People in Colorado usually see Kansas only as something to cross when driving eastward. Birds on the other hand, especially migrating shore birds, see the area near Great Bend as a great spring resting place on their way north. And that's why we were there.
Ducks, grebes, egrets, American avocets, snowy plovers, Hudsonian godwits and other waders stopped at Cheyenne Bottoms and Quivera National Wildlife Refuge, making the trip worthwhile despite the dreadful weather. The heavy rains will be appreciated later in the year but the cold and windy weather made photography difficult and the flooded roads didn't help much. Nevertheless it was a great way to start the spring and I got a chance to try out my new camera.
