In terms of visiting our local wetlands, we are probably entering the “worst” time of year to visit Cheyenne Bottoms. Granted, “worst” is a relative term. Is there really a bad time to visit Cheyenne Bottoms? No, but after the excitement of spring migration, we have now entered our June Gloom.
Typically, at this time of year, bird migration is complete. Birds that are migrating north to their breeding grounds have left our area. Most of the birds that are currently in the area are summer residents and are on nests or tending their young. Moreover, the heat of the summer limits most bird watching activity to the early mornings and late evenings.
I cringe during the mid-afternoons when out-of-state visitors stop at the Kansas Wetlands Education Center in June eager to take a guided van tours of Cheyenne Bottoms. I regretfully must admit to them that the heat of the day is not exactly the best time to see many birds. Most visitors are understanding, and often they still gladly take a tour focused on the Cheyenne Bottoms landscape, history, and management.
While abundant spring rains were welcomed this year, deep water depths prevented expansive mudflats that are typical in April and May, and serve the preferred habitats for most migrating shorebirds. While large numbers of shorebirds have been relatively hard to come by, they still came through. How did we know?
Robert Penner, Avian Programs and Cheyenne Bottoms Preserve Manager for the Nature Conservancy, is responsible for conducting International Shorebird Surveys (ISS) at Cheyenne Bottoms each year. Starting in March, Robert follows a set route through the wetlands and identifies and counts all shorebirds he can find. Surveys are conducted approximately every 10 days until June 15. It is generally accepted that visiting shorebirds will stay no longer than 10 days, so each sampling period should represent a different group of individuals visiting Cheyenne Bottoms.
ISS are conducted by scientists at over 1,200 locations across the U.S. and Central and South America. Surveys, such as the ISS, are important tools to build our understanding about shorebird migration, monitor population trends, and assess shorebird management initiatives.
Even in years like this spring, which did not seem to be the best migration year, I am always quite surprised at the numbers of shorebirds documented during the ISS. During the 10 surveys conducted this spring at Cheyenne Bottoms, Robert documented over 9,300 individual birds of 23 different species of shorebirds. Like clockwork, the peak of shorebirds at Cheyenne Bottoms was on May 3, with nearly 6,000 individuals reported of 15 species. The final ISS of the season on June 15, showed us evidence that migration season is about done, with only 80 individuals of 3 species present in the survey.
Thankfully, the gloom of the end of spring migration is short lived. Fall migration is right around the corner, as some of the early returning shorebirds will return to Cheyenne Bottoms by mid-July, and by mid-August, fall migration is in full swing again.
Bird migration is an awesome phenomenon. We are proud to be a small blip on thousands of birds’ migration itinerary. Take advantage of being a part of this incredible event by planning a trip to Cheyenne Bottoms; just don’t let June Gloom get you down!