Birds, Mississippi River

Birdlife along the Mississippi River is wonderfully varied, and it’s one of the things that really gives the waterway its personality.  Great blue herons creep through the shallows while bald eagles circle overhead, taking full advantage of the steady supply of fish.

 Pelicans drift together in big, easy-moving groups on the quieter stretches, and further south great egrets, ibises and roseate spoonbills pick their way through the wetlands with that slow, careful rhythm they’re known for.

There are plenty of more specialized locals too.  In summer, Mississippi kites glide above the valley as if they barely need to flap a wing, hunting cicadas and grasshoppers on the go. 

Down on the mudflats, sanderlings dash about at the edge of the water, always just a step ahead of the waves. 

The sharp rattling call of a belted kingfisher often carries across the water just moment before it dives.  Even the urban stretches have heir regulars, with gulls and cormorants settling in comfortably around docks and bridges.  In the end, the Mississippi works as both a refuge and a thoroughfare, supporting everything from soaring hunters to tiny waders as it winds its way south.