Field Trip: Central Kansas Wetlands
Join us for a multi-day central Kansas wetland birding trip! We plan to bird some of our favorite areas in two of Kansas’ best wetlands: Cheyenne Bottoms Wildlife Area and Quivira National Wildlife Refuge. As migrant numbers begin to decrease, we still anticipate several species of owls, shorebirds, waders, gulls, cranes, and wetland sparrows and wrens. We have planned several locations and times to allow attendees to pick and chose those that best fit their schedules and interests. All skill levels are welcomed! Please bring binoculars and spotting scopes. Some spare binoculars will be available if you don’t have any, and we can share scopes. If you have 2-way family radios, please bring them as well as they’re handy for communicating while we’re driving. Also, plan your own meals and bring snacks and beverages while traveling/birding. Please note this weekend involves a change from Daylight Saving Time back to Standard Time (‘Fall Back’) on Sunday, Nov 1. Your guide for the weekend will be Chris Krafft. Feel free to email questions to: chriskrafft2@gmail.com.
Important Reminders:
– Standard Time begins on Sunday, Nov 1, don’t forget to turn clocks back an hour!
– We can carpool from our meeting points, but participants will need to make transportation arrangements to and from the KC area, as well as meals/snacks and overnight accommodations.
– Water conditions at can vary year-to-year, and some anticipated birds may not be present or visible.
– The scheduled days and legs of this trip will happen rain or shine, but activities may be canceled or delayed due to severe weather. The condition of Barton and Stafford unpaved (sand and gravel) county roads can be quite poor at times, especially after precipitation. We’ll check on road and weather conditions before we embark and modify plans accordingly.
Itinerary:
Day 1 – Friday Oct 30 – Meet at Cheyenne Bottoms Headquarters and check station, (intersection of NE 60th Rd and NE 20 Ave), to search for owls. We’ll start about 6:00 p.m. and visit a nearby maintenance area in search of barn owls. Then a short drive to two nearby spots for a chance at both great horned owl and barred owl.
Day 2 – Saturday Oct 31 – Meet at the Kansas Wetlands Education Center, (592 NE K-156 Hwy) at 7:30 a.m. We’ll take the short drive to the Cheyenne bottoms east entrance and drive the loop to the other side, stopping at various locations along the way to scan and scope. We’ll look for geese, gulls, grebes, cranes, waders, shorebirds, and waterfowl. There is a bathroom along the route which we’ll stop at before mid-morning. We’ll conclude this leg at the Cheyenne Bottoms campground for lunch which also has a bathroom. Noon – 1:00 p.m. (approx) From the campground, we’ll drive to a nearby prairie dog town and scan for burrowing owls and raptors. 1:00 p.m. (approx) – We’ll return to the Kansas Wetlands Education Center, and for those who are interested, walk the nature trail. Otherwise, our day will conclude by early to mid-afternoon.
Day 3 – Sunday, Nov 1 – Meet at 7:00 a.m. at the small unpaved parking area (38.201852, -98.514717) just north of Wildlife Drive entrance at Quivira National Wildlife Refuge. Stop 1: Wildlife Drive – we anticipate seeing geese, grebes, gulls, and waterfowl. This area will provide us our best chance to see Whooping and Sandhill Cranes. Afterwards, we’ll make a pass along NE 170 Rd, and depending on water conditions may spend time looking for shorebirds. We’ll also spend time looking for marsh sparrows and wrens before continuing on to Stop 2 – Migrants Mile. Stop 2: 11:30 a.m. (approx) Lunch break and Migrants Mile. We’ll stop for lunch and explore the recently renovated 1-mile trail for passerines and scan the pond for for diving ducks and grebes.
