The Spring bird migration seems to be nearly over.  It was a great season for bird watching at Cheyenne Bottoms.  Typically, by June, bird activity in the wetlands slows down, as most of the migrants have made their way through and many of the summer resident birds are on nests or tending to young.  However, there can still be some great views of birds and other wildlife in the heat of the summer.  We suggest early mornings and late evenings.

The summer resident birds that are typically abundant this time of year include: egrets, herons, a few ducks, grebes, coots, terns, Killdeer, Upland Sandpipers, ibis, stilts, avocets, cormorants, pelicans, and songbirds.

Water is not overly abundant at Cheyenne Bottoms, but we are grateful for what there is.  A few recent rains have provided some additional water, and we are hopeful rains continue through the summer months.  Most pools have at least some isolated pools of water in the dugout channels.  The storage pools, 1a, 1b, 1c have the most water.  Pools 2 and 3a have some isolated pools at this time.  Other pools may have a little water in low spots and dug out channels.  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:

• Snow Goose
• Canada Goose
• Wood Duck
• Blue-winged Teal
• Norther Shoveler
• Gadwall
• American Wigeon
• Mallard
• Northern Pintail
• Green-winged Teal
• Redhead
• Lesser Scaup
• Hooded Merganser
• Ruddy Duck
• Northern Bobwhite
• Wild Turkey
• Ring-necked Pheasant
• Eurasian Collared-Dove
• Mourning Dove
• Common Nighthawk
• Virginia Rail
• Sora
• Common Gallinule
• American Coot
• Black-necked Stilt
• American Avocet
• Killdeer
• Upland Sandpiper
• Long-billed Dowitcher
• Wilson’s Phalarope
• Spotted Sandpiper
• Stilt Sandpiper
• Sanderling
• White-rumped 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
• Glossy Ibis
• White-faced Ibis
• American Bittern
• Least Bittern
• Yelow-crowned Night Heron
• Black-crowned Night Heron
• Snowy Egret
• Western Cattle Egret
• Great Egret
• Great Blue Heron
• American White Pelican
• Turkey Vulture
• Bald Eagle
• Mississippi Kite
• Swainson’s Hawk
• Red-tailed Hawk
• American Barn Owl
• Burrowing Owl
• Barred Owl
• Red-headed Woodpecker
• Red-bellied Woodpecker
• Downy Woodpecker
• Northern Flicker
• Eastern Phoebe
• Say’s Phoebe
• Great-crested Flycatcher
• Western Kingbird
• Eastern Kingbird
• Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
• Bell’s Vireo
• Eastern Warbling Vireo
• Blue Jay
• American Crow
• Tufted Titmouse
• Horned Lark
• Bank Swallow
• Tree Swallow
• Northern Rough-winged Swallow
• Barn Swallow
• Cliff Swallow
• Northern House Wren
• European Starling
• Gray Catbird
• 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 Yellow Warbler
• Northern Cardinal
• Dickcissel