US-MA-Ashley+Reservoir


 * =Birding in Massachusetts=

Hampden County
=Ashley Reservoir= Holyoke, Massachusetts 01040 Ashley Reservoir webpage Allen Bird Club Birding Spots webpage

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Ashley Reservoir
Coordinates: 42.1752583, -72.6591222 eBird links: Hotspot map View details Recent visits My eBird links: Location life list Submit data

Tips for birding Ashley Ponds and Whiting Reservoir in Holyoke
Getting there: Leave Rte 91 at Exit 15 and turn west away from Holyoke Mall. Take Lower Westfield Road through first signal light (Homestead Ave) and go straight up hill to entrance gate at end of street. Park along street before reaching “No Parking” signs.

Timing and Species: Spring and fall for migrating ducks, raptors and songbirds, as well as resident songbirds.

Birding Plan: You can walk an easy-to-follow route around the Reservoir, although the best birding is usually found in the first half of the itinerary. Proceed past the gate and check the shallow backwater pond on the right. Walk slowly past spruce-pine forest on left and brushy forest on right, listening for songs and call notes. Scan the main pond, and then walk left (south) into woods to view smaller ponds and listen for land birds. Return and continue over causeway, then check pine woods on left and brushy edge along railroad tracks. Scan water and trees at the west end of the main pond around the island. Follow paths up and over railroad tracks and explore two dirt roads going south. Return to the main path and continue partway towards the north side of the pond, then retrace your steps back to the entrance gate. If you have time, you can make a complete loop around the main pond by continuing north through the woods on the west side of the pond, then turning right on Whitney Avenue. Go past the causeway to right and continue south through woods to the Elks Club parking lot. Go right on the trail opposite the lot through Pine Woods back to the entrance gate.

Return to Rte 91 and head north to Exit 17. Turn right on Rte 141 at end of ramp (left if southbound on Rte 91), then left on Rte 5. Go 1.5 miles and take left at light on Mt. Park Road. This road ends at a gate after crossing over Rte 91 with cars parking on either side of road as close to the end as possible. From the gate, walk south downhill on paved trail parallel to Rte 91, then follow trail to right until you reach the foot of the dike. Climb up next to the brick pump house and survey the reservoir. For a closer view of the south end of the reservoir, walk along the top of the dike to where the lower trail rises up to meet you, and then return to starting place. If time permits, you can walk through woods around the circumference of the reservoir back to starting point. From Allen Bird Club Birding Spots webpage

About Ashley Reservoir
The Ashley Reservoir, constructed in 1897 and located in the City of Holyoke, Massachusetts, is owned and operated by the Holyoke Water Works. The Reservoir has an impound capacity of 795 million gallons and a safe yield of 2.1 million gallons of water per day. The Reservoir drainage area is 1,261 acres, of which 1,320 acres encompassing both the Ashley and McLean Reservoirs is owned by the Holyoke Water Works. The Ashley Reservoir dam is an earthen fill dam with a total height of 12 feet and an approximate length of 640 feet. The dam is classified by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) as an Intermediate size structure and a Significant (Class II) hazard dam. From Ashley Reservoir webpage



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media type="custom" key="28828612" || L361697 US US-MA US-MA-013 42.1752583 -72.6591222 Ashley Reservoir