Spring migration has really ramped up over the last few days.  We are still a couple weeks from the “peak” of spring migration, but the habitat conditions are contributing to some excellent birdwatching right now.  Quite a few “first of season” birds have been observed, and there are more to come.

Ducks continue to the be most abundant and diverse group of birds at Cheyenne Bottoms right now.  Most species of ducks should be present at Cheyenne Bottoms.

Sandhill Cranes are basically through this area now.  However, a few stragglers have still been seen over the last few days.  We have seen a few Whooping Cranes stop at Cheyenne Bottoms over the last few weeks.  We are still in the window of when we would expect to see Whooping Cranes at Cheyenne Bottoms; however, typically, the Whooping Cranes do not stay long in the area during the Spring Migration, so it is a unique, chance event to see them.

Shorebird numbers and diversity have really increased over the last few days.  Excellent numbers of Long-billed Dowitchers, Greater Yellowlegs, Lesser Yellowlegs, and Killdeer continue to be readily found.  More sandpiper species have started to show up, and their numbers will surely continue to increase over the next few weeks.  There is excellent shallow mudflat habitat throughout Cheyenne Bottoms right now, so we expect viewing opportunities for shorebirds to be phenomenal this Spring.

Other common birds being seen right now include Great Blue Herons, Gulls, Cormorants, Pelicans, and Coots.

Only one pool is currently dry in Cheyenne Bottoms Wildlife Area (Pool 3b).  All other pools have water in them, but water depths in these pools are lower than most years.  The permanent marshes on the Nature Conservancy property have been holding shallow water and birds as well and is worth a drive through Crooked Rd (NE 100 Rd and NE 90 Rd).

Great birding should be available at Quivira NWR as well.  Check out http://fws.gov/refuge/Quivira.

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
• Ross’s Goose
• Canada Goose
• Wood Duck
• Blue-winged Teal
• Cinnamon Teal
• Northern Shoveler
• Gadwall
• American Wigeon
• Mallard
• Northern Pintail
• Green-winged Teal
• Canvasback
• Redhead
• Ring-necked Duck
• Lesser Scaup
• Bufflehead
• Common Goldeneye
• Hooded Merganser
• Common Merganser
• Ruddy Duck
• Wild Turkey
• Greater Prairie-Chicken
• Ring-necked Pheasant
• Pied-billed Grebe
• Horned Grebe
• Eared Grebe
• Eurasian Collared-Dove
• Mourning Dove
• Virginia Rail
• American Coot
• Sandhill Crane
• Black-necked Stilt
• American Avocet
• Black-bellied Plover
• American Golden-Plover
• Snowy Plover
• Semipalmated Plover
• Killdeer
• Hudsonian Godwit
• Marbled Godwit
• Stilt Sandpiper
• Dunlin
• Baird’s Sandpiper
• Least Sandpiper
• Pectoral Sandpiper
• Semipalmated Sandpiper
• Long-billed Dowitcher
• Wilson’s Snipe
• Spotted Sandpiper
• Solitary Sandpiper
• Greater Yellowlegs
• Willet
• Lesser Yellowlegs
• Bonaparte’s Gull
• Franklin’s Gull
• Ring-billed Gull
• Herring Gull
• Lesser Black-backed Gull
• Glaucous Gull
• Double-crested Cormorant
• American White Pelican
• American Bittern
• Great Blue Heron
• Turkey Vulture
• Northern Harrier
• Bald Eagle
• Swainson’s Hawk
• Red-tailed Hawk
• Great Horned Owl
• Red-bellied Woodpecker
• Downy Woodpecker
• Hairy Woodpecker
• Northern Flicker
• American Kestrel
• Peregrine Falcon
• Prairie Falcon
• Eastern Phoebe
• Horned Lark
• Barn Swallow
• Marsh Wren
• European Starling
• Northern Mockingbird
• American Robin
• House Sparrow
• Chipping Sparrow
• Dark-eyed Junco
• White-crowned Sparrow
• Harris’s Sparrow
• Vesper Sparrow
• Savannah Sparrow
• Song Sparrow
• Yellow-headed Blackbird
• Western Meadowlark
• Eastern Meadowlark
• Red-winged Blackbird
• Brown-headed Cowbird
• Brewer’s Blackbird
• Common Grackle
• Great-tailed Grackle
• Northern Cardinal