Like usual, it was a busy fall of birdwatching at Cheyenne Bottoms. A few birds have stuck around the wetlands just northeast of Great Bend.
Whooping Cranes called Pool 4A home for over a month and a snowy owl was spotted this past Tuesday.
From the Kansas Wetlands Education Center...
Snowy Owls are the largest (by weight) North American owl. Their range is typically north up into Canada and the Arctic Circle. Occasionally, they will have an irruptive migration, coming down south in large numbers.
Unlike other owls, Snowy Owls are diurnal - hunting during the day. They are used to continuous daylight of an Arctic summer after all. One snowy owl could eat up to 1,600 lemmings in a single year.
If you are lucky enough to observe either the Snowy Owls or Whooping Cranes, be sure to keep your distance. They have high energy demands right now and don't want to expend their energy escaping human interaction.