Crane WTP stands for Water Treatment Plant--which is another term for the city's sewage treatment or wastewater facilities.

Call the city offices first to ask permission to bird the WTP. 432-558-3563. Visitation to the Crane WTP ponds is by prior arrangement with the city hall/city manager. Dolly Skaggs is the clerk and Dru Gravens is the City Manager. The gate is usually open but there are No Trespassing signs. Birders have been questioned by a law enforcement person who then checked with City Hall to be sure the birder had obtained prior consent. 

Start on the eastern side of the Southeastern cell. The reeds/ cattails in the southwestern corner give good cover to scope the southwestern cell.

Many waterfowl (Blue-winged, Cinnamon and Green-winged Teal, Shoveler, Gadwall, Wigeon, Mallard, Ruddy Duck) can be found at the WTP.  Ring-necked Duck, Lesser Scaup and Bufflehead are winter visitors. Pied-billed and Eared Grebes have been found here. American Coot, Black-necked Stilt and Killdeer are fairly common. 

Many sandpipers have been reported here, including Spotted and Solitary Sandpiper, Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, Stilt, Baird's, White-rumped, Least, Pectoral, Western and Semipalmated Sandpipers.

Sora responded to clapping and Virginia Rail to playback in the reeds/cattails in the SW corner of the SE cell.

Non-water birds include Western Kingbird, Ash-throated and Scissor-tailed Flycatchers, Bell's Vireos, Loggerhead Shrike, Verdin, Bank, Tree, Northern Rough-winged and Barn Swallows,  Curve-billed Thrasher, Cassin's, Chipping, Clay-colored, Brewer's and Lark Sparrows. Both Red-winged and Yellow-headed Blackbirds have been reported from this location.   

Entrance is on N. Katherine Street through the gate on the left just past the baseball field batting cage.

There are no eBird checklists for the months of February, March or October. Only the first week of January has had any eBird submissions. Please consider trying to bird this facility in these months to add to the data for this location.