The Lorain dredge disposal impoundment is situated on the east side of the harbor mouth at Lorain, Lorain County. It is immediately accessed from the parking lot for a marina off Colorado St., north off Rt 6. Head down the hill, and go as far as you can winding around past the main building to the pier. You will seen a blue portable toilet. >From here there are three access points. There are dense phragmites and some woody growth separating you from the mudflat. Tom LePage, who keeps regular tabs on the comings and goings of the avifauna, has cut a path through the woody vegetation beginning somewhere due east of the toilet. I have not investigated this path so cannot comment further on finding it. It is a morning only location however, as you would be looking against the light during the afternoon. In the afternoon ( I prefer after 2:00 pm), you may walk through some dense weeds behind the toilet for about 10-15 yards and hop up onto the cement retaining wall running along the chain link fence separating the impoundment from the pier. There is just enough space to walk about 50 yards to a ladder leading down about 6 ft into the impoundment. You are past the phragmites now and only need to wade through hip high weeds (although a trail has been beaten down somewhat) for about 30 yards before reaching the exposed flat. Depending on the seiche of the day (SW wind blows Lake Erie out, NE back in) the water level may be high with shorebirds very close and concentrated or they may be quite distant. This past Monday they were very distant (another 150 yards), while Wed. they were about 75 yards away. I am told the water has been generally very high bringing birds in much closer.
For those uncomfortable with all that clambering about, from the end of the parking lot pass through the chain link fence at the gate and walk the pier. You will be able to view the shorebirds reasonable well from the fence especially if the water is high. Even on Monday with birds quite distant, I was readily able to pick out the Marbled Godwit, however peeps remain just peeps.
You can pass back into the impoundment at the north end of the pier through another gate. I have not used it this year, but a well worn path extends out through the trees and phragmites. Tips on viewing the shorebirds. Birds come and go here, especially under changing weather conditions. Best chance for something different comes just before or during the passage of a weather front. I have tracked the shorebird activity at several Lake Erie sites since 1989, and after a cold front in fall, and have discovered almost universal departure of what had been present, while usually the replacement composition is but a shade of what was. A most dramatic event took place in 1994 at Metzger Marsh when on a Friday afternoon Tom Bartlett had 20 species of shorebirds including 2 Black-necked Stilts. A cold front passed that night. I was there at dawn - nothing - not a single shorebird was present. Time - if you are serious about studying shorebirds spend time here. Partly on the chance of picking up a brief visitation by something rare, but mainly because the birds get accustomed to your presence. Don't rush it. I took 30 minutes to move 30 yards at an oblique angle to the main body of shorebirds to within 12 ft of the waters edge. Another 30 minutes and I had a regular parade of every shorebird species in the impoundment just a few feet away. The Buff-breasted Sandpiper was briefly 8 ft away. Oh yes - take a tripod. If you have a scope great take a scope but not really necessary unless you will be remaining outside the chain link fence. The tripod, however, gives you extra legs - too many apparently for shorebirds to quite make out what you are. I have been using this technique ever since I shuffled up to within 20 ft of the Gordon impoundment Sharp-tailed Sandpiper of 1984. Just don't make any sudden movements and keep those elbows at your side. Flapping them around, reaching for a camera or whatever, does not impress the locals. It is my hypothesis that warm southerly breezes, especially conditions referred to as "heat domes" which persist for a few days, induce staging by a small percentage of the those shorebirds passing over Ohio in migration. Conditions look good for Friday and Saturday. A very weak cold front is expected late Saturday. Perhaps not enough to see any changes on Sunday but I'll be curious nonetheless as to what people find.
How to get to Lorain.
From the east : Likely you will approach on Rt 2. I would exit
at Rt 611 and take RT 301 north to the Lake picking up Rt 6 turning
left toward Lorain. The last light before the bridge is where you
will turn right.
The drawbridge is under repair and blocked off. Those of you coming in from the west would usually take Rt 58 off Rt 2 all the way to the Lake at Rt 6, turning right for Lorain, and passing over the bridge. Instead take RT 58 to 611 and turn right. 611 is the next bridge south. Cross the bridge and stay in the left hand lane. This becomes a left lane turn at the first light from the bridge. Turn left and follow directly to the impoundment (going through the light at Rt 6).