South County
OAK GROVE PARK & RIPON SEWAGE PONDS/EAST
Do you find the information in this page useful?
Description of the Area
This undeveloped park was unknown to most of the local birding community until a few years ago. It consists of 55 acres of riparian and oak woodland tucked along the north bank of the Stanislaus River; the south bank is in Stanislaus County. The easternmost ponds in this complex are immediately adjacent and are thus covered in this chapter as well. (Note: The westernmost ponds are treated in a separate chapter, “Ripon Sewage Ponds/West”, since most visitors choose to drive to the far west end to cover them.) There is plenty of available parking, but there are no restroom facilities. You are likely to encounter few others—dog walkers, bikers, runners—during your visit.
Birds and other wildlife find an abundance of food in all seasons all over the park—grapes, currants, blackberries, mulberries, rose hips, acorns, walnuts, and seeds of all varieties. Nesting options are equally plentiful. Many birds fly between the two counties.
Summer can be very hot and dry; winter can be cold and wet, and even flooded in some years. There are lots of huge trees here, so be aware that large branches, or even entire trees, can topple in windy weather. Stinging nettle is commonplace, especially nearer the river; poison oak is not a problem EXCEPT in one specific area just off the main trail. Some people are bothered by mosquitos, and ticks are always a possibility.
How to Get There
From Hwy 99 in Ripon, take the Main St exit. Coming from the north, turn right (away from the freeway) for one block to the 4-way stop. If coming from the south, after the Main St exit, proceed over the freeway to this 4-way stop. This is Stockton St; turn left here. Proceed south till you see the City of Ripon fueling station directly in front of you and the road makes a broad curve to the right—don’t take this right! Just before the fueling station, you’ll notice the road also leads left onto the sidewalk and continues south. Take this short road to the parking area, just behind the fueling station.
Target Birds
Year-round: Canada Goose, Killdeer, Black-necked Stilt, Spotted Sandpiper, Red-shouldered, Red-tailed, and Cooper’s hawks, American Kestrel, Anna’s Hummingbird, Belted Kingfisher, Nuttall’s and Downy woodpeckers, Northern Flicker, White-throated Swift, Black Phoebe, Tree Swallow, House and Bewick’s Wren, American Robin, Orange-crowned Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Spotted and California towhees, Song Sparrow, Lesser and American Goldfinch.
Summer: Swainson’s Hawk, Black-chinned Hummingbird, Ash-throated Flycatcher, Western Kingbird, Western Wood-Pewee, Northern Rough-winged and Barn swallows, Black-headed Grosbeak, Bullock’s Oriole, Lawrence’s Goldfinch (uncommon).
Winter: Bufflehead, Common Goldeneye, Black-bellied Plover, Least and Western sandpipers, Dunlin, Merlin, Red-breasted Sapsucker, Hutton’s Vireo, Golden- and Ruby-crowned kinglets, Hermit and Varied (uncommon) thrushes, Cedar Waxwing, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Fox, Lincoln’s, White-throated (rare), White-, and Golden-crowned sparrows, Dark-eyed Junco, Purple Finch.
Migrant: Black-bellied Plover, Least and Western sandpipers, Rufous Hummingbird, Pacific-slope Flycatcher, Cassin’s and Warbling vireos, Swainson’s Thrush, Nashville, Yellow, Black-throated Gray, Townsend’s, MacGillivray’s and Wilson’s warblers, Western Tanager.
Rarities: Long-tailed Duck, Barrow’s Goldeneye, Pacific Golden-Plover, Baird’s and Pectoral sandpipers, Band-tailed Pigeon, Lewis’s Woodpecker, Phainopepla, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Chimney Swift, Summer Tanager. The riparian woodland along the Stanislaus River was the last stronghold of the formerly resident Yelllow-billed Cuckoo locally, so you just might get lucky!
EBird Hotspot Information
EBird Hotspot – Click Here
Birding At the Site
Walk through the gate with the sewage pond on your right. You can either dip into the park itself via the dirt path on your left, or you can remain on the pavement next to the sewage ponds to just past the corner where there is another dirt path that leads down into the riparian area.
If you choose the first option, the trail will take you into a valley oak woodland with very limited understory. This is good for woodpeckers and allies, including bluebirds, swallows, raptors, and goldfinches. It will make a diagonal to the SE leading back to the main trail, described below.
If you choose the second option, stay on the pavement along the sewage ponds toward the river. Right after it turns to the right, there is a steep dirt path just before a vine-covered chain link fence. Turn here and follow the small path a short distance down to the riverbank. This short trail gives you a good introduction to the warblers, thrushes, woodpeckers, etc. that you will encounter in the rest of the park. From here, you can double back a short distance to the larger trail that leads off to the east (toward the freeway). There are a variety of smaller trails, which are often overgrown due to low use. If you follow the main left-most trail, it will skirt the more open valley oak woodland portion and rejoin the diagonal shortcut mentioned above. A short distance after the two trails meet, there will be a noticeable dip in the trail, with the main trail continuing and a smaller trail going off to the right. This smaller trail leads directly to another river overlook, where you can usually encounter Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Black Phoebe, Belted Kingfisher, and occasionally Wood Duck.
From here, you can double back to the main trail (dealt with later) or continue east by taking a short steep path down that takes you to a long dirt track that hugs the river and goes through dense woodland. This little trail takes you by lots of stinging nettle and other weeds. There are several mulberry trees here as well, which makes this area a favorite for robins, thrushes, waxwings, grosbeaks, and orioles. There are plenty of small insects also, so pewees and flycatchers are attracted as well. Stay on the beaten path here and it will eventually wind back north to the main trail—trust me–after passing under majestic valley oaks, then through an abundant stand of noxious tree of heaven (Ailanthus). Note: the previously alluded to major patch of poison oak is on your left just beyond these Ailanthus and before this small trail meets the main trail. Once back on the main trail, you can carry on toward Hwy 99. The trail itself continues under the freeway and through Army Corps of Engineers property and eventually through the chain link fence boundary of Mavis Stouffer Park. (Note: This is a long walk and necessitates having another car at Stouffer Park unless you have the energy to double back to the main parking area off Stockton St! Stouffer Park is covered in its own chapter.) You’ll also find the traffic roar from the freeway louder and louder the farther east you go. I generally turn around once I reach the chain link area immediately behind the dog food plant (the odor is unmistakable!)
The weedy area behind this fence has been good for finches and flycatchers. There is also a wastewater pond just below the dog food plant that often has good birds (esp. winter). There is a small path along the western fence that leads to a decent observation point.
If you do choose to turn back at the fence, you’ll retrace your steps to where the minor trail (near the patch of poison oak) meets the main trail. You’ll pass even more Ailanthus, before returning to oak woodland. Both the main trail (shorter) or any of the minor trails to your right will take you back to the parking area at the NW corner of the park. Note: In July 2018, a mountain lion was spotted between the dog food plant and the river.
City Sewage Ponds/East: Walk the eastern and southern outer perimeter and scope. The trail continues west along the Stanislaus River to the Ripon Sewage Ponds/West (following chapter). The levees between the eastern ponds often host shorebirds, especially in migration and winter.
More Information
Timing: N/A
Parking: Park in the parking area behind the fueling station
Facilities: No restroom
Accessibility: No
Dogs:
Bikes:
Others: