When does ice breaking, crashing, and scraping mean spring is near? When the frozen Mississippi River begins to thaw!

Just before spring arrives and the River can be seen flowing freely, winter’s solid surface becomes chunks of ice moving downstream that settle in piles along the riverbank.

We took a trek out along a soggy section of land along the “Great River Road” near Nauvoo to snap a few up-close images of this awe-inspiring phenomenon before the warm temperatures melted the last reminder of our extra cold winter.

Did you know ice makes a distinct sound as it snaps? It does…. but nothing is more unique than the crashing and scraping sound of ice running over a buoy, forcing it under water.

This video is from a few years back while testing video capability of a new camera, so it is a little shaky but you can definitely see the ice moving down river.

When waterfowl begin moving north, they can be seen resting on the Mississippi, a bird migration route or “flyway” between Canada and the Gulf of Mexico, which is used by 40% of all migrating birds. Not sure exactly what type birds were in the distance, but their return signals spring is near.

Want to know another familiar Nauvoo sign of spring? Seeing our flock of geese pairing off and beginning to nest near the river’s edge. These two look like they were out for a stroll but their nest was near the “iceberg” we were photographing….and yes they squawked while wandering off when we arrived, never getting too far away from their chosen spot.

Ice is especially beautiful…..when it means spring is near.