[Larry Lade]

This morning I birded the Squaw Creek National Wildlife Refuge located near Mound City, Missouri. Despite the chilly temperatures and 30-35 MPH winds it turned out to be a pretty good day. This area in Missouri is on the Mississippi Flyway, so a lot of waterfowl make use of this refuge going to and coming from there breeding grounds further north. Below is my list of birds which I observed this morning, March 13, 2006.

Greater White-fronted Goose - many
Snow Goose - "gobs", as in @ 100,000
Ross's Goose - only got one which was in a small group of near shore
Snow Geese.
Canada Goose - many
Wood Duck - several
Gadwall - many
American Wigeon - many
Mallard - quite a few
Blue-winged Teal - lots
CINNAMON TEAL - 1 male (FOY for me)
Northern Shoveler - many
Northern Pintail - quite a few
Green-winged Teal - lots
Canvasback - @ 50
Redhead - some
Ring-necked Duck - abundant
Lesser Scaup - abundant
Bufflehead - many
Common Goldeneye - some
Hooded Merganser - quite a few
Common Merganser - 4 (3 males and 1 female)
Ruddy Duck - some
Ring-necked Pheasant - one male
Wild Turkey - 5
Pied-billed Grebe - quite a few
American White Pelican - @ 50
Double-crested Cormorant - 3
Turkey Vulture - a couple
Bald Eagle (several immatures flying around and one adult "hunkered
down" on nest)
Red-tailed Hawk
American Coot - abundant
Killdeer - lots
Greater Yellowlegs - 10
Lesser Yellowlegs - 3 (FOY for me)
BAIRD'S SANDPIPER - 1 (rather early) (FOY for me)
Pectoral Sandpiper - 3
Long-billed Dowitcher - 1 (FOY for me)
Wilson's Snipe - 50
Mourning Dove
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Eastern Phoebe
American Crow
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
Carolina Wren
Eastern Bluebird
American Robin
European Starlilng
Eastern Towhee
American Tree Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle