Saylorville Reservoir--Big Creek spillway area

Saylorville Reservoir--Big Creek spillway area

Polk City, Iowa 50226

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Tips for Birding

People often drive to the main parking area at the end of the road by the spillway, but the best vantage points are further back up the road where the added elevation helps out with scoping the extensive mudflats and islands.  A scope is usually required for viewing shorebirds, gulls, and waterfowl.  As Saylorville Lake continues to rapidly silt in and the mudflats march downstream, this spot has become the premier shorebird location at the lake (formerly this was Jester Park).  You will be looking almost due west, so mornings are generally better than afternoons for lighting.  Be awere that birding conditions are highly dependent upon the lake's water level.  A heavy rain up the Des Moines River valley can put all of the mudflats underwater, chasing off all the birds until the water recedes.  In addition to the water-related birds, the bushy/weedy areas along the road and a large ravine that the road intersects, are excellent spots for migrant passerines.

Birds of Interest

Spring/Fall: excellent for shorebirds, gulls, waterfowl, herons/egrets. This is one of the premier spots for shorebirds in Iowa when conditions are good.  Both godwits, American Avocets, Black-bellied and American Golden-Plovers, Buff-breasted Sandpiper, Ruddy Turnstone, etc. are regular and Black-necked Stilt is nearly so. In some years, enormous flocks of Snow Geese stop here in spring.  Additionally, very large numbers of Greater White-fronted and Canada Geese and puddle duck gather here in early spring.  The ravine and brush along the roads is great for sparrows and has been a remarkably consistent spot for turning up Spotted Towhees in recent years.  The forest at the bike trail parking lot can be very good for migrant warblers.

Winter: the gate is closed but you can walk in.  There is occasionally a seam of open water here that attracts waterfowl, including recently very large numbers of Trumpeter Swans.

About this Location

This location is at the west end of West Jester Park Drive which is in the northwest corner of Polk City.  Take West Jester Park Drive west to where you enter the woods and come to a parking lot with restrooms where the Neal Smith Trail crosses.  The road continues west and becomes a gravel road that drops down the hill and parallels the shore until reaching a parking lot at the Lower Big Creek Spillway.  

About Saylorville Reservoir IBA

See all hotspots at Saylorville Reservoir IBA

Saylorville Reservoir is an extremely important stopover area for migrating waterfowl, gulls, terns, American White Pelicans, shorebirds, and other waterbirds. It supports nationally important concentrations of several species as well as smaller concentrations of many other species. The adjacent uplands support a variety of woodland species, both during the nesting season and in migration.

Saylorville Reservoir is located on the Des Moines River about 4 miles north of Interstate 80/35 north of Des Moines. Land on both sides of the reservoir is owned by the Army Corps of Engineers and includes several access points on both sides of the lake. County owned Jester Park on the west shore of the northern part of the reservoir also offers good access to some important birding areas. Big Creek State Park and adjacent state wildlife areas provide important upland habitat.

Features

  • Roadside viewing

  • Restrooms on site

  • Wheelchair accessible trail

  • Entrance fee

Content from Saylorville Reservoir IBA

Last updated August 7, 2023