128 Species of Birds in Willow Spring Open Space!

There are a lot of different species of birds in Willow Spring Open Space, some of which are there year round and some are more seasonal.

Since the open space has both Plains Grassland and Lowland Riparian Ecosystems, it has a wide variety of plants providing shelter and food, along with a reliable source of water, and so draws many species of birds.  Also, it is surrounded by a suburban area, so birds that thrive there can also be seen in the Open Space.

In the past 5 years, 128 species of birds have been identified in the open space as listed on the eBird app (more info below)!

Birds in Willow Spring Open Space year-round (17 species)

The bird species on this list is based on information obtained from the eBird website.

• Water birds:
  • Mallard
• Birds of Prey
  • Red-tailed Hawk
  • American Kestrel
  • Great-Horned Owl
• Perching Birds (referred to as Passerine)
  • Eurasian Collared-Dove
  • Blue Jay
  • Black-billed Magpie
  • American Crow
  • Black-Capped Chickadee
  • European Starling
  • American Robin
  • House Finch
  • American Goldfinch
  • Song Sparrow
  • Spotted Towhee
  • Red-winged Blackbird
• Non-Perching Birds
  • Downy woodpecker
  • Northern Flicker

eBird App – a great source of information

A great app for information on birds in the Willow Spring Open Space is eBird.  The website is https://ebird.org. It is sponsored by The Cornell Lab of Ornithology, which is free, although the Lab requests support though donations and memberships. 

From their website, here are some benefits of this app:

• Find more birds
• Keep track of your bird lists, photos, and sounds
• Explore latest sightings from around the world
• Join the world’s largest birding community 
• Contribute to science and conservation

Within that app, Willow Spring Open Space is a “hotspot” so lists of birds that have been identified there can be obtained.

In the app, Click on Explore, and then click Search Hotspots in this Area and select Willow Spring Open Space.  You can also explore species to see pictures and hear sounds of the birds.

More great apps that I use as a resource and highly recommend:

• Merlin Bird ID – good for beginners, as it allows you to take pictures for bird identification or walks through steps such as size and colors to identify birds you have seen.  It is also provided by The Cornell Lab of Ornithology, so birds that are identified on that app can be added to your personal eBird statistics.
• Audubon has a wonderful free field guide of pictures and extensive information on each bird.

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References and Further Reading

• Wild About Rocky Mountain Birds: A Youth’s Guide to the Rocky Mountain States, by Adele Porter, 2012
• Peterson First Guide to Birds of North America, by Roger Tory Peterson, 1986
• The Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Western North America: Second Edition, by David Allen Sibley, 2016
• National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America: Seventh Edition, by Jon L. Dunn and Jonathan Alderfer, 2017
• Great Courses, The National Geographic Guide to Birding in North America, Course 7782, James Currie