Western Prairie Audubon

November 14th – “Birding the Mississippi River” For our November field trip we plan to view migratory waterfowl, bald eagles and other water birds along both sides of the Mississippi River from Hamilton to Keokuk, Montrose and Fort Madison, Iowa and back south along the Nauvoo Flats. Each fall thousands of waterfowl spend several weeks within Pool 19 of the Mississippi River to feed in waters rich in plant and invertebrate foods prior to making their journey south to their wintering grounds. We expect to see a wide variety of ducks including: Canvasback, Redhead, Ring-necked Duck, Ruddy Duck, Bufflehead, Mallard, Northern Pintail, Green-winged Teal, Northern Shoveler, Gadwall, and American Wigeon along with other migrants such as the Bald Eagle, American White Pelican, Double-crested Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, Pied-billed Grebe and American Coot. Meet Saturday morning at 8 am at the (WIUM parking lot west of Godfather’s Pizza) to share rides or meet at 8:45 am at the Casey’s Gas Station in Hamilton. The field trip will involve mostly driving with short periods of easy to moderate walking. Wear comfortable walking shoes. Bring binoculars, field guides and spotting scope if available (some will be provided; we can share). We plan to have lunch somewhere along the route. The trip will conclude by mid- to late afternoon. Please call Dan if you plan to attend 217-256-4732