Geese aren't sticking around, but there are lots of ducks, eagles at DeSoto Wildlife Refuge

“They will push north as far as they can until they run into heavy snow and iced-over wetlands and lakes,” said Peter Rea, supervisory park ranger at DeSoto and the Boyer Chute National Wildlife Refuge. “That’s the nature of the spring migration. They are in a hurry to get to their breeding ground. They go all the way up to the arctic.”

Instead of flocks measuring in the 100,000s, the ones he’s been seeing the past few days have numbered around the hundreds to a few thousand and are mostly in the skies continuing north.

Rea said that although it’s the end of peak viewing for geese, there’s plenty of other activity at the refuge near Missouri Valley, Iowa.

There’s a good variety of ducks at DeSoto, including mallards, wood ducks and green- and blue-winged teal on the wetlands there. Diving ducks such as ringnecks and redheads can be spotted on the lake.

“Those are a neat species to look for on the lake,” he said.

Eagle viewing is still good, especially along the Missouri River. Rea said there is a pair of nesting eagles sitting on eggs that can be seen from the Bob Starr Wildlife Overlook.

A viewing scope is available because visitors must stay a safe distance away from the nest.

“I definitely would recommend binoculars to visitors as well,” Rea said.

He said the next group to come through will be shorebirds and wading birds followed by migrant songbirds.

“The next couple of months we’re going to have these waves of migrants,” he said.