Hi all,
My plane just arrived a couple of hours ago, and after giving my dogs a lot of hugging, I thought I would let you know the highlights of birding in the heat (107 on Sat.) of July there. Of course I had already reported the Henslow's Sparrow in the Flint Hills area. And the most common birds it seemed to me to be Upland Sandpipers, Dickcissels, Mourning Doves, Eastern Meadowlarks, Eastern Kingbirds, and all the white Egrets, everywhere!!!! Didn't see any gulls until I went to Cheyenne Bottoms, where there were Bonapartes, Franklins, and Least Terns, Black, and Forster Terns. It was so hot and smelly from dead fish, as the bottoms dry up in the summer, I went ahead to Quivera, giving up on finding the Tri-colored Heron altogether. That was the best decision I could ever have made, because I got 4 lifers in the great salt marsh in Quivera. I saw a number of semi-palmated and snowy plovers, and then saw several weird snowy, which were Piping Plover. They nest in Quivera as the White Rumped Sandpipers do also. And then I realized I was surrounded by several dozen Ibis, most of which were Glossy Ibis, which also nest there also. But the highlight had to be the gorgeous Tri-colored Heron, still in breeding plumage, right next to the levy road, and he was fanning his wings and hopping around catching little fish, it was spectacular.....They also had some early arrivals for migration, Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, and Long Billed Dowitchers. And of course there were again many Upland Sandpipers there also.
Other highlights were all the Common Nighthawks sitting in the midday sun on posts, and the Chuck-wills-widows encountered on evening drives on dirt roads, and all the Eastern Screech Owls in Wichita itself. Also heard a few Black Billed Cuckoos, but was unable to get them into view, but the Yellow Billed were almost commonplace everywhere I went.
I had hoped to get some Rails, and a Sedge Wren, but I am happy with what I did get.
Hopefully another Curlew Sandpiper will come this way or a Little Stint, other wise I found the trip worth it, and all the birds I rarely see a lot of fun to see again. Kansas is a great place to visit, but I wouldn't ever live there again!!!! Vicki Biltz Bonney Lake Wa.
vickibiltz at msn.com