks for $14.00.
A Good Night’s Rest
Our night stay was at Audrey’s Motel which was an older building, but a very clean stay, along with not too high of price.
Wednesday morning we woke up to snow flurries and more cold temperatures. We headed out to the refuge expecting to see thousands of waterfowl, but were disappointed to find absolutely nothing. No honking, flopping, flying or quacking. Just empty fields followed by more empty fields. Apparently we had missed the migration.
Eagle Watching
We began to search the tree tops for eagles and found a few along with three eagle nests. We were fortunate enough to encounter four deer and one coyote looking for his mid-morning snack. He didn’t seem to mind being watched as he slowly sauntered away.
Before leaving the refuge, we noticed lots of beaver dams throughout the area. My memory couldn’t bring up any information on beavers, so I just glanced blindly as we passed 50 to 75 beaver homes.
Big Lake State Park
Big Lake State Park was nearby so we decided to cross one more state park off our list. As we pulled into the park we were pleasantly surprised to find what we came for . . . EAGLES
As we traveled around the lake we saw over 30 bald and golden eagles sitting in the trees, soaring in the air, fishing in the lake and keeping a close eye on eagle watchers trying to get great photos of them along the water’s edge.
With a smile on our faces we were excited to see so many eagles in one area and we felt our trip had not been a loss.
There are 51 more Wandering Wednesdays in 2023 so be sure to take advantage of each one to make more memories of your own.
