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The Austin American Statesman just did a story about birds and birding at Hornsby Bend, where I did my masters thesis on birds and birding at sewage ponds. Love that place. 1200 acres of ponds, river, woods. Over 370 bird species seen in 40 years, at least 50 on any given morning. There is no better sewage pond for birding in all North America. Period!
5 comments:
Sewage treatment plants are the best! Only a birder would scan the maps of a new city to locate one and visit...
I second that: Sewage treatment plants make for the best birding!
"No better sewage pond for birding in all North America"?? Hah! That's a bold statement, considering that you obviously haven't visited most of the sewage ponds in North America.
You probably have never been to the Iona Island sewage ponds just outside Vancouver, BC. These ponds have been known for decades as one of the 2 or 3 best birding spots not just in British Columbia, but also in all of Western Canada. They have tallied 43 species of shorebirds over the years, never mind all the other species. They have attracted numerous "casual and accidental" species, including several first records for the province (e.g. Spoon-billed Sandpiper, Common Moorhen), and continue to do so today.
There are several other outstanding sewage ponds that deserve consideration, including the Everett sewage ponds, WA, and the Hattiesburg sewage ponds, MS.
All the same, I will certainly try to fit in a visit to the Hornsby Bend ponds next time I visit Austin. (It's been a few years!)
Hey Wayne, I did mean to be provocative :-)
Spoon-billed Sandpiper is tough to beat, but Hornsby can claim Spotted Redshank (Texas first), Fork-tailed Flycatcher, Northern Jacana, Ruff, Curlew Sandpiper...and more.
That said, I'd love to join you for a turn around the Iona ponds!
Oh yeah Wayne, Hornsby has recorded 45 species of shorebirds :-)
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