I have seen one picture of a Whooping Crane traveling through with a group of Sandhill Cranes. They are on their way to the North Platte with the thousands of other Sandhills. It is an amazing sight! 

Killdeer are here and starting to look for mates. They are impromptu nesters—Pat Cale had one sitting on eggs in the yard of his equipment storage site. It was in a completely unprotected area and the sun was blazing hot. She was perched on those eggs like a Queen and panting rapidly. It is amazing how quickly those tiny birds scatter and hide after hatching. They are barely out of the shell and they take off. I think the parent gathers the chicks for a minute, and then these chicks think they own the world and just scatter everywhere. If you are familiar with Killdeer, you have seen the parents fake a broken wing if you get too close to the chicks. These chicks are incorrigible and don’t mind their parents or hide effectively at all. I’m sure all their parents have grey hairs from anxiety and stress.

There are no shorebirds to be seen yet. They should be here any day. The ducks are starting their mating processes, and we have had some exquisite visitors. I found four or five pairs of Cinnamon Teal in Pool One at the south end. The Northern Shovelers are so pretty. The local goose community is starting its mating processes. There are still some sick Snow Geese around (avian flu), but the Snows are mostly gone. I haven’t seen a speck for a couple of weeks.

I have seen several Buffleheads and Scaup. There are a few Northern Pintails here—mostly sitting with the fat grumpy Mallards and Blue Wing teal. There have been a few Canvasbacks and Redheads. The ducks are so pretty! They are always up to something—or sitting in a safe spot with their head over their back or under their wing to take a nap. Never forget that resting and feeding are the prime duties of the Cheyenne Bottoms. I hope we keep enough water to have a beautiful spring migration. I haven’t seen any Ruddy Ducks yet—that blue bill is just spectacular! Coots and Grebes are here—as are the ever-present Great Blue Herons. There are also a few Ring-billed gulls cutting hunks out of the air.

The Ducks Unlimited banquet was very nice—Kim, Gene, and Curtis, and all the volunteers did such a good job. Sheriff Belinder is a big mouth and can surely talk fast. We are grateful for his auctioneering skills. He is always good to do that job for us. 

As you can tell, I didn’t have many visible birds this time, so I have tried to mention some of the all-stars of the migration and the marsh. It will only get better as the season progresses. Hope the wind doesn’t take everyone to Nebraska!

Doc

Doctor Dan Witt is a retired physician and nature enthusiast. He can be reached at danwitt01@gmail.com.