We have tiptoed into the beginnings of Fall bird migration.  Several species have now left the area.  New species are starting to show up, especially shorebirds.  Summer resident birds are still the predominant group to be seen at Cheyenne Bottoms right now; but more and more new arrivals are being seen.  Migration will continue to ramp up over the next couple months.  Cheyenne Bottoms does not have great shorebird habitat at the moment.  Hot, dry, windy days over the last few weeks have dried up most of the shallow water areas.  We are hoping to see some rains soon.

The summer resident birds that are typically abundant this time of year include: Egrets (Great, Snowy, and Cattle) and herons (Great-blue, Green, night herons), ducks, coots, terns (Forster's), Killdeer, Ibis, grebes (Pied-billed, Eared, Western), cormorants, and pelicans, and songbirds.  Early migrant species include ducks, and most species of shorebirds.

The storage pools remain relatively full at Cheyenne Bottoms Wildlife Area.  KDWP will begin flooding public pools with this stored water soon in preparation for migration and hunting seasons.  There is also water available in the permanent marshes on TNC’s Preserve.

Quivira NWR water levels remain good, but hot, dry weather has reduced the water levels there too.  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:

• Canada Goose
• Wood Duck
• Blue-winged Teal
• Cinnamon Teal
• Norther Shoveler
• Gadwall
• American Wigeon
• Mallard
• Northern Pintail
• Green-winged Teal
• Canvasback
• Redhead
• Ring-necked Duck
• Lesser Scaup
• Ruddy Duck
• Northern Bobwhite
• Wild Turkey
• Greater Prairie-chicken
• Ring-necked Pheasant
• Rock Pigeon
• Eurasian Collared-Dove
• White-winged Dove
• Mourning Dove
• Yellow-billed Cuckoo
• Common Nighthawk
• Chimney Swift
• American Coot
• Black-necked Stilt
• American Avocet
• Killdeer
• Semipalmated Plover
• Upland Sandpiper
• Marbled Godwit
• Short-billed Dowitcher
• Long-billed Dowitcher
• 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
• Franklin’s Gull
• Ring-billed Gull
• Least Tern
• Black Tern
• Forster’s Tern
• Pied-billed Grebe
• Eared Grebe
• Western Grebe
• Double-crested Cormorant
• Glossy Ibis
• 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
• Cooper’s Hawk
• Northern Harrier
• Bald Eagle
• Mississippi Kite
• Red-tailed Hawk
• American Barn Owl
• Burrowing Owl
• Barred Owl
• Red-headed Woodpecker
• Northern Flicker
• American Kestrel
• Peregrine Falcon
• Say’s Phoebe
• Western Kingbird
• Eastern Kingbird
• Blue Jay
• Horned Lark
• Bank Swallow
• Tree Swallow
• Northern Rough-winged Swallow
• Barn Swallow
• Cliff Swallow
• Northern House Wren
• European Starling
• Brown Thrasher
• American Robin
• House Sparrow
• House Finch
• American Goldfinch
• Grasshopper 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
• Northern Cardinal
• Dickcissel