These are typical sewage ponds with numerous settling ponds and levees between them. During weekday business hours, the gates are open, and birders are welcome to walk the roads around the ponds, although to do this, you must check in at the office and sign a “Contractor and Visitor Orientation Sheet”. Weekend access is available with advance arrangement. Overland flow access is limited to plant staff only due to increased risk of contact with wastewater and emergency evacuation complexity.
Staying on designated roads will ensure that birders continue to be welcome at this facility.
Wilson’s Phalarope, Image by Daniel Lee Brown
Birding the site: Before reaching the treatment plant office, three large oxidation or settling ponds on the north side of the entrance road can be scoped from the road. The ponds support large numbers of wintering and migrating waterfowl: Northern Pintails, American Wigeons, Northern Shovelers, Lesser Scaup, and Ruddy Ducks, with occasional Ring-necked Ducks. There also may be large numbers of Wilson’s Phalaropes (with smaller numbers of Red-necked Phalaropes), Long-billed Curlews, and Black-bellied Plovers. Occasional Pacific Golden-Plovers have been seen on the dikes between the ponds. Western Gulls have been seen in winter and Franklin’s Gulls are possible in summer.
The northeast pond contains duckweed (Lemna) and hosts a wide variety of waterbirds, shorebirds and passerines that use its many crisscrossed cells. Blue Grosbeaks nest in the trees between the ponds and the overland flow area to the east. Northern Harriers, American Bittern, Cinnamon Teal, and Gadwalls nest there. The overland flow may be viewed from the Davis Wetlands access road.
In the summer, during migration, there are often large numbers of swallows including Barn, Cliff, Tree, Bank, and Northern Rough-winged Swallows on the wires along the entrance road. eBird Sightings
Directions: From the intersection of Interstate 5 and Hwy 50 in Sacramento, drive west on Hwy 50 for 3.4 miles to where Interstate 80 merges with Hwy 50. Continue west on Interstate 80 for about 4.0 miles across the Yolo Causeway and exit at East Chiles Road/Road 32A (exit 78). At the stop sign, turn left. In 1.9 miles, veer right, cross the railroad tracks, and go north (the road becomes Road 105) until it dead ends at Road 28H. Turn right onto Road 28H, the levee road which leads to the Control Plant building. The plant is open weekdays from 7:00 a.m. to about 3:30 p.m. and most weekends until 1 p.m. As mentioned above, to walk around the ponds rather than scoping from the entrance road, birders must first check in at the Control Plant office.
Maureen Geiger and Joan Humphrey