Haikey Creek Park
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This large county park (150 acres) at 121 St. S and Garnett Rd, is an excellent place to find many woodland and thicket birds. In the northwestern corner of the park the thorny undergrowth provides excellent habitat for wintering sparrows and juncos. Song, White-throated and White-crowned, Fox, and Harris's sparrows are found here regularly in fall and winter. Wrens also find this area attractive. In spring the Catbird and Brown Thrasher nest here. The many large pecan trees in the picnic area attract good numbers of Red-headed and Red-bellied woodpeckers and Northern Flickers. White-breasted Nuthatches nest and Brown Creepers are found in winter. Birds common in the park in summer include Eastern Wood-Pewees, Great Crested Flycatchers, Northern and Orchard orioles, Indigo Buntings, and Carolina Wrens. A small number of Eastern Bluebirds can be found all year. The eastern side of the park is heavily wooded, with a good walking trail. An abundance of migrating warblers, wrens, and Swainson's Thrushes come to the area in spring. Barred Owls and Pileated Woodpeckers nest in the park. In winter Ruby-crowned and Golden-crowned kinglets, the Purple Finch, and occasionally a Rufous-sided Towhee are found along the trail. South of the park 2 or 3 miles are the Bixby sod farms which are periodically irrigated or flooded by over-night rains, bringing down great numbers of shorebirds in spring and fall migration. Notable species are Blackbellied Plover, Whimbrel, Hudsonian and Marbled godwits, Sanderlings, Dunlin, phalaropes, peeps, and occasionally large numbers of Buff-breasted Sandpipers. During Spring migration Bobolinks are often found in fields at southeast corner of 141st Street South & Garnett Rd. LeConte's Sparrows have been found in wet winter wheat in March. Yellow-headed Blackbirds are sometimes found at horse farm on northwest corner of 151st Street South & 129th E. Ave. Dickcissels & Western Kingbirds are common throughout the area.
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