A Winter's Day

We haven't had much of a winter here in the heart of the USA. St. Louis, Missouri temperatures have averaged 8 degrees above normal. That doesn't sound like much, but considering that figure includes night temps, the reality has seemed far more drastic to this resident. We've had days in the 60s and even 70s during winter months. I haven't seen much snow, although we did have a great hail storm North of town, that left many a car hail damaged.

I did manage to get a few nice winter shots though. The icy stream pic is a nice example of finding the beauty in something so normal most people probably walk right by without seeing it. Composing a picture to highlight a feature in a scene can bring out the hidden beauty in nature. Ok, it's really hidden in plain view. In this shot the bubbles in the foreground are trapped under the ice. The narrow spot in the stream moves fast enough to prevent the ice from closing the gap, and in the background you can see the rest of the stream is completely covered. So this one shot has a lot going on. Not to mention the strategically located leaf. Honest, I didn't put that leaf there, it was frozen in the ice before I came along.

I also made the trip up to Winfield Missouri. For those who missed my posts from last year, this spot was rated the number 1 eagle viewing spot in the Northern hemisphere by National Geographic. To get there from St. Louis take I-70 East to 79 North to Winfield. Turn right on N (just past a little bridge), and follow it to the lookout tower. Turn left at the lookout tower and park in the damn lot. Once parked, hike the little trail on the South of the lot (across the road), to the eagle viewing platform. Note that the stairs to the upper deck are gone now. I don't know the story behind that. Probably the usual someone ruining it for everyone else by doing something stupid. But you can still view from the lower deck.

The best time to go is when it has been cold for several weeks. Once the rivers freeze the eagles cluster at the damns. We didn't get that much cold this year, but the day I picked was cold enough to put ice on the edges of the rivers. I spotted 8 eagles. Since it was only about 10 degrees when I visited, I was the only person out of my car. Dress right and you can take advantage of not having others to disturb the birds. Keep your extra batteries in a warm pocket. I was swapping batteries about every 10 minutes. My batteries had gotten old enough (a couple years) that they weren't holding up to the cold weather very long. I bought some new ones when I got back. Save yourself some aggravation and buy new ones in advance and charge them the night before you go.

There is a bench on the lower deck. Sit in it and sit still. Yes, this goes against everything you know about keeping warm in cold weather, but if you are dressed warm enough, the payoff is seeing the eagles close. The birds won't take notice of you sitting in the lower deck as much as they will if you are standing. The rails around the deck help to obscure your profile.

Another extra of this migratory spot is that this February the pelicans and ducks were so thick you could almost walk on them. It is so neat to see the massive flocks of pelicans and ducks flying over and coming in for landings.

And a trip to Winfield is not complete without a nice ferry trip or two. When you leave the damn, turn left and follow the road about a tenth of a mile to the river ferry entrance. It costs $6 to cross the Winfield river ferry. On the other side you are now on the land between the rivers. Turn right on Mississippi, turn right on it again when it makes a right turn (the straight leg of the road changes it's name here), and turn left on Proester. This will take you to Brussels Ferry. The Brussels ferry is free. Once you are on the other side of the river, go left to visit Pere Marquette Park, or right to visit Grafton, Illinois. Grafton has some great shops and restaurants. My favorite Restaurant in Grafton is the Finn Inn. The Finn Inn has huge aquariums built into the walls, some of which have alligator snapping turtles in them. Time how long the turtles stay under water. To get to the Finn Inn, turn right from the Brussels Ferry and the Finn Inn is on your left just as you come into the town. I like to drive on through Grafton and drive the beautiful river road (watch the tops of the bluffs for eagle sightings). Once you get to Alton, cross the Clarke suspension bridge and turn left on the other side. Careful crossing the lanes of traffic. Just past the Fisca gas station is the river convergence wildlife refuge. Another migratory bird congregation area. You can see eagles, swans, ducks, geese, kestrels, and lots more here (depending when you visit).

I usually go back home on the Illinois side rather than going back the way I came. Since I live South of St. Louis and I can go either way. Crossing the Clarke bridge again to the Illinois side, a right turn will take you through Wood River and back to Interstate 255. Be sure to stop at the Damn in wood river. This is the opposite side of the same damn you just visited in Missouri, at the wildlife refuge. There is an eagle nest across the street from the damn in Wood River. You need to park at the damn and hike about a mile up the bike path (back the way you came) to get a good look at it. The bike path is on a levy so it positions you high enough to get a nice view of the nest. This nest was built in a high traffic area, an unexpected spot for a nest. But I guess this pair wanted their nest near the damn so they would always have a ready supply of fish. Since it is a high traffic area it is not closed to the public. This is also a good sign that the eagles are becoming plentiful enough that their range is spreading also. I feel so blessed to have lived during the resurrection of the bird population. When I was young, DDT had destroyed so many bird populations. I remember as a child getting very excited to see a Canada goose. No one I knew had ever seen one before that lone bird flew over. Now they are so common they are a pest. God bless those who discovered the cause of the birds demise and put a stop to it!

Here is a link to the DDT story: http://scicom.ucsc.edu/SciNotes/9601/SeaLion/00Intro.html

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