It is safe to say that Spring bird migration has begun! After a stretch of very cold and wintery weather, the area has warmed up and thawed out quickly and the early bird migrants have responded. Sandhill cranes, Snow Geese, and waterfowl have started infiltrating the area quite dramatically, and should continue to do so over the next few weeks. Other winter resident birds are still very numerous as well, including good numbers of raptors, sparrows, and other winter songbirds. Other early spring migrant songbirds will also start showing up soon. If you are interested in seeing the average first date of arrival for spring migrants to Cheyenne Bottoms, check the phenology chart at https://ksoutdoors.com/KDWP-Info/Locations/Wildlife-Areas/Southwest/Cheyenne-Bottoms and click on the “Interesting Facts” button on the right side of the page. We doubt that winter is over for the area, but spring days are near and spring bird migration will start to ramp up over the coming weeks. This is the start of a really exciting time of year for bird watchers.
Water levels: The rain received last fall, and the several snow events that the area has received this winter has helped the water situation some, but the wetlands of Cheyenne Bottoms are still quite limited in available water. We hope for good spring rains now that the soils are relatively saturated to produce some runoff that will fill the wetlands. Pool 1a and Pool 3a at Cheyenne Bottoms Wildlife Area are the only pools holding reliable water. Most other pools may have some isolated puddles or sheet water, but are relatively dry.
Access: The best birding at Cheyenne Bottoms is done from a vehicle. The vehicle allows you to cover more ground and move to where the birds are, but also provides you with a blind. With snow and rains, the roads may be a little rough but should be passable. Stay on the roads and don’t get too far off the sides of the road, as the shoulders can be a little soft.
WILD: Central Flyway
Cheyenne Bottoms is located on the Central Flyway, a bird migration route that connects Canada to South America. 70% of all the different shorebird species in North American have been recorded at Cheyenne Bottoms; late April is prime time to view the birds using the wetlands for rest and fuel.
Two guided birding tours around Cheyenne Bottoms will be offered on April 21 to see this migration in person. The van will seat 11 birdwatchers, extra vehicles can caravan behind the bird van and will stop at several locations to view wildlife.
2-3 p.m.: Flyways, a Nature episode that previously aired on PBS, in our auditorium will be shown. This documentary follows the shorebirds that fly thousands of miles each year along flyways. More than 200 species, such as Long-billed Curlews, Lesser Yellowlegs, Red Knots, and Hudsonian Godwits, travel from feeding grounds in the southern hemisphere to breeding grounds in the Arctic and back again, flying up to nine days non-stop without food or water. But their populations are crashing amidst climate change and urban development. Follow a conservation movement of bird-loving experts and citizen scientists as they mobilize to the challenge of understanding and saving shorebirds.
Many of the birds featured in the documentary could be spotted at Cheyenne Bottoms on April 21.
2-3 p.m.: As the 53-minute documentary may be too long for young audiences, this tour will be designed for families with young children with a stop at the observation tower. Learn to use binoculars, ID different birds, look for aquatic invertebrates, and play a migration game.
3-4 p.m.: Those that enjoyed the Flyways documentary will go on a birding tour around Cheyenne Bottoms.
This is a free program. No registration is required. For questions, call 877-243-9268 or wetlandscenter.fhsu.edu.
