playing and chasing each other around. The fall offers stunning autumnal foliage, but the breeding season may mean animals are more aggressive. Whatever season you choose to visit, animals tend to be most active early in the morning or just before dark, said Curry.

Audubon Center at Riverlands

The Audubon Center at Riverlands is located in West Alton, Missouri, in the middle of the Mississippi River flyway, one of the largest migratory bird corridors on Earth. Throughout the year, hundreds of bird species come through Riverlands' 3,700 acres, which you can experience via more than 8.5 miles of hiking trails that wind through prairies, marshes, and forest. Depending on the time of year, you can spy bald eagles, trumpeter swans, American white pelicans, raptors, and waterfowl, as well as turtles, coyote, and pollinators. Center Director Ken Buccholz says the spring and fall migratory periods offer nothing short of a spectacle. On any given day in the fall, you might see upward of 5,000 pelicans," he said. Winter is a particularly good time to visit, as many overwintering birds such as bald eagles and trumpeter swans make the center home for the season. Spring is also great, as grassland birds and songbirds make their arrival from as far away as South America. But no matter when you drop in, you're sure to see something interesting. The center's social media channels provide updates on current viewing opportunities.

Two Rivers National Wildlife Refuge

Also located on the Mississippi flyway, Two Rivers National Wildlife Refuge is just a little over an hour away in Brussels, Illinois. Managed by US Fish and Wildlife, it includes more than 9,000 acres around the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri rivers that can be explored on foot or by canoe or kayak. Nearly 300 bird species come through the refuge each year. Similar to Riverlands, the wildlife changes with the season, from waterfowl in the spring to bald eagles in the winter. The refuge is also home to deer, beavers, muskrat, and other wildlife. October, November, March, and April are the best months to see large concentrations of waterfowl, especially in the refuge's shallow wetlands, says Visitor Services Manager Bob Dietrich. My first full winter here, we had about 250,00 waterfowl come through. When the snow geese migrated, we saw as many as 15,000 geese in one pod," he said. "To see that amount of birds in one location was incredible."

terrain November/December 2020

19

nature

Want to hit the trails safely? The Rock Island Spur is waiting! Make plans to visit the trail today or maybe this spring. Whenever you decide, it'll be ready!