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View of William Center Green from Third Street
photo by John Kennington |
The Williams Center Green is a small
one-block park in the heart of downtown Tulsa that often serves a
migrant trap.
During their night migration many birds
are attracted to or disoriented by the lights and end up staying the
next day in the park, or even a nearby parking lot, parking garage, or
the base of a building. Regrettably many bird also strike the tall
building and one may find many dead bird on the sidewalks and at the
base of the buildings.
The key to finding birds here is to arrive
very early in the morning, though some birds will stay for the day and
then depart the next night.
You can get excellent looks at the birds downtown as they are usually at
eye level or lower.
The Green is located in downtown Tulsa
between 2nd and 3rd Streets, just north of where Boston Avenue ends.
Park on Boston or 3rd St. and enter the Green from the south side, which
is at street level.
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Williams Center Green
photo by John Kennington |
Jim Arterburn and others regularly bird
this area and have found a tremendous variety of unusual and rare birds.
A partial list, from recent spring and fall migration, includes:
American Woodcock, Sora, Virginia & Yellow Rail, Chuck-will's-widow, Whip-poor-will,
Common Poorwill, Yellow Warbler, American
Redstart, Ovenbird, Northern Waterthrush, Mourning Warbler,
Yellow-breasted Chat, Nashville
Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Yellow Warbler,
Chestnut-sided Warbler, Ovenbird, Magnolia
Warbler, Yellow-bellied
Sapsucker, Gray Catbird, House Wren,
Eastern Towhee, Catbird, Brown Thrashers
and Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Jim has pointed out that American
Woodcocks appear to migrate through Tulsa in the last week of August
while a larger more prolonged migration appears to take place the last
few days of October through the first seven to ten days in November.
During his study he collected 12 American Woodcocks and found a larger
number alive at the Green and at the base of buildings around downtown.
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