Late summer birding dominates, with early migrants showing up.

We have started to see Fall migrants returning from the north for a couple weeks now.  Birding is great right now, but is mostly dependent on diminishing water levels at Cheyenne Bottoms.  Several of the pools at Cheyenne Bottoms are dry, and other pools are quite shallow.  Those that do have water are prime habitat for returning shorebirds and waders.

A shorebird survey conducted by Robert Penner last week resulted in an excellent number (more than 12,500) and diversity of shorebirds (13 species).

Recent heavy rains have missed Cheyenne Bottoms, but the Ark River and Walnut Creeks have been flowing due to rains west of here.  KDWPT staff have been diverting water through the inlet system into the storage pools for several days.

Common birds to see right now include: a few Ducks (mostly Blue-winged Teal, Mallards, and Ruddy Ducks, but a few other species can be found too), American coots, 100’s of Pelicans, Gulls (Ring-billed and Franklins), Terns (Black and Forster’s), Great Blue Herons, Egrets (Great, Snowy, and Cattle), American Avocets, Black-necked stilts, White-faced Ibis, and shorebirds (mostly Killdeer, Least sandpipers, Pectoral sandpipers, Semipalmated sandpipers, Dowitchers, Wilson’s phalaropes, and Yellowlegs).

Give us your reports.  We rely heavily on other birders to know what is being seen at Cheyenne Bottoms.  Submit reports to Ebird, or email your observations to wetlandscenter@fhsu.edu.

Here is a list birds that have been reported over the last couple weeks:

• Canada Goose
• Wood Duck–still small groups being reported in Pool 2
• Mallard
• Blue-winged Teal
• Northern Pintail
• Ruddy Duck
• Ring-necked Pheasant
• Wild Turkey
• Mourning Dove
• American Coot
• Black-necked Stilt
• American Avocet
• American Golden Plover
• Snowy Plover
• Semipalmated Plover
• Killdeer
• Spotted Sandpiper
• Greater Yellowlegs
• Lesser Yellowlegs
• Upland Sandpiper
• Ruddy Turnstone
• Sanderling
• Semipalmated Sandpiper
• Least Sandpiper
• Pectoral Sandpiper
• Stilt Sandpiper
• Long-billed Dowitcher
• Short-billed Dowitcher
• Wilson’s Phalarope
• Franklin’s Gull
• Ring-billed Gull
• Black Tern
• Forster’s Tern
• Neotropic Cormorant
• Double-crested Cormorant
• American White Pelican
• American Bittern
• Great Blue Heron
• Great Egret
• Snowy Egret
• Cattle Egret
• Green Heron
• Black-crowned Night Heron
• Yellow-crowned Night Heron
• Glossy Ibis
• White-faced Ibis
• Turkey Vulture
• Mississippi Kite
• Bald Eagle
• Red-tailed Hawk
• Burrowing Owl
• Greater Roadrunner
• Red-headed Woodpecker
• Northern Flicker
• American Kestrel
• Peregrine Falcon
• Western Kingbird
• Easter Kingbird
• Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
• Bluejay
• Horned Lark
• Tree Swallow
• Northern Rough-winged Swallow
• Bank Swallow
• Cliff Swallow
• Barn Swallow
• House Wren
• American Robin
• Brown Thrasher
• European Starling
• House Sparrow
• American Goldfinch
• Common Yellowthroat
• Yellow Warbler
• Dickcissel
• Red-winged Blackbird
• Yellow-headed Blackbird
• Eastern Meadowlark
• Western Meadowlark
• Yellow-headed Blackbird
• Common Grackle
• Great-tailed Grackle
• Brown-headed Cowbird
• Baltimore Oriole