Winter birding at Cheyenne Bottoms can be fun!  Right now, the number of geese using the wetlands is awesome.  It is now mostly Snow Geese, but all species of geese can still be seen.  Until we get some prolonged cold weather to freeze up the marsh, we will expect the waterfowl to stick around at Cheyenne Bottoms in the areas that have water.

At Cheyenne Bottoms Wildlife Area, Pool 1a and 3a are the pools with the most significant water present. Both pools are at 9”-10” depth.  There are still a couple isolated low spots holding water in Pool 1b, 2, 5, and the inlet canal. Other pools of Cheyenne Bottoms Wildlife Area are currently dry.  Most areas of The Nature Conservancy’s Cheyenne Bottoms Preserve are dry.

Note:  Many visitors have observed a number of dead and/or sick geese in Pool 1a and surrounding areas.  KDWP is monitoring the situation.  Avian Influenza is suspected.  People should avoid contact with these birds.  Hunters should use precautions if handling any birds.

At this time of year, waterfowl, raptors, and sparrows are favorites to see.  Until the marsh freezes over, other wetland birds (e.g. herons, pelicans, and gulls) can also still be seen.  Other winter songbirds can also be observed in the marsh and in surrounding wooded areas.

The first segment of the Duck hunting season for Cheyenne Bottoms is currently closed.  Duck season will reopen for Cheyenne Bottoms from Dec. 23-Jan. 7.  Goose hunting season is still open at Cheyenne Bottoms.

Quivira NWR continues to have some surface water available as well and is worth a view. 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:

• Snow Goose
• Ross’s Goose
• Greater white-fronted Goose
• Cackling Goose
• Canada Goose
• 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
• Northern Bobwhite
• Wild Turkey
• Ring-necked Pheasant
• Pied-billed Grebe
• Eurasian Collared-Dove
• Mourning Dove
• American Coot
• Sandhill Crane
• Pectoral Sandpiper
• Long-billed Dowitcher
• Wilson’s Snipe
• Dunlin
• Franklin’s Gull
• Ring-billed Gull
• Herring Gull
• Double-crested Cormorant
• American White Pelican
• Great Blue Heron
• White-faced Ibis
• Northern Harrier
• Cooper’s Hawk
• Bald Eagle
• Red-tailed Hawk
• Rough-legged Hawk
• Great-horned Owl
• Short-eared Owl
• Red-bellied Woodpecker
• Downy Woodpecker
• Northern Flicker
• American Kestrel
• Merlin
• Loggerhead Shrike
• Blue Jay
• American Crow
• Horned Lark
• Marsh Wren
• European Starling
• American Robin
• House Sparrow
• House Finch
• American Goldfinch
• Lapland Longspur
• American Tree Sparrow
• Dark-eyed Junco
• White-crowned Sparrow
• Harris’s Sparrow
• Song Sparrow
• Meadowlark Sp.
• Red-winged Blackbird
• Brown-headed Cowbird
• Northern Cardinal