By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
Cheyenne Bottoms is an ever-changing ecosystem. Last summer, the wetlands in Barton County endured one of the driest summers in decades. That gave way to rain and snow in January. Wildlife Manager Jason Wagner said staff is now moving water from the smaller pools into larger ones ahead of warmer weather.
"We want that water to be consolidated as much as possible to make it go as far as possible," he said. "On these windy and warm days, that shallow water can go pretty quickly."
The Walnut Creek has been of little help, offering no more than two cubic feet of water per second. The ground, however, may make burning off targeted areas of the Bottoms difficult for the time being.
"That moisture we had and the snow melted down, it definitely saturated a lot of ground," Wagner said. "We were out (Tuesday) and I was surprised how much water was sitting in that stuff."
With temperatures into the 70s this week, Wagner said the spring migration is already underway. A few swans have been spotted in the pools, as have sandhill cranes and killdeer.
"Spring migration is progression pretty quickly, especially on the ducks and geese," said Wagner. "The geese moved out pretty quickly. There's nothing really to hold them back into the area. We still have tons and tons of ducks. If you want to come out and view some ducks, right now is a prime viewing opportunity."
Wagner said pintails, widgeons, and green-wing teal are all in prime breeding plumage. Whooping cranes may be making stops at the Bottoms or Quivira National Wildlife Refuge in Stafford County in the next few weeks.