MTOS Field Trip to Ensley Bottoms
October 3 @ 7:00 am - 9:30 am CDT
Field Trip Coordinator Ryan Pudwell is our leader for the Memphis TOS chapter’s trip to the famous Ensley Bottoms, aka the “Pits.” Check out eBird sightings at this hotspot here.
Meet at 7:00 am on Saturday, October 3 at the T.O. Fuller State Park Visitor Center at 1500 W. Mitchell Rd Memphis, TN 38109. We’ll carpool and caravan from there. You don’t have to be a MTOS member to participate, there is no charge, and be sure to bring binoculars.
The Ensley complex consists of the T.E. Maxson WTF sewage lagoons (aka, the “Pits”) and Riverport Road ponds. The “Pits” consist of an array of sewage sludge drying ponds–some dry and some flooded, depending on rainfall and treatment. Shallow water/mudflat habitat attractive to shorebirds is abundant and large numbers of shorebirds frequent the area from March through October with smaller numbers of birds through winter.
New visitors please note: The disagreeable odors from the sludge drying ponds can be overwhelming at times. After rain, dirt roads are extremely slippery and caution must be taken. Never take risks while driving in and birding this area.
Contact Ryan Pudwell for more information at rpudwell@immanuealmemphis.org.