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.