Some much needed rains have finally fallen in the Cheyenne Bottoms area in the last couple of weeks.  KWEC has received more than 5” of rain from Aug. 1-15.  While the wetlands are not yet full, there is now at least some standing water in many more areas of the wetlands than there has been in over a year.  Water continues to flow into the basin from the inlet diversion, adding to the available standing water supply.

Pool 1a is where most of the incoming water is being placed in order to conserve and store it.  This pool totals about 1,300 acres, and the water is increasing in depth.  Pool 2 also gained some isolated pools throughout the pool that are holding a good amount of water.  Other pools of Cheyenne Bottoms Wildlife Area are also holding larger pools of water than previous.  Additionally, wetlands in the upland areas of The Nature Conservancy’s Cheyenne Bottoms Preserve are holding water, and there is some water in the permanent basins of the Preserve as well. 

Wetland birds have been using all areas that contain water and will continue to use them as food supplies (aquatic invertebrates) colonize quickly.  Fall migrant shorebirds have begun to increase.  Summer resident wetland birds (e.g. herons, egrets, avocets, ibis, stilts, pelicans, gulls, and terns) are also in good supply.  Duck numbers and diversity should increase in the coming weeks.  We will expect to see good bird activity as we hit more of the peak of fall migration.

Quivira NWR continues to have more surface water available in their marsh and bird numbers and diversity has remained very good.  Check out http://fws.gov/refuge/Quivira or call the Quivira NWR Headquarters at 620-410-4011 for updated conditions.

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
• Canada Goose
• Wood Duck
• Blue-winged Teal
• Northern Shoveler
• Gadwall
• Mallard
• Hooded Merganser
• Ruddy Duck
• Northern Bobwhite
• Wild Turkey
• Ring-necked Pheasant
• Pied-billed Grebe
• Eurasian Collared-Dove
• Mourning Dove
• Common Nighthawk
• American Coot
• Black-necked Stilt
• American Avocet
• Snowy Plover
• Semipalmated Plover
• Piping Plover
• Killdeer
• Upland Sandpiper
• Marbled Godwit
• Stilt Sandpiper
• Sanderling
• Baird’s Sandpiper
• Least Sandpiper
• Pectoral Sandpiper
• Semipalmated Sandpiper
• Short-billed Dowitcher
• Long-billed Dowitcher
• Wilson’s Snipe
• Wilson’s Phalarope
• Spotted Sandpiper
• Solitary Sandpiper
• Greater Yellowlegs
• Willet
• Lesser Yellowlegs
• Franklin’s Gull
• Ring-billed Gull
• Black Tern
• Double-crested Cormorant
• American White Pelican
• Great Blue Heron
• Great Egret
• Snowy Egret
• Cattle Egret
• Green Heron
• White-faced Ibis
• Turkey Vulture
• Mississippi Kite
• Swainson’s Hawk
• Red-tailed Hawk
• Great-horned Owl
• Burrowing Owl
• Red-headed Woodpecker
• Northern Flicker
• American Kestrel
• Peregrine Falcon
• Say’s Phoebe
• Western Kingbird
• Eastern Kingbird
• Bell’s Vireo
• Warbling Vireo
• Red-eyed Vireo
• Blue Jay
• American Crow
• Horned Lark
• Northern Rough-winged Swallow
• Purple Martin
• Tree Swallow
• Bank Swallow
• Barn Swallow
• Cliff Swallow
• House Wren
• European Starling
• Gray Catbird
• Northern Mockingbird
• American Robin
• House Sparrow
• American Goldfinch
• Grasshopper Sparrow
• Chipping Sparrow
• Lark Sparrow
• Yellow-headed Blackbird
• Western Meadowlark
• Eastern Meadowlark
• Orchard Oriole
• Baltimore Oriole
• Red-winged Blackbird
• Brown-headed Cowbird
• Common Grackle
• Great-tailed Grackle
• Common Yellowthroat
• Yellow Warbler
• Northern Cardinal
• Dickcissel