Spring bird migration continues, but we appear to be on the downswing of it.  Despite the limited water at Cheyenne Bottoms, as a result of the prolonged drought, birdwatching has been fair.  Cheyenne Bottoms does not have an abundance of quality shorebird habitat, so we have not seen great abundances of most shorebird species; however, birdwatchers have been able to find a good diversity of species present.

Duck diversity and numbers have decreased and will continue to.  Shorebird numbers will probably steadily decline as we get closer to June.  Wading bird numbers are good and many of these species will persist through the summer, assuming we keep some water in the wetlands.  Songbird migrants also have steadily moved in, and summer residents will continue to increase.

Water levels in Cheyenne Bottoms have not changed much over the last month.  We had a couple rain events recently, but water is still limited in most areas of Cheyenne Bottoms.  The water situation at Cheyenne Bottoms looks like this currently: Pool 1a and Pool 3a are the only pools of the Wildlife Area holding significant water.  Most other pools are dry or may have limited, isolated puddles and sheet water.  Semi-permanent basins of TNC’s Cheyenne Bottoms Preserve are holding some water.

Quivira NWR will have similar conditions.  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 of birds that have been reported over the last couple weeks:

• Snow Goose
• Canada Goose
• Wood Duck
• Blue-winged Teal
• Cinnamon Teal
• Norther Shoveler
• Gadwall
• American Wigeon
• Mallard
• Northern Pintail
• Green-winged Teal
• Redhead
• Ring-necked Duck
• Lesser Scaup
• Ruddy Duck
• Northern Bobwhite
• Wild Turkey
• Ring-necked Pheasant
• Eurasian Collared-Dove
• Mourning Dove
• Yellow-billed Cuckoo
• Chimney Swift
• Virginia Rail
• Sora
• American Coot
• Black-necked Stilt
• American Avocet
• Black-bellied Plover
• American Golden-plover
• Killdeer
• Semipalmated Plover
• Snowy Plover
• Upland Sandpiper
• Hudsonian Godwit
• Marbled Godwit
• Short-billed Dowitcher
• Long-billed Dowitcher
• Wilson’s Snipe
• Wilson’s Phalarope
• Spotted Sandpiper
• Solitary Sandpiper
• Lesser Yellowlegs
• Willet
• Greater Yellowlegs
• Stilt Sandpiper
• Baird’s Sandpiper
• White-rumped Sandpiper
• Least Sandpiper
• Pectoral Sandpiper
• Western Sandpiper
• Semipalmated Sandpiper
• Bonaparte’s Gull
• Franklin’s Gull
• Ring-billed Gull
• American Herring Gull
• Black Tern
• Forster’s Tern
• Pied-billed Grebe
• Eared Grebe
• Double-crested Cormorant
• Glossy Ibis
• White-faced Ibis
• American Bittern
• Black-crowned Night Heron
• Snowy Egret
• Green Heron
• Western Cattle Egret
• Great Egret
• Great Blue Heron
• American White Pelican
• Turkey Vulture
• Cooper’s Hawk
• Northern Harrier
• Bald Eagle
• Red-tailed Hawk
• American Barn Owl
• Great Horned Owl
• Burrowing Owl
• Red-headed Woodpecker
• Red-bellied Woodpecker
• Downy Woodpecker
• Hairy Woodpecker
• Northern Flicker
• American Kestrel
• Peregrine Falcon
• Eastern Phoebe
• Say’s Phoebe
• Great-crested Flycatcher
• Western Kingbird
• Eastern Kingbird
• Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
• Bell’s Vireo
• Loggerhead Shrike
• Blue Jay
• American Crow
• Horned Lark
• Bank Swallow
• Tree Swallow
• Purple Martin
• Northern Rough-winged Swallow
• Barn Swallow
• Cliff Swallow
• Northern House Wren
• Carolina Wren
• European Starling
• Gray Catbird
• Brown Thrasher
• Northern Mockingbird
• Swainson’s Thrush
• American Robin
• House Sparrow
• Grasshopper Sparrow
• Lark Sparrow
• White-crowned Sparrow
• Harris’s Sparrow
• Vesper Sparrow
• Savannah Sparrow
• Song Sparrow
• Spotted Towhee
• Yellow-headed Blackbird
• Western Meadowlark
• Eastern Meadowlark
• Orchard Oriole
• Baltimore Oriole
• Red-winged Blackbird
• Brown-headed Cowbird
• Brewer’s Blackbird
• Common Grackle
• Great-tailed Grackle
• Orange-crowned Warbler
• Common Yellowthroat
• Yellow Warbler
• Northern Cardinal
• Dickcissel