Memorial Park is a significant setting in central Omaha, especially for recreational purposes. Lesser known is its significance for wild birds. The park grounds are rather barren with mown grass the most significant feature, as this is most suitable for walkers and sometimes errant dogs. There are however some notable habitat features worth considering. On the east side is a small extent of woods associated with Happy Hollow Creek. Its flow is obvious once it becomes a part of a naturalistic scene just a short ways south of Underwood Avenue. At the west side is a remnant of Wood Creek with this extent of a permanent water flow which appears just south of Underwood Avenue, whereas to the north the flow is buried. Atop the hill and among the park, is the rose garden with many coniferous trees, and nearby many aged Austrian pines. Many other trees are spread about and utilized by various sorts of wild birds.
There is enough variety within this bit of landscape — which was formerly a golf course — to attract a diversity of birds that are interesting to an attentive bird maven.
During recent years, this park place has been traversed, time and again, with bird observations noted to a lesser or greater extent. On the east side, bicycling along the recreational trail has provided many opportunities to observe bird activity along the creek. The hilltop space near the monument has been visited less often, usually while walking to and fro. The west side creek has typically also been visited while afoot, and going to a further destination.
Notes of birds have been kept for one or another particular day when there seemed to be something worth remembering. The results indicate a perspective of the many different species that occur during winter-time months in this park.
Overall, my database has records for 114 dates.
The species noted during the months of December, January and February include birds that fly over this place. Details pertaining to geese are a result of their flight overhead, with a similar occurrenece associated with the Bald Eagle and the passage of gulls.
The entire extent of noted species are indicated in the following summary. The number conveys how many birds of each species were observed.
There have been forty species recorded at this park during the months of December, January and February, since 2008. There are also additional records from 2003 to 2006, which are not included in this perspective.
| Common Name | Dec 2008 - Feb 2009 | Dec 2009 - Feb 2010 | Dec 2010 - Feb 2011 | Dec 2011 - Feb 2012 | Dec 2012 - Feb 2013 | Dec 2013 - Feb 2014 |
| Greater White-fronted Goose | - - | - - | - - | 90 | - - | - - |
| Cackling Goose | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | 1 |
Canada Goose | - - | - - | 225 | - - | - - | 105 |
Gadwall | - - | 2 | - - | - - | - - | - - |
Mallard | 53 | 52 | 43 | 3 | 12 | 8 |
Bald Eagle | - - | - - | 2 | 1 | - - | - - |
Sharp-shinned Hawk | - - | - - | - - | 1 | - - | - - |
Cooper's Hawk | 1 | - - | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
Red-tailed Hawk | - - | 1 | 7 | 3 | - - | 4 |
Merlin | - - | - - | 1 | - - | - - | - - |
Ring-billed Gull | - - | - - | 4 | 5 | - - | - - |
Rock Pigeon | 1 | - - | 6 | 5 | - - | - - |
Mourning Dove | 54 | 9 | 32 | - - | - - | 5 |
Eastern Screech-Owl | 1 | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - |
Great Horned Owl | 1 | - - | - - | - - | - - | 2 |
Belted Kingfisher | 1 | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - |
Red-bellied Woodpecker | 3 | 3 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 6 |
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker | 1 | - - | 1 | - - | - - | - - |
Downy Woodpecker | 9 | 20 | 18 | 10 | 4 | 9 |
Hairy Woodpecker | - - | - - | 2 | - - | - - | 2 |
Northern Flicker | - - | - - | 8 | 1 | - - | - - |
Blue Jay | - - | 2 | 17 | 3 | 3 | 12 |
American Crow | 20 | 7 | 36 | 5 | 6 | 9 |
Black-capped Chickadee | 6 | 53 | 50 | 55 | 11 | 16 |
Red-breasted Nuthatch | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | 1 |
White-breasted Nuthatch | 7 | 11 | 12 | 15 | 5 | 10 |
Brown Creeper | - - | - - | 1 | - - | - - | - - |
Winter Wren | - - | 4 | 8 | 5 | - - | - - |
Golden-crowned Kinglet | - - | 4 | - - | - - | - - | - - |
American Robin | 104 | 111 | 550 | 225 | 70 | 344 |
European Starling | 12 | 14 | 55 | 45 | 16 | 49 |
Cedar Waxwing | - - | 7 | 147 | 32 | - - | 245 |
American Tree Sparrow | - - | - - | 2 | - - | - - | - - |
White-throated Sparrow | - - | - - | 4 | - - | - - | - - |
Harris's Sparrow | - - | - - | 4 | 3 | - - | 1 |
Dark-eyed Junco | 62 | 53 | 85 | 94 | 29 | 62 |
Northern Cardinal | 5 | 13 | 23 | 4 | 6 | 10 |
House Finch | 4 | 3 | 13 | 7 | 8 | 18 |
American Goldfinch | 8 | - - | 13 | 6 | - - | - - |
House Sparrow | - - | 3 | 4 | - - | - - | 4 |
Especially significant for the park space are the creeks on its east and west side. There are trees and water which are two important features attractive to birds. Within the park, crabapple trees along Storz Boulevard and at the southwest extent of the park also contribute to seasonal bird occurrence. In late winter, American Robins forage among these trees, and then get a drink at the nearby creek, which typically always has a flow despite the coldest temperatures.
This is a summary of the most recent winter-time records for robins:
| Julian Date | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 |
| 2 | - - | - - | - - | - - | 17 | - - | - - |
3 | - - | - - | 7 | - - | - - | 3 | - - |
5 | - - | - - | 1 | 22 | - - | - - | - - |
6 | - - | - - | 23 | - - | - - | - - | 14 |
14 | - - | - - | - - | 2 | - - | - - | - - |
15 | - - | - - | - - | 16 | - - | - - | - - |
16 | - - | - - | - - | - - | 2 | - - | - - |
18 | - - | - - | 4 | 3 | - - | - - | - - |
19 | - - | 10 | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - |
21 | - - | 11 | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - |
22 | - - | - - | - - | 4 | - - | - - | - - |
25 | - - | - - | - - | 7 | - - | - - | - - |
27 | - - | - - | - - | 5 | 40 | - - | 12 |
28 | - - | - - | - - | 34 | - - | - - | - - |
31 | - - | - - | 27 | - - | - - | - - | - - |
32 | - - | - - | - - | - - | 129 | - - | - - |
35 | - - | - - | 1 | 6 | - - | - - | - - |
37 | - - | 9 | - - | - - | - - | - - | 37 |
38 | - - | 14 | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - |
41 | - - | 51 | - - | 3 | - - | - - | - - |
43 | - - | - - | - - | 4 | 8 | 14 | - - |
44 | - - | 2 | 2 | - - | - - | - - | - - |
46 | - - | 1 | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - |
47 | - - | - - | 3 | 10 | - - | 55 | - - |
48 | - - | - - | - - | 5 | - - | 2 | - - |
50 | - - | - - | - - | 108 | 48 | - - | - - |
51 | - - | - - | 6 | - - | - - | - - | - - |
52 | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | 84 |
55 | - - | - - | - - | 191 | - - | - - | - - |
56 | - - | 41 | - - | - - | - - | - - | 85 |
58 | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | 80 |
59 | - - | - - | 5 | - - | - - | - - | - - |
335 | - - | 31 | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - |
336 | - - | - - | 93 | - - | - - | - - | - - |
338 | - - | - - | 12 | - - | - - | - - | - - |
339 | - - | 57 | 10 | - - | - - | - - | - - |
341 | - - | - - | - - | 2 | - - | 35 | - - |
342 | - - | 35 | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - |
344 | - - | 1 | 85 | - - | - - | 1 | - - |
346 | 4 | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - |
347 | - - | 38 | - - | - - | - - | 1 | - - |
350 | - - | 4 | 77 | - - | - - | - - | - - |
351 | 1 | 4 | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - |
354 | - - | - - | 45 | - - | - - | - - | - - |
355 | 2 | 13 | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - |
362 | - - | 19 | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - |
363 | 61 | - - | 44 | 32 | - - | - - | - - |
364 | - - | 16 | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - |
365 | - - | - - | 34 | - - | - - | - - | - - |
| 366 | 35 | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - | - - |
Dozens of these birds regularly occur. On especially frigid days, they have been seen appreciating a tepid warmth of a rising sun, or otherwise dealing, in a birdly manner, with weather conditions.
| Cedar Waxwing Sightings | ||||
| Julian Date | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2014 |
| 16 | - - | - - | 15 | - - |
| 23 | 7 | - - | - - | - - |
| 27 | - - | - - | 6 | - - |
32 | - - | - - | 11 | - - |
50 | - - | 6 | - - | - - |
55 | - - | 60 | - - | - - |
56 | - - | - - | - - | 225 |
58 | - - | - - | - - | 20 |
338 | 9 | - - | - - | - - |
344 | 27 | - - | - - | - - |
350 | 25 | - - | - - | - - |
354 | 20 | - - | - - | - - |
Cedar Waxwings also appreciate the fruits of the crabapple trees. Typically there might be two-three dozen or less, but just recently — on February 25, 2014 — there were more than 200 present, flying about on a cloudy morning. The numbers were the largest tally for this species at this park.
An especially notable winter season visitor was a Gadwall at the north end of Happy Hollow Creek, at the outlet just south of Underwood Avenue. This duck was seen on two subsequent days, early in January 2010, when the temperatures were frigid. This is perhaps the most unique occurrence among the records.
Another unexpected winter visitor was a Belted Kingfisher seen at the north end of Happy Hollow Creek, on December 21, 2008. The weather was frigid — the temperature during the day was 18o below zero — and there was obviously not much open water elsewhere in the region. This was a unique occurrence, but this species has also been observed numerous times southward in Elmwood Park.
A significant change is associated with the ocurrence of the Winter Wren. They were formerly seen on a regular basis as there was suitable habitat associated with the open-water features of the creek during the winter months. The habitat has not changed to any significant extent, yet the occurrence of this itty-bitty bunch of feathers has not been seen at places where it has formerly been a regular winter resident. Its presence is missed.
The parkland habitat is a space appreciated by some birds. It is a place appreciated to a lesser extent by Omaha birders. Through the years, no other bird-watcher has ever been seen. The birding community has missed the opportunity to enjoy the swifts, the nighthawks, the gulls and a myriad of other species present on any particular day, irregardless of the season.
Winter-time conditions may be harsh to be outdoors, but birds have to deal with the weather, so there is always some species to appreciate at this park.
Overall, there have been 130 species noted at Memorial Park. Considering this monumental park and Elmwood Park environs just to the south, the overall tally is 185 species. Some time, a analysis of the avifauna of both parks will be prepared.