Joe B. Barnes Park

by Jimmy Woodard

8700 E. Reno, Midwest City
35.4640389, -97.37210570000002

I would say the best birding area is along the trail from about a ¼ mile south of Reno down to the far south end at SE15th. There are a few side trails off the main paved trail where you can get into some thicker brush and cover habitat. The south end only has trails along the west side of the creek except for the ball fields area which aren’t birdy. The north section (Reno to NE 10th) has paved trails on both sides of the creek. The north end doesn’t have a lot of undergrowth or cover but some of the homes backing up to the park do. The north end has more tall trees and perhaps more large nesters like Crows and Red-shouldered Hawks. I think Yellow-crowned Night Herons nest somewhere close by to as I see them more often at the north end but sometimes along the creek at the south section, too.hotspot-joebbarnes

My list of 110 species (below) doesn’t have much waterfowl but consists of the usual run of woodland birds. Mississippi Kites are common in breeding season. White-wing Doves are regular in the park, usually the north end. Woodpeckers are not plentiful but several species can be found. The normal range of flycatchers abound in the park. Red-eyed and Warbling Vireos are common. Fish Crows are around almost all year and may nest nearby.

Surprisingly, I’ve had 14 species of warblers in the park including Louisiana Waterthrush(nester), Tennessee, Nashville, Mourning, Common Yellowthroat, American Redstart, Magnolia, and Black-throated Green to name a few. A constant vigil during migration might yield a few other surprises. Other migrants like egrets, Harrier, Broad-winged Hawk, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Acadian Flycatcher, Blue-headed Vireo, swallows, Catbird, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Blue Grosbeak, and Painted Bunting should be watched for but not expected every year. My winter birding here is limited but the park should be checked for things like sapsuckers, wrens, Cedar Waxwings, sparrows and siskins.

Canada Goose Western Kingbird Yellow-rumped Warbler
Wood Duck Eastern Kingbird Black-throated Green Warbler
Mallard Scissor-tailed Flycatcher Wilson’s Warbler
Great Blue Heron White-eyed Vireo Chipping Sparrow
Little Blue Heron Blue-headed Vireo Clay-colored Sparrow
Cattle Egret Warbling Vireo Field Sparrow
Black-crowned Night-Heron Red-eyed Vireo Lark Sparrow
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron Blue Jay Dark-eyed Junco
Turkey Vulture American Crow White-crowned Sparrow
Mississippi Kite Fish Crow Harris’s Sparrow
Northern Harrier Barn Swallow White-throated Sparrow
Cooper’s Hawk Cliff Swallow Lincoln’s Sparrow
Red-shouldered Hawk Carolina Chickadee Spotted Towhee
Broad-winged Hawk Tufted Titmouse Summer Tanager
Swainson’s Hawk White-breasted Nuthatch Northern Cardinal
Red-tailed Hawk House Wren Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Killdeer Carolina Wren Blue Grosbeak
Upland Sandpiper Bewick’s Wren Indigo Bunting
Franklin’s Gull Blue-gray Gnatcher Painted Bunting
Rock Pigeon Ruby-crowned Kinglet Dickcissel
Eurasian Collared-Dove Eastern Bluebird Red-winged Blackbird
White-winged Dove Swainson’s Thrush Eastern Meadowlark
Mourning Dove American Robin Common Grackle
Yellow-billed Cuckoo Gray Catbird Great-tailed Grackle
Chimney Swift Brown Thrasher Brown-headed Cowbird
Ruby-throated Hummingbird Northern Mockingbird Orchard Oriole
Belted Kingfisher European Starling Baltimore Oriole
Red-headed Woodpecker Cedar Waxwing House Finch
Red-bellied Woodpecker Louisiana Waterthrush Pine Siskin
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Black-and-White Warbler American Goldfinch
Downy Woodpecker Tennessee Warbler House Sparrow
Hairy Woodpecker Orange-crowned Warbler  
Northern Flicker Nashville Warbler  
Eastern Wood-Pewee Mourning Warbler  
Acadian Flycatcher Common Yellowthroat  
Willow Flycatcher American Redstart  
Least Flycatcher Northern Parula  
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher Magnolia Warbler  
Great Crested Flycatcher Yellow Warbler