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March 2009 Cheyenne Bottoms update by Rob Penner. I am lucky enough to be able to drive through the Cheyenne Bottoms Wildlife Area and the TNC preserve on my way to and from work every day. I decided today was a good day to take note of the variety of birds I saw during my drive. This is not one of my formal surveys that I do on a regular basis, but just a easy going enjoy the birdstype of list. So forgive my questionable population estimates on some of the species.

Snow, Ross's, White-Fronted & Canada Geese---thousands and thousands

Thousands and many more ducks. The males are very handsome this time of year! species included: Mallard, Gadwall, Northern Pintail, Green-winged & Blue-winged Teal, Northern Shoveler, American Wigeon, Wood Duck, Ring-necked Duck, Redhead, Canvasback, Lesser Scaup, Common Goldeneye, Bufflehead, Ruddy Duck, Hooded Merganser and Common Merganser.

Eared Grebes, a Pied-billed Grebe, a Double-crested Cormorant and Great Blue Herons.

Hundreds of American White Pelicans

Sharp-shinned and Cooper's Hawk, a Rough-legged Hawk and Red-tailed Hawks, one Bald Eagle. Large numbers of Northern Harriers, with over 30 spotted in just one field. Prairie Falcon and American Kestrels.

Buches of Ring-necked Pheasants. Sandhill Cranes in the fields and flying over. Hundred's of American Coots.

Killdeers and a few Greater Yellowlegs. Ring-billed Gulls, Mourning Doves, Barn Owls and a Great Horned Owl.

Northern Flickers, a Hairy and Downy Woodpecker and a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. Horned Larks, Blue Jay, American Crow, White-breasted Nuthatch, Carolina Wren, American Robins and Eastern Bluebirds. A

Loggerheaded Shrike, lots of European Starlings, Eastern Meadowlarks and loads of Western Meadowlarks.

Gangs of Red-winged Blackbirds and a few Common Grackles and Brown-headed Cowbirds. Northern Cardinals, a couple of Savannah Sparrows. Dark-eyed Juncos, hordes of American Tree Sparrows, White-crowned Sparrows, Harris's Sparrows, Song Sparrows, American Goldfinches, Houde Finches and of course HouseSparrows.

Its a good time to visit the marshes of Kansas

March 2007 Cheyenne Bottoms update by Rob Penner. Good Water levels have returned to Cheyenne Bottoms. The wetlands on the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks property are nearly 100% full while the wetlands on the Nature Conservancy's property is about 75% full. With these conditions the waterfowl numbers have responded. On February 26 the Naturel Conservancy staff estimated 100,000 geese and 75,000 duckks on the Conservancy's preserve Number on the Dept. of Wildlife & parks property had to be at least three times this number. Although a lot of the geese have moved north there still remains large number of geese and waterfowl on both properties. Almost every species of duck that is known to stop at the "Bottoms" during spring migration has been seen in the wetlands during the last couple of weeks. Sand hill cranes continue to fly over head o their journey north and I soptted my first Killdeer of the year on February 22nd. The first of the shorebirds should be arriving in the next couple of weeks.

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