Category: Quivira National Wildlife Refuge

Black Terns of Quivira NWR – June 2026

birds, Quivira National Wildlife Refuge, wildlife, wildlife photography

On a work trip to Kansas back in mid-June of this year, I found a few extra hours to visit the nearby birding wonderland of Quivira National Wildlife Refuge. The legendary spring shorebird migration was largely over by the time of my visit; however, I was pleased to visit during a summer when droughts were not nearly as bad as I experienced in previous summer visits to this location. I was able to actually find some birds during this trip, including: more shorebirds than I expected, fledgling Black-necked Stilt and American Avocet, Snowy Plovers attempting their second nests of the season, and the subject of today’s post—the Black Tern.

Add the Black Tern to the 50 or so species that make up my top ten favorite birds. Although this species shows up in eastern Missouri during migration, they are sporadic and unpredictable. So, whenever I find the opportunity to photograph these guys, I make sure to make the most of whatever opportunity I have. Black Terns nest at Quivira NWR, and some of the birds pictured here likely were on nests or already raising young.

The direction of the wind and angle of the sun where not to my advantage during the period these guys were close enough to get photos. I tried my best and I think these were worth the effort.

2022 Kansas Trip – Semipalmated Sandpiper

birds, Quivira National Wildlife Refuge, wildlife, wildlife photography

I can’t believe it’s been more than a year since this trip and I still have quite a few photos to share. Not much time or gumption to post much lately. Here are some photos of one of the more abundant shorebirds we had on this particular visit – the Semipalmated Sandpiper. It was fun and interesting to see so many individuals up close. You can really see variations in individual plumages at this time of year, as I hope this collection shows

2022 Kansas Trip – Long-billed Dowitcher

birds, Quivira National Wildlife Refuge, wildlife, wildlife photography

We didn’t have a great deal of diversity in the shorebirds during this early season trip to the “central coast,” but, we had great numbers in the early migrating species like the Long-billed Dowitcher. There may have been some Short-billed Dowitchers mixed in here but none that we could confirm identity. The LBDO uses the central flyway predominantly while the SBDO primarily moves along the coasts during spring migration.

2022 Kansas Trip – Blue-winged Teal

birds, Quivira National Wildlife Refuge, wildlife, wildlife photography

It’s about time I begin posting more from our Kansas trip from last April. The Blue-winged Teal is one species that is easy to find at Quivera NWR and Cheyenne Bottoms Wildlife Area. Dave and I had some great light on this evening. We set up low and waited for the Teal and Shovelers to drift by.

Return to the Kingdom of Quivira

Quivira National Wildlife Refuge, wildlife

I have previously discussed and shared a number of our photos from previous trips to Quivira NWR.  Steve and I recently returned from a short trip to central Kansas and I wanted to share a quick photo.  Last year we had sure looks and photos of Hudsonian Godwits.  This year one of the highlights of the trip was finding a group of 23 Marbled Godwits.

Marbled Godwit
Marbled Godwit

We were a bit earlier this year than last and this combined with a longer, cooler spring, bird species diversity and overall numbers were a tad lower.  Constant abusing winds made the cool temperatures nearly unbearable to sustain for long, especially with two dudes who dressed for spring.  But, we just worked a little harder and made the best use of good light, higher temps and calmer winds when we could find them.  Another unforgettable trip.