Spring migration is under way, despite the wild swings in weather from cold to hot and back to cold that seem to be happening each week.  Cold snaps cause the wetlands to freeze over and seem to slow down bird activity, but warm spells thaw pools out and we see good movements of birds through the area.  Bird migration activity should increase over the next month and peak around the end of April through the beginning of May.

Waterfowl are the “in” thing at Cheyenne Bottoms right now.  Abundance and diversity are increasing.  Most species of ducks should be present at Cheyenne Bottoms over the next couple weeks.  Right now, Northern Pintails seem to outnumber all other species, but other species have shown up in the last few days.  Snow Goose numbers are still currently good, and there has been a large flock that can be seen in Pool 1a or 1b during the afternoons.  The other goose species are also mixed in (Ross’s, Canada’s, Cacklers, and White-fronts).  With the large waterfowl numbers, Bald Eagle numbers also continue to be good. They can easily be seen standing out on the ice of the wetlands if we have ice cover.  As the ice clears, they are harder to find, but they are still in the area.  Look for them roosting in trees or soaring overhead.

The first shorebirds arrived in the last 2 weeks.  Multiple Greater Yellowlegs have been seen in mudflat areas in Pool 1c.  The first Killdeer was reported in the KWEC parking lot on March 1.  A few other sandpiper species have also been reported on eBird.

Snowy Owls are still being seen at Cheyenne Bottoms.  2 owls have been reported in the past week.  Pool 3b is still the place to see them.

Other common birds being seen right now include Great Blue Herons, Gulls (Ring-billed and Herring), a few Cormorants and pelicans, and Coots.

All roads are currently open through Cheyenne Bottoms. KDWP contractors are digging silt out of the East Hub near the Observation Tower.  However, there should not be any disruption to traffic flow.

Only one pools 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 water and birds as well and is worth a drive through Crooked Rd (NE 100 Rd and NE 90 Rd).

There have been good birding reports from Quivira NWR over the last couple weeks.  Thousands of Sandhill cranes have been reported most days feeding in crop fields north of Quivira NWR. 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
• Greater White-fronted Goose
• Cackling Goose
• Canada Goose
• Cinnamon Teal
• Northern Shoveler
• Gadwall
• American Wigeon
• Mallard
• Northern Pintail
• Green-winged Teal
• Redhead
• Lesser Scaup
• Bufflehead
• Common Goldeneye
• Hooded Merganser
• Common Merganser
• Ruddy Duck
• Ring-necked Pheasant
• Mourning Dove
• American Coot
• Sandhill Crane
• Killdeer
• Baird’s Sandpiper
• Long-billed Dowitcher
• Greater Yellowlegs
• Ring-billed Gull
• Herring Gull
• Double-crested Cormorant
• American White Pelican
• Great Blue Heron
• Northern Harrier
• Bald Eagle
• Red-tailed Hawk
• Rough-legged Hawk
• Barn Owl
• Great Horned Owl
• Snowy Owl
• Downy Woodpecker
• Northern Flicker
• American Kestrel
• Prairie Falcon
• American Crow
• Horned Lark
• European Starling
• American Robin
• House Sparrow
• American Goldfinch
• American Tree Sparrow
• Dark-eyed Junco
• White-crowned Sparrow
• Harris’s Sparrow
• Song Sparrow
• Western Meadowlark
• Eastern Meadowlark
• Red-winged Blackbird
• Brown-headed Cowbird
• Great-tailed Grackle
• Northern Cardinal