Marais des Cygnes National Wildlife Refuge, Kansas
Marais des Cygnes NWR is located in Linn County, Kansas near the state's eastern border. Our first visit to this large and diverse area was in December of 2020 to photograph Short Eared Owls which were being regularly sited in one section.
The refuge was established in 1992 and consists of 7500 acres in total. Refuge habitat consists primarily of bottomland hardwood forests around the Marais des Cygnes River. This habitat is somewhat unique to Kansas. Uplands surrounding the hardwood forests are primarily prairie grasslands, some of which are native tallgrass prairies. We expect to continue visiting this location regularly over time.
Read MoreThe refuge was established in 1992 and consists of 7500 acres in total. Refuge habitat consists primarily of bottomland hardwood forests around the Marais des Cygnes River. This habitat is somewhat unique to Kansas. Uplands surrounding the hardwood forests are primarily prairie grasslands, some of which are native tallgrass prairies. We expect to continue visiting this location regularly over time.
Short Eared Owl In Flight_D850212-Edit
The experts have counted as many as 11 Short Eared Owls congregating in this area, and on one visit we observed nine.
While parked we would stand outside our vehicle but would remain up against it to avoid presenting a threatening appearance.
Several of the owls seemed to be very comfortable with our presence and would fly in close for a look.
