Hi Texbirders,
Iâve received several requests about the location of
the âCut-off Roadâ Sod Farm in Eastern Ellis County. So I put this quick
guide together with some tips on birding the Eastern Ellis County
bottomlands along the Trinity River. First of all, I do not know the name
of the Sod Farm, thatâs just what I call it because itâs bisected by
Cut-off Road. If youâre going to work Ellis County for your Century Club
List, I highly recommend the following four spot described below. These
are: Theâ Cut-off Road Sod Farm.â âThe Cut-off Road Woodsâ.
âOilfield
Road.â And the âHwy 85 Crayfish Farm.â
Here are directions for the tour, starting with the Sod
Farms and working your way south:
From the City of Ennis which sits on I-45: Take Hwy 34 about 10 miles
east out of Ennis. Cut-off Road is the last right hand turn you can make
before crossing the bridge over the Trinity River into Kaufman County. Hwy
34 is a fast highway with lots of truck traffic. There is a mining
operation (Mon â Fri) going on just north of Hwy 34. So be aware of this.
Once you get on Cut-off road itâs generally quiet and pleasant. Itâs a
really cool spot with great views and the Trinity off to the east.
(One side note: While on Hwy 34, about a mile before you actually get to
âCut-off Road,â you may notice another part of the Sod Farm on your right.
The
light is often bad here, the birds farther away, and the truck traffic
horrific, but you can pull off and bird this if you want to. Hang on to
your scope.)
Once you turn onto Cut-off Road, set your odometer to
â0â. Once
on Cut-off Road, you will cross a wooden bridge. The bridge passes over a
slough, but donât try to look for birds and drive the bridge at the same
time. Stop on the bridge if you have to scan the slough. Once you get off
the bridge the next couple hundred feet will determine if the road is too
muddy for you. It is often very muddy here the day after a rain. Usually,
two days after a rain and the road is quite good. My rule of thumb is if
the tracks are bad enough to hold standing water, I park. The sod farm has
their own grading equipment and they keep the wide road in good shape. If
you donât want to risk the mud, turn around and park back near the
intersection with Hwy 34. The best place to park is right after you turn
off of Hwy 34 onto Cut-off Road, you can park on the right side where the
road is wide. This is before the trees and before ever going over the
bridge. I park here when itâs really muddy. It is a nearly one mile
round-trip to the good shorebird spot from here, if you choose to walk.
Ok, so after you turn onto Cut-off Road and zero your
odometer, the best shorebird spot is from .3 to .5 miles, on both side of
the road, but especially to the right.
There is a small tree on the right at .3 miles for reference. This area has
had longspurs several times in the past, but not for the last four years.
The sod farm workers and owners are friendly and they are used to seeing me
pulled over at this spot with my scope. Just wave. The road is plenty wide
here so stay on the dirt/gravel road and do not park in the grass. Also do
not block any dirt entrances into the sod fields. It goes without saying
that all birding must be done from the road. Do not walk into the fields.
Park on the either side of the road before you get to the
tree on the right. Walk and bird the road, heading south. There is a
brushy area with small trees on the right side of the road that usually
holds a variety of passerines, including many species of sparrows and
wrens. *This is the main birding area, from .3 to .5 miles south of Hwy 34*.
Heading south from here, (presumably back in your car,) the shore birding
gets more iffy, although it certainly can turn up birds. From .9 to 1.1
miles is a complex of wooden pallets and dilapidated buildings. There are
three dogs here that will harass you when passing this area. The dogs are
big and not well taken care of. These dogs will sometimes get physical
with your car, and if you go slow enough, they will try to eat your car. Once
you get away from the buildings they lose interest. The dogs always stay
around these buildings, unless theyâre out with the workers, and then they
are friendly and well behaved. Still, I do not recommend getting out of
your vehicle from .9 to 1.1 miles. Other than that, you shouldnât have any
trouble. The dogs have never approached me; I just donât get out near the
buildings. Once you get far past the buildings, there is a line of small
trees on the left which can be good during migration. There is water in
ditches all along Cut-off Road.
At 1.8 miles, the road turns right; continue on for some
good woodland birding. (Do not reset youâre odometer here.) The birding
can be good all along this road, which runs into a nice patch of mature
bottomland forest. At 2.9 miles there is a gun range. A police officer
runs the gun range. A couple of dogs will often lounge in the road in front
of the gun range. These dogs are a lot nicer and they will not cross the
bridge. Iâve seen them on the bridge but they stay very close to the gun
range entrance. Carefully cross the wooden bridge and park on your left
at 3.1 miles in the shade. I call this the Cut-off Road Woods and itâs
often very good birding here, and quiet. Park your car and walk the road in
either direction. (A passerby may stop and ask you what youâre doing, and
every once in a while a truck will haul through here, but generally the few
locals are pleasant.) I usually start out by working my way back to the
bridge and bird on the bridge for awhile as itâs a nice view of a big
thicket, willows, and streamside vegetation. This is a great place in the
spring. This patch of woods is also a good place to get out of the
north/south winds. Pileated Woodpecker is possible. You can bird all
along here until about 3.3 miles when the woods disappear. Swallow-tailed
Kites were found in this area late one summer.
At 4.6 miles you come to a stop sign facing west. This is
Hwy 1181. Go straight and the road will take you back up to Hwy 34, or make
a sharp left and drive to another secluded road called Oil Field Road. If
going to bird Oilfield road, make the hard left and go south a few miles.
Hwy 1181 makes a sharp turn to the right and it is at this spot that you go
straight onto Oilfield Road. There is an interesting spot coming up on the
right where some Saw Palmetto grows. Stop on Oilfield wherever it looks
interesting. When you get to Hwy 85 make a right, and go east for a few
miles to the Crayfish Farm which straddles the Ellis/Navarro County Line. This
is a good birding spot as long as thereâs water. There is also a
permanent pond on the north side of Hwy 85 that has ducks in season. Most
winters, large numbers of white geese roost in this area. If you do bird
this spot and use ebird, make sure you know which county youâre in, because
the County Line crosses through the Crayfish ponds and crosses Hwy 85.
Taking Hwy 85 ten miles west will take you back to I-45 and
the City of Ennis.
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