Spring bird migration has basically wrapped up at Cheyenne Bottoms.  We are now in the Summer mode of bird watching.  The spring migration was quite good at Cheyenne Bottoms despite the dry conditions and limited water available throughout the area.  Despite a nice rain that occurred in early June, surface water conditions remain limited at Cheyenne Bottoms.

Most of the shorebirds have passed through the area now.  A few lingering sandpipers are still being seen, but most are gone.  We will see some of the first fall migrant shorebirds start to return in mid-July.  There are a few ducks being seen, including Mallards, Redheads, and Ruddy Ducks.  Other summer resident wetland birds can been seen, such as Canada Geese, Double-crested Cormorants, Great-blue Herons, Great Egrets, Snowy Egrets, Cattle Egrets, American Coots, Killdeer, Franklin's Gulls, Ring-billed Gulls, and numerous summer songbirds, such as swallows, Dickcissels, orioles, kingbirds, Brown Thrashers, and others.

Water conditions may change relatively quickly depending on rain as well as hot, windy days that may dry out shallow pools.  Pool 1a is still the only pool with significant surface water.  Several other pools have some surface water present after the large rain received in early June.  This water may soak in and dry up relatively quickly.  Currently, some water is being diverted into Cheyenne Bottoms from the Arkansas River and Walnut Creek.

Quivira NWR continues to have 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:

• Canada Goose
• Wood Duck
• Blue-winged Teal
• Northern Shoveler
• Gadwall
• American Wigeon
• Mallard
• Northern Pintail
• Redhead
• Ruddy Duck
• Northern Bobwhite
• Wild Turkey
• Ring-necked Pheasant
• Eurasian Collared-Dove
• Mourning Dove
• Yellow-billed Cuckoo
• Common Nighthawk
• American Coot
• Black-necked Stilt
• American Avocet
• Black-bellied Plover
• Killdeer
• Semipalmated Plover
• Snowy Plover
• Upland Sandpiper
• Wilson’s Phalarope
• Red-necked Phalarope
• Spotted Sandpiper
• Stilt Sandpiper
• Baird’s Sandpiper
• White-rumped Sandpiper
• Least Sandpiper
• Pectoral Sandpiper
• Semipalmated Sandpiper
• Franklin’s Gull
• Ring-billed Gull
• Black Tern
• Forster’s Tern
• Double-crested Cormorant
• American White Pelican
• Snowy Egret
• Cattle Egret
• Great Egret
• Great Blue Heron
• Turkey Vulture
• Mississippi Kite
• Bald Eagle
• Red-tailed Hawk
• Barn Owl
• Red-headed Woodpecker
• Red-bellied Woodpecker
• Downy Woodpecker
• Northern Flicker
• American Kestrel
• Eastern Phoebe
• Say’s Phoebe
• Great-crested Flycatcher
• Western Kingbird
• Eastern Kingbird
• Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
• Bell’s Vireo
• Warbling Vireo
• Blue Jay
• Horned Lark
• Tree Swallow
• Northern Rough-winged Swallow
• Barn Swallow
• Cliff Swallow
• House Wren
• Marsh Wren
• European Starling
• Gray Catbird
• Brown Thrasher
• American Robin
• House Sparrow
• House Finch
• 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