Howard County Bird Club
Waterford Flats
Shorebird Habitat Area on Sharps at Waterford Farm
Waterford Flats is a restricted site. Only current members who have read the instructions or viewed the video are permitted. You may also want to read the protocol.
The project converted dry fields like this
into seasonal mudflats like this
Genesis
A founding member of the Howard County Bird Club (HCBC), Martha Chestem, passed away in October, 2016. With the bequest she left, HCBC established a fund to be used to further the club’s mission (“A 501(c)3 organization whose mission is to promote the knowledge, development, protection, and conservation of bird life and other naturally occurring species and their habitats.”). A portion of this bequest made the following project possilble.
On April 1, 2021, HCBC and Sharps at Waterford Farm opened Waterford Flats. This shorebird habitat lies on a retired crop field in the Cattail Creek floodplain. Each spring and late-summer a three-acre pool is slowly emptied creating a receding shoreline and fresh mudflats in an effort to attract shorebirds.
An interest in scaling-up the club’s local habitat endeavors grew out of the Dickcissel nesting effort. The spark came from learning of successful partnerships with California farmers managing for shorebirds. With the funds bequeathed by Martha Chestem, the club only needed a site with an enthusiastic owner. We were fortunate to find such a location at Sharps at Waterford Farm in Brookeville.
The history of Waterford Flat’s creation includes designs, permits, contractors’ bids, and a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between HCBC and Sharps at Waterford Farm. In addition to a thousand – foot dike, the work required installation of water control pipelines, a drainage ditch, and diversion to exclude storm water. The design work was performed by the Howard Soil Conservation District and the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). Sharps at Waterford handled soliciting bids but let the HCBC select the contractor. Mark D. Hereth Construction LLC was chosen as the builder and the work was performed in the fall of 2020. Funding was provided by the HCBC and NRCS – Environmental Quality Incentive Program.
The habitat will be co-managed with Sharps at Waterford Farm to include waterfowl. The facility compliments three nearby aquatic habitats – a three-acre pond, a quarter-acre non-tidal wetland, and a one-acre shallow waterfowl impoundment.
The pool began filling in late fall of 2020 for the waterfowl season, not too late to attract two Greater Yellowlegs and a flock of 45 Killdeer. Waterford Flats is open for viewing between April 1 to June 15 and July 15 to September 30. The current MOU is for five years and farm access is based on MOU guidelines. First time visitors first must view the training video. Once you’ve learned the routine feel free to visit this unique Howard County shorebird habitat.
–Wesley Earp
NOTE: The farm owner is limiting visits to members of the Howard County Bird Club who comply with the protocol and have viewed the training video before their first visit.