CHEYENNE BOTTOMS — I will never forget my first experience with a pheasant in Kansas. I was nervous, my voice sounding like a pre-pubescent teenager as it cracked and cut out during conversation. I was already on edge riding back from my interview for the Educator position at the Kansas Wetlands Education Center with my future boss, Curtis Wolf. Was I doing OK? Did I seem like a good fit? Random thoughts were going through my head when smack! The sound was piercing and abrupt. What in the world did we run into? I reluctantly peered forward to see a large, ring-necked pheasant bouncing off the front windshield. Luckily no damage was incurred, but my first encounter with Kansas wildlife is one I will never forget.

The pheasant, like many of our ancestors, is an immigrant to North America. In fact, pheasants are so common in Kansas that most people are shocked when they hear they are non-native and were actually introduced to America. They were reserved for wealthy individuals in Europe due to their natural beauty and delicious taste, and it did not take long before upper class Americans, including George Washington, desired them as well. Attempts to introduce them here in America failed though since the birds being introduced were raised on farms and were not hardy enough to survive the new environment. However, the US eventually had a successful introduction in Oregon in 1881.

Today, millions of pheasants roam the Great Plains on the prairies, grasslands, fields, and fence rows. Pheasants, despite being breathtakingly beautiful and tasting delicious, are sometimes not the best thing for native species of birds. Pheasants are known for parasitizing nests, in other words laying their own eggs in the nests of other birds, especially grassland birds. Some studies are even suggesting that they play a factor in the decline of prairie chickens. Pheasants also reproduce quickly. Only 26 birds were released as part of the first successful introduction, and over 50,000 had been harvested in Oregon just 11 years later, showing a prime example of how fast they can reproduce. Despite these few negative affects, pheasants have created a lot of good for grassland bird species as well. Conservation work done by great groups such as Pheasants Forever has created important habitat for not only pheasants, but for many native grassland bird species too. The saving of important grassland habitats negates any negatives they may have on other species in my opinion, especially since habitats are disappearing at such an alarming rate.

If you know a pheasant hunter around Barton County, you have probably heard about the disappointing numbers this year. So why are pheasants declining this year if they reproduce so quickly? Dr. Witt and I saw baby pheasants everywhere at the Bottoms. It seemed like we saw babies every time we were out, and adult pheasants could be seen looking both ways on the dike roads before escorting their kids across, thereby avoiding situations like my first pheasant experience. So what happened to cause such a large decline?

First off, Kansas experienced an extreme drought that caused unfavorable conditions all across the state. A lack of rain is a problem for young pheasants because it means a reduction in insects. While adults will eat seeds and leaves in addition to insects, young birds rely almost entirely on insects as their primary food source. The wheat crop was poor this year as well, creating early harvest dates and less cover, as well as less nest concealment. Early harvests means farmers are in the fields earlier in the year when offspring and young, and run-ins between farm equipment and young birds does not yield great results. These factors, in addition to hailstorms last year, caused a dramatic decrease in pheasants, and have had a discouraging outcome for hunters traveling great distances to harvest pheasants in Kansas.

All in all, pheasants create some great photo opportunities and are always fun to watch at the Bottoms. So grab your camera and head out to the Bottoms to enjoy one of the most beautiful birds around.