Riverlands Migratory Bird Sanctuary

It’s been raining all week in the St. Louis area, thankfully, as we had been in a moderate drought situation.  Today was no different as it had rained all night and, after a brief respite, the rain continued all afternoon.  I find these days to be a great time to go birding at Riverlands Migratory Bird Sanctuary (RMBS) near West Alton.  RMBS is a 3700 acre wetland and prairie project that is designated as an Important Bird Area by the National Audubon Society.  While the area has 8.5 miles of trails (seasonal closures during Bald Eagle migration), you can do the majority of the birding either from your car, or at least very close to it.  In addition, the Audubon Center at Riverlands is a fantastic visitor center with exhibits, bathrooms, bird feeders, and several high quality scopes set up to view Ellis Bay. The center is staffed by volunteers and employees who are always excited to answer questions and help you make the most of your visit.

I only had an hour or two on this Saturday afternoon, but I was excited to be able to spend it here.  Immediately upon pulling onto Riverlands Way, I saw that the Corps of Engineers must have opened up the gates at Melvin Price Dam because their were visible mud flats in Ellis Bay.  They were covered with swarms of Ring-billed Gulls and Canada Geese. There were also 6-7 Great Blue Herons, nice numbers for this time of year. I could see 3-4 Bald Eagles roosting in their typical spot in the large Cottonwoods across the bay.  

 

I took the first right turn to take closer look at Teal Pond, and then continued on the gravel to check out the little ponds and puddles.  Added some Mallards, Gadwall, and a few Northern Shovelers, then an American Kestrel working the farm fields along the road. I returned to Riverlands Way and stopped for a bit near where the old pit toilets were and scanned Ellis Bay from there.  A large group of White Pelicans was hanging out on the exposed mud flat, and a raft of Ruddy Ducks swam close to shore. I crossed the road to the parking area for Heron Pond and added more variety, to include 7 Trumpeter Swans, Canvasback, Redhead, and some stunning PIntails.  Continuing onward there were 20+ Bald Eagles sitting on the exposed mud flats, I’m sure gorging on some of the carp stranded by the low water. I added some White-fronted geese to the list, and then stopped to check out Melvin Price Dam for a bit. The water was a roaring but all I could find were Ring-billed Gulls hovering around.

Back onto Riverlands Way, I stopped in briefly at the Audubon Center and used their nice scopes to scan Ellis Bay a bit further.  Added Common Merganser, Red-breasted Merganser, and Hooded Merganser, as well as Bufflehead all picked out of a large raft of ducks actively feeding.  As I drove towards Lincoln Shields, it seemed that the fog really picked up and made for some interesting views along the Mississippi River.

At Lincoln Shields, there were several grebes in winter plumage working the shallows up close to shore offering fantastic views and the opportunity to study them in between their dives.  There were several Horned Grebes for sure, some in alternate plumage. I also watched two others that were hanging out together a bit further out that sure looked to me like Eared Grebes.  While confident in what I was seeing, I am no expert, did not have the best optics, and the winter plumage makes positive ID difficult for me. Either way, I enjoyed watching them for a few minutes.

 

Time to call it a day, but even a quick run through RMBS on a rainy day produced 27 species.  I did not spend any time trying to find sparrows or other field birds today, but this area offers plenty of opportunity to do so.  I would encourage any birders passing through to stop in and test your luck if you get the opportunity. RMBS has been home to many fantastic bird sightings over the years, including many unusual gulls, gyrfalcons, Snowy Owls, Whistling Ducks, Wood Stork, and can be one of the best areas around for shorebirds during migration.  Least Terns nest here, and you can also find nice field birds. This is one of the few areas around St. Louis where I have actually seen Ring-necked Pheasant. A good spotting scope is key here as many birds are quite a ways out. Also check out Edward “Ted” and Pat Jones Confluence Point State Park while in the area, as you can take a short walk to view the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers.  Don’t forget to check out the fields for birds on your way.

 

For more information on RMBS, check out the following links:

 

http://www.mvs.usace.army.mil/Missions/Recreation/Rivers-Project-Office/Riverlands-Migratory-Bird-Sanctuary/

 

http://riverlands.audubon.org/visit/riverlands-migratory-bird-sanctuary

 

Thanks for reading, and good birding!