Did you know one of the city's sewage treatment plants is also a public bird sanctuary? Neither did we, so Eric and I were forced to take another field trip today to see what that was all about.
There are not many birds there this time of year, but we did see a ton of ducks and loons, vultures, some red-winged blackbirds, and a bunch of waterbirds I couldn't identify because I am not very birdy. We also spotted five or six armadillos rooting around in the brush, one of which actually scampered away when it realized we were there. Armadillos are hilarious, gross, and awesome.
And, of course, we got to see some of the sewage treatment equipment and the city's compost piles.
Dillo; dirt
Fowl pond
Foul tank
No shit kidding
I have never seen these anywhere else and don't know what they are. Poopberries?
Despite the occasional poopy gusts when we were downwind from the holding tanks, which smelled bad but not as bad as you'd think, we had a nice walk around the plant. I plan to go back in spring when the bird migrations really start rocking. As a day trip, the Hornsby Bend Bird Observatory/Biosolids Management Plant gets an enthusiastic if smelly thumbs up from me.