We left the Flint Hills region of Kansas this morning.  False intelligence suggested that the wildlife drive at the Quivira National Wildlife Refuge was closed on weekends.  Noticing this we unmoored before dawn and worked our way through scattered showers (that are welcomed by residents) to this small and rustic RV park on US 50 south of Great Bend.  We arrived before Noon, leveled the rig but did not hook up, and took the car to Quivira.  There we learned that only the office was closed on the weekend.  Oh well, no harm done.  Travel on a rainy day is good.  This evening as I write it is pouring. 

Still, we drove the fifteen mile auto tour across the refuge.  The temperature was in the fifties and a stiff wind made it frigid along the lakes and marshes that make up the refuge.  This one was established to provide a rest area for migrating waterfowl and shorebirds.  Even Whooping Cranes visit here, but we saw none today.  The ranger said most have passed through already.  “Still, you never know.”

Black rail call here too, but with the weather he doubts that any have arrived, let alone begun calling.  We will check that out tomorrow night.  We scouted the “rail marsh” this afternoon.  No rails were calling then, but then rails typically call at night.

Wanting to return to camp and set it up we exited the refuge on a “secondary road” that was surfaced with soil.  I kept up speed going up the hills and we made it out.  We stopped at a tiny grocery at the town of Stafford for some essentials and picked up an announcement for an American Legion “calf fry” tomorrow night.  The flyer showed a bovine creature covering its lower regions with its hooves.  We wonder if it will be all oysters being fried.  Sounds perhaps a bit too exciting for us, but we may check it out.

We spotted several year-birds today and greatly enjoyed watching a flock of Avocet resting in a small pool.  A Swainson’s Hawk remained perched on a fence post along the road even as we stopped and oohed and ahhed it for a few minutes. 

Today we added the following to the trip list:  Ring-necked Pheasant, Black-necked Stilt,  Baird’s Sandpiper, and Baltimore Oriole.