Woodfords' Ponds, Chippewa County, WI, US - eBird Hotspot
Habitat: Open Water, Mudflats, Cropland, Non-Native Grassland and Pasture, Northern Hardwood Forest.
Best Birds: The ponds on 200th Street and the adjacent Jim Falls sewage ponds are reliable locations for viewing migrating waterfowl and shorebirds including records of Semipalmated, Baird’s, White-rumped, Solitary and Stilt Sandpiper, Short-billed and Long-billed Dowitcher, Wilson’s and Red-necked Phalarope, Marbled Godwit and American Golden Plover. Other uncommon water birds seen at these ponds are Horned Grebe, Double-crested Cormorant, and Black Tern. Check the pastures for American Pipit, Horned Lark, and Snow Bunting.
The surrounding croplands and grasslands attract migrating raptors ilke Merlin, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Cooper’s Hawk, Northern Harrier, Osprey, Bald Eagle and Red-shouldered Hawk. Uncommon passerines seen in the area include Lark Sparrow, Yellow-headed Blackbird and Rusty Blackbird.
Directions: 24 miles NE of Eau Claire/11 miles northeast of Chippewa Falls. There are several ponds on 200th Street south of the intersection with 125th Ave. The ponds on the Woodford property are best viewed by parking on the side of the road near the culvert running under 200th Street. The northern pond on the east side is better viewed around the corner on 125th Avenue. The Jim Falls Sewage Ponds are just north of Woodfords’ Ponds. Access is closed to the public, but some of the ponds can be viewed to the east from the roadside on 200th Street and on the north side of 125th Ave.
Site Address and Additional Information:
Intersection of 200th Street and 125th Avenue, Jim Falls WI
Rory Cameron
