A couple cold snaps over the last few weeks has really changed the bird community at Cheyenne Bottoms.  At least twice, temperatures got cold enough over nights to totally freeze the marsh.  This pushed many birds out of the area, and has created much more of a winter birding scenario.  Waterfowl, raptors, and some songbirds dominate the bird diversity of Cheyenne Bottoms now.

Cheyenne Bottoms pools remain quite full.  Pool 3a will remain very low/dry throughout the winter for vegetation/silt management.  All roads are currently open and in good shape.  Water levels and waterfowl counts are updated at least weekly here:  https://ksoutdoors.com/KDWPT-Info/Locations/Wildlife-Areas/Southwest/Cheyenne-Bottoms

Typical birds to be seen right now are:  Geese, ducks, Great blue herons, Coots, Gulls, Raptors, Red-winged blackbirds, and other songbirds.

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:

• Greater White-fronted Goose
• Snow Goose
• Ross’s Goose
• Cackling Goose
• Canada Goose
• Gadwall
• American Wigeon
• Mallard
• Northern Shoveler
• Northern Pintail
• Green-winged Teal
• Redhead
• Lesser Scaup
• Bufflehead
• Ruddy Duck
• Northern Bobwhite
• Ring-necked Pheasant
• Horned Grebe
• Double-crested Cormorant
• American White Pelican
• Great Blue Heron
• Great Egret–a couple birds remain in the outlet canal near KWEC
• Black-crowned Night Heron
• Bald Eagle
• Northern Harrier
• Red-tailed Hawk
• Cooper’s Hawk
• American Kestrel
• Merlin
• American Coot
• Killdeer-just a couple reported
• American Avocet
• Greater Yellowlegs
• Ring-billed Gull
• Herring Gull
• Glaucous Gull
• Great Horned Owl
• Belted Kingfisher
• Red-bellied Woodpecker
• Downy Woodpecker
• Northern Flicker
• Blue Jay
• Horned Lark
• American Robin
• European Starling
• American Tree Sparrow
• Chipping Sparrow
• Field Sparrow
• Vesper Sparrow
• Song Sparrow
• Harris’s Sparrow
• White-crowned Sparrow
• Dark-eyed Junco
• Northern Cardinal
• Red-winged Blackbird
• Meadowlark Spp.
• Yellow-headed Blackbird
• Common Grackle
• Great-tailed Grackle
• Brown-headed Cowbird
• American Goldfinch
• House Sparrow