Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge

"Among the Blossoms"

On a visit to the Auto Tour Wildlife Drive in June 2022, I stopped toward the end at the pull-off by Grefe Tower. There are two very popular birding ponds in this area, and on this particular day, a black tern was flying around, dipping and turning in an attempt to catch bugs. The black tern, much like other members of the tern family, is an incredibly fast bird to try and photograph, much less get it in focus. It was the first time I had seen one and a thrill to add to my life list.