Hello, everyone! It's me, Cammie. As we mentioned on our last
Serene Scenery Sunday post, last weekend, we all loaded up in the HR-V and headed down to Quivira National Wildlife Refuge. The drive down is beautiful - and the refuge is incredibly scenic
and is home to so many birdies! We thought we'd share some of our highlights with you today!
We saw quite a few Snow Geese:
![IMG_1624SnowGeese](https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4777/40037503754_d4f03d75a0_c.jpg) |
Snow Geese |
I mean ... maybe more than quite a few:
![IMG_1639SnowGeese](https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4795/40037502934_78ab6345b6_c.jpg) |
Oodles of Snow Geese |
You get the idea.
Some of the shorebirds are returning to Kansas, like this little Killdeer:
![IMG_1664KilldeerHeadTilt](https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4798/38937205870_db82ac11f5_c.jpg) |
Killdeer, rocking the Head Tilt |
Pretty adorable. Mom should have given him a cookie. Or whatever Killdeer eat -- then she should have given Maggie and me a cookie. Right?
Anyway ...
Mom saw other shorebirds and was trying to photograph them, but this guy kept flying in front of her:
![IMG_1730RingBilledGull](https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4780/38937196410_8fa61ce4f7_c.jpg) |
Ring-Billed Gull |
Maybe he's their bodyguard or something? Anyway, once she took a few shots of him, he moved over and she got these guys:
![IMG_1727GreaterYellowlegs](https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4778/38937197970_98ae088d76_c.jpg) |
Greater Yellowlegs |
![IMG_1741KilldeerAndBaird'sSandpiper](https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4776/38937194430_f3eb638eee_c.jpg) |
Killdeer in front, Baird's Sandpiper behind him |
She's sorry the Baird's Sandpiper isn't clearer. She was shooting in 45-50mph wind gusts, and it was hard for her to keep her bazooka -- I mean
150-600mm lens -- steady. She was pleased she was able to focus on anything.
Moving right along ...
We saw lots of ducks - especially this variety:
![IMG_1703Buffleheads](https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4780/38937201360_4b26d6a048_c.jpg) |
Buffleheads |
And although Mom wasn't able to get closer than all the way across the Big Salt Marsh from them, she and Dad did get to see some Sandhill Cranes!
![IMG_1777SandhillCranesSnowGeeseDucks](https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4793/38937191550_6b93e05ae2_c.jpg) |
Sandhill Cranes, Snow Geese, and ducks (maybe Redheads; it's hard to tell) |
The Big Salt Marsh is huge - (check out a shot Mom took of it on a
previous trip here) - so that made things a bit challenging for her.
We moved on down south a bit to the Little Salt Marsh. They rebuilt the observation tower down there, so Mom braved the winds and climbed to the top. No bird sightings, but she did get a great view:
![IMG_9537LittleSaltMarsh](https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4797/38937189980_05350f4fcf_c.jpg) |
Little Salt Marsh from the tower |
During the trip, we also saw a few Coots:
![IMG_1850AmericanCoots](https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4784/25876551427_a18e0d1495_c.jpg) |
American Coots |
And Mallards:
![IMG_1863Mallards](https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4787/25876549237_d6a45b56e9_c.jpg) |
"You there! Stay away from my woman! Stay away, I say!" |
We also saw some beautiful hawks like this one:
![IMG_1897RoughLeggedHawk](https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4784/25876545957_e15bf42f16_c.jpg) |
Rough-Legged Hawk |
He was very cooperative - several people in one of Mom's bird groups photographed the very same hawk! He must like having his portrait taken.
I think that's a wrap for today - time to head home.
![IMG_9553CamMagsHRV](https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4774/25876540997_e22e79e12f_c.jpg) |
"Maggie, your winter coat is so nice and thick ... mind if I use you for a pillow?" "Knock yourself out, Cam." |
If you'd like to see more of our photos from this trip, please visit our FlickR album
at this link.
Cammie!