Some of the best places to visit for birds around the world are wastewater treatment facilities. The lagoons and wetlands provide a rich environment and in arid areas, a handy source of water. While security issues have restricted access to many such places, they still, as I found out this week, a handy place to visit.
First, on this chilly day, let’s virtually visit a couple of my favorite sites. The Leonabelle Turnbull Birding Center at the Port Aransas Wastewater Treatment Facility is one of the hotspots along the Texas coast. Not only are the birds plentiful, they are accustomed to visitors and allow pretty close access.
In California, The San Elijo Lagoon just north of San Diego is an innovative reclamation site for treated wastewater with great trails and a wide variety of birds.
The facilities in the Northeast tend to have few lagoons or wetlands but some, like the operation in nearby Waterbury, have aerated cells which stay open all winter. There were several young Herring Gulls and a few dozen Ringed-bill Gulls gathered on a cold day earlier this week.
Amazing! I was just at the birding center in Port Aransas this morning. Life listed the least grebe.