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Birds of Des Moines' Parks & Green spaces

Enjoy our parkland and its diverse natural landscapes that include lakes, rivers, woods and prairies. Des Moines Park and Recreation staff are working to protect and enhance our natural resources for the your enjoyment and the enjoyment of future generations.

Can you spy a Northern Flicker? A Golden Crowned Kinglet? A Barred Owl? Bird watching and feeding is a treat year-round in Des Moines’ parks. Two places you’ll want to be sure to visit during the cold winter months are Gray’s Lake Park to try to spy the bald eagles feeding, and Glendale Cemetery to catch an appearance of the rare Merlins that pick this as their only place to stop over in Iowa. Of course when the first blooms of spring pop up, there are several species of beautiful birds that you’ll want to be on the lookout for.

More Information

• Map of areas where greatest diversity of birds can be found.
• Brochure listing Birds Commonly Found in Any of Des Moines' Major Green spaces
• Full Bird List of All Birds Found in 5 Major Green spaces (includes more rare ones found in only one of the parks)

• Birding Basics at Gray's Lake Park

  Get to know the birds that stop by Gray’s Lake Park during their spring migration to rest in the tree tops or to grab a drink and fish in the lake by joining us for basic bird watching 11 a.m. to noon each Wednesday from March through May. Local birder John Bissell will be situated at the beach March 4, 11, 18, 25 and April 1, 8, 15 to help spot and inform you about water birds such as ducks, geese, loons, grebes, mergansers, pelicans, and herons. The Wednesday sessions will move to the area in the vicinity of the park’s southeast parking lot for viewing of songbirds such as warblers, vireos, thrushes, and sparrows from April 22 through May 27. Binoculars are encouraged; we’ll have a couple of pairs if you forget yours.

For the beginning birder:
Common Birds in Des Moines' Parks

• American Goldfinch
•  Black-Capped Chickadee
•  Downy Woodpecker
• Northern Cardinal
• Blue Jay
• Red-Bellied Woodpecker
• White-Breasted Nuthatch
• House Finch
• House Sparrow
• Song Sparrow
• Chipping Sparrow
• American Tree Sparrow
• Mourning Dove
• Barred Owl
• European Starling
• American Crow
• Turkey Vulture
• Chimney Swift
• Northern Flicker
• House Wren
• American Robin
• Gray Catbird
• Dark-eyed Junco
• Hairy Woodpecker
• Common Nighthawk
• Eastern Wood Peewee