And just like that, we are in the midst of Fall bird migration at Cheyenne Bottoms.  Fall migrants are showing up and will continue to move through the area over the next few months.  Early migrants at Cheyenne Bottoms include a diversity of sandpipers and plovers, as well as ducks.  While Cheyenne Bottoms does not have an abundance of shorebird habitat, they can be found in shallow water areas and along shorelines.  Also commonly seen right now are egrets, herons, ibis, avocets, stilts, grebes, coots, cormorants, pelicans, and gulls.

Early teal hunting season begins in Kansas on Saturday, Sept. 13-21.  We are expecting a busy hunting season at Cheyenne Bottoms this year with a return of water available for hunting opportunities.  Good numbers of teal have already shown up.  There are also a good number of big ducks in the area already with Mallards, Gadwall, Northern Shovelers, and Redheads all being quite numerous.  Waterfowl and water level reports are updated weekly at https://ksoutdoors.gov/KDWP-Info/Locations/Wildlife-Areas/Public-Wildlife-Areas-in-Southwest-Kansas/Cheyenne-Bottoms

KDWP used stored water to flood several of the public hunting pools recently on Cheyenne Bottoms Wildlife Area.  Thanks to recent rains, there is still some water in the storage pools, which will be used to keep pools filled throughout the fall and winter. Currently, water levels are as follows: Pool 1A: 33”, Pool 1B: 30”, Pool 1C: 30”, Pool 2: isolated shallow water pools, Pool 3a: 15”, Pool 3B: Dry, Pool 4A: 10” with water being added, Pool 4B: 18”, Pool 5: Dry.  There is also water available in the permanent marshes on TNC’s Preserve.

Quivira NWR water levels are good, and there is available water and birds in most areas.   Check out http://fws.gov/refuge/Quivira or call the Quivira NWR Headquarters at 620-410-4011 for updated conditions.  There are some refuge roads currently closed due to repairs being made.

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:

• Canada Goose
• Wood Duck
• Blue-winged Teal
• Cinnamon Teal
• Norther Shoveler
• Gadwall
• American Wigeon
• Mallard
• Northern Pintail
• Green-winged Teal
• Redhead
• Ruddy Duck
• Northern Bobwhite
• Wild Turkey
• Ring-necked Pheasant
• Eurasian Collared-Dove
• Mourning Dove
• Common Nighthawk
• Sora
• Common Gallinule
• American Coot
• Black-necked Stilt
• American Avocet
• Black-bellied Plover
• Killdeer
• Semipalmated Plover
• Upland Sandpiper
• Marbled Godwit
• Long-billed Dowitcher
• Wilson’s Snipe
• Wilson’s Phalarope
• Spotted Sandpiper
• Solitary Sandpiper
• Lesser Yellowlegs
• Willet
• Greater Yellowlegs
• Stilt Sandpiper
• Sanderling
• Baird’s Sandpiper
• Least Sandpiper
• Pectoral Sandpiper
• Western Sandpiper
• Semipalmated Sandpiper
• Laughing Gull
• Franklin’s Gull
• Ring-billed Gull
• Least Tern
• Black Tern
• Forster’s Tern
• Pied-billed Grebe
• Western Grebe
• Double-crested Cormorant
• Neotropical Cormorant
• White-faced Ibis
• American Bittern
• Yellow-crowned Night Heron
• Black-crowned Night Heron
• Little Blue Heron
• Snowy Egret
• Green Heron
• Western Cattle Egret
• Great Egret
• Great Blue Heron
• American White Pelican
• Turkey Vulture
• Osprey
• Northern Harrier
• Bald Eagle
• Mississippi Kite
• Red-tailed Hawk
• American Barn Owl
• Great Horned Owl
• Burrowing Owl
• Belted Kingfisher
• Red-headed Woodpecker
• Downy Woodpecker
• Northern Flicker
• American Kestrel
• Peregrine Falcon
• Eastern Phoebe
• Eastern Kingbird
• Bell’s Vireo
• Warbling Vireo
• Blue Jay
• American Crow
• Horned Lark
• Bank Swallow
• Tree Swallow
• Barn Swallow
• Cliff Swallow
• Marsh Wren
• European Starling
• Northern Mockingbird
• American Robin
• House Sparrow
• House Finch
• American Goldfinch
• Lark Sparrow
• Yellow-headed Blackbird
• Western Meadowlark
• Eastern Meadowlark
• Baltimore Oriole
• Red-winged Blackbird
• Brown-headed Cowbird
• Common Grackle
• Great-tailed Grackle
• Common Yellowthroat
• Yellow Warbler
• Wilson’s Warbler
• Northern Cardinal
• Dickcissel