Fall migrants are starting to return to Cheyenne Bottoms and they are right on time.  The first wave of early fall migrating shorebirds is typically around the middle to end of July.  With the wet conditions that have persisted in the area over the spring and summer, many birds have shown up in the past weeks.  From now through the fall, we will see new arrivals with every weather front that comes through.  Summer resident birds are also plentiful and easy to see right now as well.

Cheyenne Bottoms pools remain quite full; however, KDWPT staff have drained down 2 pools (Pools 3a and 4b) which currently have very good shorebird habitat.  All roads are currently open and in good shape.

Typical summer resident birds we are seeing include wading birds, such as herons, egrets, ibis; gulls, grebes, coots, killdeer, pelicans, and cormorants.  There have also been more ducks that have stayed this summer than normal.  There are also a lot of songbirds in the area, especially in the wooded areas on the periphery of Cheyenne Bottoms.  Other migrant birds being seen right now include several sandpiper species.

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:

• Snow Goose–1 or 2 presumably injured birds have occasionally been seen
• Canada Goose
• Wood Duck
• Gadwall
• Mallard
• Blue-winged Teal
• Northern Shoveler
• Northern Pintail
• Redhead
• Ruddy Duck
• Northern Bobwhite
• Ring-necked Pheasant
• Wild Turkey
• Pied-billed Grebe
• Eared Grebe
• Western Grebe
• Double-crested Cormorant
• American White Pelican
• American Bittern
• Great Blue Heron
• Great Egret
• Snowy Egret
• Little Blue Heron
• Tricolored Heron
• Cattle Egret
• Black-crowned Night Heron
• Yellow-crowned Night Heron
• White-faced Ibis
• Turkey Vulture
• Bald Eagle
• Northern Harrier
• Red-tailed Hawk
• American Kestrel
• Virginia Rail
• Sora
• Common Gallinule
• American Coot
• Killdeer
• Black-necked Stilt
• American Avocet
• Spotted Sandpiper
• Solitary Sandpiper
• Greater Yellowlegs
• Lesser Yellowlegs
• Sanderling
• Semipalmated Sandpiper
• Least Sandpiper
• Baird’s Sandpiper
• Stilt Sandpiper
• Short-billed Dowitcher
• Long-billed Dowitcher
• Wilson’s Phalarope
• Franklin’s Gull
• Ring-billed Gull
• Black Tern
• Forster’s Tern
• Mourning Dove
• Great Horned Owl
• Common Nighthawk
• Red-headed Woodpecker
• Northern Flicker
• Western Kingbird
• Eastern Kingbird
• Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
• Warbling Vireo
• Bell’s Vireo
• Blue Jay
• Horned Lark
• Tree Swallow
• Bank Swallow
• Cliff Swallow
• Barn Swallow
• House Wren
• American Robin
• Northern Mockingbird
• Brown Thrasher
• European Starling
• Common Yellowthroat
• Yellow Warbler
• Lark Sparrow
• Grasshopper Sparrow
• Northern Cardinal
• Dickcissel
• Red-winged Blackbird
• Eastern Meadowlark
• Western Meadowlark
• Yellow-headed Blackbird
• Common Grackle
• Great-tailed Grackle
• Brown-headed Cowbird
• Orchard Oriole
• Baltimore Oriole
• House Sparrow