Because the Mississippi River is so reluctant to give up the ice this year, we probably have just this weekend where much of the river will still have ice. It opens up quite a bit during the day, and freezes over again at night. That means resident waterfowl and migratory birds are overlapping with gusto!

Easy to see 7 or 8 eagles at a glance around any open water. As of March 1, we were getting reports of Sandhill cranes widespread along the river. I always consider March 1 and early date, but might have to start thinking of it as normal! Amazingly, at least one group of March 1 arrivals had 23 sandhills flying overhead! Thank you, Marilyn and Laura for the early reports!

Oh, and Tundra Swans are also heading north again. Haven’t heard of pelicans yet, but expect them soon.