Summer resident birds are the predominant group to be seen at Cheyenne Bottoms right now.  However, as is the typical pattern, the first southbound migrant shorebirds have started to show up in early July.  These early migrants will continue to trickle in over the next few weeks as fall migration starts to ramp up.  Early mornings or late evenings are the best bet to see some bird activity.

The summer resident birds that are typically abundant this time of year include: Egrets (Great, Snowy, and Cattle) and herons (Great-blue, night herons), ducks, coots, terns (Forster's and Black), Killdeer, Ibis, a few ducks, grebes (Pied-billed, Western), cormorants, and pelicans (there seems to be a good number of non-breeding pelicans that have stuck around) and songbirds.  Early migrant shorebirds include yellowlegs (Greater and Lesser), Least Sandpipers, Baird’s Sandpipers, and Semipalmated Sandpipers.

Water levels have greatly improved over the last month. KDWP has been bringing in quite a good amount of water from the inlet system.  This water has been placed in the storage pools (1a, 1b, and 1c).  The storage pools are nearly full.  This water will be held until early fall, when it will be used to flood the other public pools before the fall migration really gets going.  Currently, most of the other pools have some surface water in the low areas and canals, but are otherwise dry, which allows staff to conduct vegetation and habitat management.  There is also water available in the permanent marshes on TNC’s Preserve.

Quivira NWR water levels remain good, but water levels will probably continue to dry up some over the summer.  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
• Mallard
• Northern Pintail
• Redhead
• Lesser Scaup
• Hooded Merganser
• Ruddy Duck
• Northern Bobwhite
• Wild Turkey
• Ring-necked Pheasant
• Eurasian Collared-Dove
• Mourning Dove
• Common Nighthawk
• Common Gallinule
• American Coot
• Black-necked Stilt
• American Avocet
• Killdeer
• Snowy Plover
• Upland Sandpiper
• Spotted Sandpiper
• Lesser Yellowlegs
• Greater Yellowlegs
• Least Sandpiper
• Franklin’s Gull
• Ring-billed Gull
• Least Tern
• Black Tern
• Forster’s Tern
• Pied-billed Grebe
• Eared Grebe
• Western Grebe
• Double-crested Cormorant
• Neotropic Cormorant
• White-faced Ibis
• American Bittern
• Least Bittern
• Yellow-crowned Night Heron
• Black-crowned Night Heron
• Little Blue Heron
• Snowy Egret
• Western Cattle Egret
• Great Egret
• Great Blue Heron
• American White Pelican
• Turkey Vulture
• Bald Eagle
• Mississippi Kite
• Red-tailed Hawk
• American Barn Owl
• Great Horned Owl
• Burrowing Owl
• Barred Owl
• Belted Kingfisher
• Red-headed Woodpecker
• Northern Flicker
• American Kestrel
• Eastern Wood-Pewee
• Eastern Phoebe
• Say’s Phoebe
• Great-crested Flycatcher
• Western Kingbird
• Eastern Kingbird
• Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
• Bell’s Vireo
• Eastern Warbling Vireo
• Blue Jay
• Horned Lark
• Bank Swallow
• Tree Swallow
• Purple Martin
• Northern Rough-winged Swallow
• Barn Swallow
• Cliff Swallow
• White-breasted Nuthatch
• Northern House Wren
• European Starling
• Gray Catbird
• Brown Thrasher
• American Robin
• House Sparrow
• House Finch
• Grasshopper 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
• Northern Yellow Warbler
• Northern Cardinal
• Dickcissel