Redmond Sewage Ponds (Restricted Access)
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Location
(Restricted Access – See Below) 5801 NW Way, Redmond, OR. Go south of Redmond on Hwy 97 for about a mile and look for the flashing yellow light. Take a left on NW Pershall Way, heading west. Go 2.1 miles on Pershall (which is a winding road and it turns into NW Coyner Ave.) At this point you will be at a red blinking traffic light at NW Northwest Way. Turn right (north) and go .7 miles. Here you will take a left on an unmarked, but well paved, road which heads west. In about a half mile you will see a big parking lot and a building on your left. Keep driving on the road, which will then make a 90 degree gradual curve to the right (north). After about 1/2 mile you will see a gravel road to the left, which leads to the pond. There is a dirt road the completely circles the pond.
The East Cascades Audubon Society has an agreement with the city of Redmond to allow access to this site for birding. Birders must sign a waiver/ disclaimer and mail it to ECAS, P.O. Box 565, Bend, OR, 97709. You can receive this paper work by emailing Chuck Gates (cgates326@gmail.com).
WHAT TO DO IF YOU GET LOCKED IN
Regular hours at this facility are from 10:00AM to 2:00PM. Do your very best to be out of there before 2:00.The City workers will not usually come find you. There have been times when the workers have to leave early so it’s possible you could get locked in. If this happens, there is an alternate exit point but it is not for the faint of heart and should not be attempted in a low clearance vehicle. On your way in, you should have seen a large building with heavy equipment around it. Go back to that building. About 50 yards west of the building is a dirt road going south. Take this road. There will soon be a road off to your right. Don’t take that road. It’s been blocked by the City. Instead, continue south on the 2-track path. From this point, stay right at every junction until you reach the powerlines. Turn left at the power lines and that road will bring you to pavement. The last 1/4 mile is the rockiest. Once you reach the pavement, turn left to return to Hwy 97. Worst Case Scenario: You get locked in and you can’t find the road out or your car can’t make it. Call Kim Kathol at 541-604-1142 or Mike Golden at 541-420-5814.
DirectionsHabitat and Birds
A large lagoon surrounded by agriculture land and juniper. This is a key spot for shorebirds and ducks. During spring and fall migration large numbers of sandpipers and other shorebirds pass through. Bald Eagles and Ospreys fish for carp in the lagoons. The surrounding juniper forest has hosted Long-eared, Northern Saw-whet and Barn Owls. Unusual birds found here include Snow Goose, Cackling Goose, Eurasian Wigeon, Tufted Duck, Greater Scaup, Surf Scoter, White-winged Scoter, Red-breasted Merganser, Red-necked Grebe, Great Egret, Red-shouldered Hawk, Gyrfalcon, Peregrine Falcon, Black-bellied Plover, Solitary Sandpiper, Willet, Whimbrel, Marbled Godwit, Semipalmated Sandpiper, Sanderling, Ruff, Buff-breasted Sandpiper, Short-billed Dowitcher, Sabine’s Gull, Franklin’s Gull, Common Tern, Arctic Tern, Parasitic Jaeger, Long-tailed Jaeger, Band-tailed Pigeon, Black Swift, Black Phoebe, Northern Waterthrush, Tennessee Warbler and Kentucky Warbler.
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