Places to Go: Nodaway Valley CA

Nodaway Valley Conservation Area

A parade of wings 

There will be no fire engines, marching bands, or floats, but Nodaway Valley Conservation Area (CA) will be hosting its annual parade beginning in March.

Located in northwest Missouri’s Andrew and Holt counties, Nodaway Valley CA’s 2,100 acres of wetlands draw a parade of waterfowl and waterbirds that begins as the ice thaws, said Wildlife Biologist Craig Crisler.

“As soon as the ice melts, you’ll see a lot of snow geese, Canada geese, and then as spring progresses, the waterfowl that move through basically get smaller in size,” Crisler said. “Then you’ll start getting mallards and pintails and some of the other dabbling ducks. As spring progresses you start getting some of the bigger shorebirds and wading birds, and the teal will be the last ducks to move through. Then you’ll continue on with shorebirds migrating through all the way into May.”

And while the focus may be on waterfowl and waterbirds, the area also draws the occasional uncommon visitor, he said.

“You might see some birds in this part of Missouri that you don’t see further east across the state,” he said. “Stuff like yellow-headed blackbirds or cinnamon teal would be two bigger, more conspicuous birds you might see that we don’t see every year.”