East County
Woodbridge Road (West)
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Description of the Area
West of I-5 at the eastern edge of the San Joaquin Delta, the elevation here is primarily sea level. The area is intensively farmed, including a dairy, grains, alfalfa, grapes, nuts and tomatoes. There are also several orchards and vineyards. At the western end is the 750-acre private Black Hole Hunt Club. Two other former hunting clubs were purchased by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (DFW) in the mid-1980s to form the 354-acre Woodbridge Ecological Reserve (WER) as a permanent roosting area for Sandhill Cranes wintering in the area. It was renamed the Phil and Marilyn Isenberg Crane Reserve in 1999. One 207-acre portion is located about 1.5 miles west of the I-5 underpass on the north side of the road. It is bordered by a strip of land owned by the Department of Water Resources and is used as pasture. This northern section of the reserve, “Woodbridge North,” is closed to the public except for participants on scheduled DFW tours (see below). The other portion of the reserve, 145-acres dubbed “Woodbridge South,” on the south side of the road, has interpretative signs and is located about 2.4 miles west of the freeway. Each of the two sections of the reserve has been engineered to contain a marsh-like mix of high spots and 6-10” deep flooded areas, which provide the safe roosting habit required by cranes. The Isenberg Reserve (WER) is within the California Audubon Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta IBA (Important Bird Area). Woodbridge Rd dead-ends about 6.2 miles west of the freeway underpass, with ample turn-around space; elevation at the turnaround is 22 feet below sea level, due to soil subsidence. Immediately west of that location and across the South Fork of the Mokelumne River is Staten Island, another excellent winter birding locale.
Portions of the reserve are flooded from September through February for the benefit of the cranes and waterfowl. Some of the agricultural lands on the western portion of Woodbridge Rd may also be flooded, producing good wintering habitat for waterfowl and shorebirds, but the acreage of flooded fields has diminished over the years. Pit toilets (locked outside crane season) are available at the Isenberg South site.
How to Get There
Access from I-5, coming from north or south, is made from Thornton Rd, running parallel to I-5. From the north, take the Peltier Rd exit, go east under I-5 to Thornton Rd, then continue south on Thornton for 2 miles to Woodbridge Rd; turn right (west) on Woodbridge. From the south, exit at Turner Rd, go east 50 yards to Thornton Rd, then proceed north on Thornton. Turn under the freeway at Woodbridge Rd. Coming from Woodbridge/Lodi area, drive Turner Rd west to Thornton Rd; turn right. Drive north about one mile to Woodbridge Rd, turn left under I-5. Use caution at the dangerous intersection of Thornton and Woodbridge Rds. Woodbridge Rd is narrow and the shoulders can be soft after the rains; the area is actively farmed, so watch for farm traffic as well as bicyclists. Parking can be difficult except at designated locations. DO NOT BLOCK ag vehicles.
Target Birds
Year-round: American Bittern, Osprey, White-tailed Kite, Red-tailed Hawk, Red-shouldered Hawk, American Kestrel, Common Gallinule, Ring-necked Pheasant, Great Horned and Barn owls, Belted Kingfisher, Loggerhead Shrike, Tree Swallow.
Summer: White-faced Ibis, Swainson’s Hawk, Blue Grosbeak.
Winter: American White Pelican, Cattle Egret, White-faced Ibis, Greater White-fronted, Snow, Ross’s, Canada (uncommon) and Cackling (esp. Aleutian subspecies) geese, Tundra Swan, Cooper’s Hawk, Peregrine and Prairie falcons, Sora, Sandhill Crane (both Greater and Lesser subspecies), Black-bellied Plover, Long-billed Curlew, Herring Gull, Short-eared Owl (rare), various shorebirds and ducks.
Migrant: American White Pelican, Marbled Godwit, Short-billed Dowitcher, and other shorebirds if habitat is available; Bank Swallow.
Rarities: Cattle Egret, Eurasian Wigeon, Blue-winged Teal, Common (Eurasian Green-winged) Teal, Ruff, Glaucous and Glaucous-winged gulls, Burrowing Owl, Rock Wren, Brown Thrasher, Grasshopper, Swamp, White-throated, and Harris’s sparrows. A Demoiselle Crane showed up in late September 2001 with Lesser Sandhill Cranes, wintering between Woodbridge Rd and Staten Island.
EBird Hotspot Information
EBird Hotspot – Click Here
Birding At the Site
This is a very productive area, especially from mid-September harvest until after the fields are planted and new crops established in spring. Scan the fields for cranes, egrets, Great Blue Herons, curlews, plovers, and ibises. Summer is the slowest time of the year here. The only public access is the WER parking areas. All other birding must be done from the road.
Approximately 1.5 miles from the freeway, Burrowing and Short-eared owls have been seen on rare occasions. Check the telephone poles and wires for raptors, including the Red-tailed Hawk, Merlin, Peregrine Falcon, American Kestrel, or other small birds. A drainage ditch with water all year runs parallel to the north side of the road, so many birds such as Belted Kingfisher, Marsh Wren, Savannah Sparrow, White-faced Ibis, Common Gallinule, and Blue Grosbeak (summer) may be found.
From September to March, the southern portion of the reserve is flooded, and there is a viewing mound from which many waterfowl may be seen. Amongst the Mallards, Northern Pintails, Northern Shovelers, American Wigeons and coots, look for Eurasian Wigeons, Blue-winged Teals (both rare), Redheads (uncommon), and Canvasbacks. Northern Harriers are common. This is a great area to experience the Sandhill Cranes flying in to roost at sunset. Both Greater and Lesser Sandhill Cranes may be seen; the former predominate. Farther west, particularly when fields are flooded, you may find flocks of Tundra Swans, Snow and Greater White-fronted geese, American White Pelicans, and other water birds.
Lands Pass Required
The Department of Fish and Wildlife now requires visitors purchase a Lands Pass for certain reserves, including Woodbridge/Isenberg. Funds are used to support the needs of the reserve. Passes are required for all visitors over age 16 and are available in daily or annual versions. They are not required for visitors already holding California hunting or fishing licenses. Passes may be purchased online at www.wildlife.ca.gov/licensing/lands-pass, or at any store that sells hunting and fishing licenses. Passes are not required to view from the road, but they are required when entering any CA-DFW properties. NOTE: Annual passes are good for the calendar year.
Other Information
California Department of Fish and Wildlife offers docent-led tours to view crane fly-ins on weekends and some weekday evenings from October through February. Information on tours is available at www.wildlife.ca.gov/regions/3/crane-tour or (916) 358-2353.
·The Lodi Sandhill Crane Festival, held annually on the first Friday-Sunday in November, offers presentations on cranes and birding tours of Woodbridge Rd and other local birding hotspots. www.cranefestival.com.
More Information
Timing: N/A
Parking: Parking available at Woodbridge Ecological Reserve – North and South Unit
Facilities: There are restrooms at the Woodbridge Ecological Reserve South Unit.
Accessibility: N/A
Dogs: N/A
Bikes: N/A
Others: