180th Street Marsh
180th Street Marsh
Vermillion Township, Dakota county, MN
about 50 acres; Marsh
Spring 2022 update:
We visited this site for the first time in a couple of years. The gravel road bed has been elevated so, going forward, flooding will be less of an issue. But the elevation did not include any shoulders and the private land at either end is marked 'No Parking/No Trespassing'. People are still birding there but I don't know where they are parking.
In Feb 2020: an announcement was made at a Minnesota River Valley Audubon Chapter meeting that the 180th St Marsh has been purchased and will be developed as a natural area with some enhancements for birdwatching. At the time (and subsequently), I didn't have any more details on which entity purchased the land and I can't find any news of this online. There was a sign in the marsh area that indicated some natural/preservation status but stating the land was still private. Contrary to providing 'some enhancements for birdwatching', the area is, in my opinion, less optimal for bird-watching. The only way I can see that one can bird watch here is to park in the street and move if a car is coming. Not something I'm comfortable doing. If someone wanted more info on how to bird this area, I would suggest finding someone who has made recent observations at the marsh and ask them for guidance.
iNaturalist observations made at or near 180th St Marsh
Marsh Notes
This area is a low marshy spot with farms on each side. There are essentially four 'pools (two on each side) surrounded by native vegetation. Some birding can be done with binoculars but a scope will be needed to see deeper into the marsh pools.
The marshes and the lands on all sides are private so it is important to be respectful of the land owners while visiting and all birding is done from the road only.
One accesses the marsh by driving along 180th St and parking on the (quite narrow) shoulder of the gravel road which isn't highly traveled but all traffic (besides birders) is likely all from the nearby residents (making it important to be a respectful visitor) and can include farm equipment.
Birds: "This is one of the few surviving wetlands in this agricultural area of the county. Portions of the wetland have deep water where diving ducks find a place to feed during migration. The numbers of individuals using the wetland are astounding. Spring and fall times really are when you can count hundreds and hundreds of migrating birds. Native vegetation has been preserved on much of the site so a place for breeding birds exists. Sora and Virginia Rails, Marsh Wren, Common Yellowthroat and Yellow-headed Blackbirds all nest at the marsh. (and..) You never know when a Common Gallinule, American Bittern, Cattle Egret or Long-tailed Duck might show up." (City of Hastings pdf)
Other birds seen by us: Brown Thrasher, Killdeer, Black Tern, Canvas Back, Ruddy Duck, Greater Yellowlegs, Bufflehead, Redhead, Nothern Shoveler, Pied-billed Grebe, Cedar Waxwing, Dickcissel, Bonaparte's Gull
Other Wildlife and Plants: This spot is primarily visited by birders but butterflies and dragonflies can be found here as well as the native vegetation. There are muskrats and we've seen a turtle once and heard frogs in this area but never actually 'seen' them.
note: In very wet years, the entire road can be flooded and it, in fact, remained flooded during the entire summer of 2019. In that case, one must approach from one side of the marsh and bird in that area, then - if desired - drive around and approach from the other side to bird that area. Additionally, this meant that the drive-able road often terminated very near people's houses and driveways. During this flooding, consideration dictated that birders not park very close to their houses and/or use their driveways as turnarounds.
Visits
We've visited this Marsh quite a few times and often combine it with a trip to other Dakota county locations such as 140th Street Marsh, Great Western Industrial Park, Whitetail Woods Regional Park, Lock & Dam #2 (and other nearby Hastings area parks).
Useful links/info
location: 180th St E between Fischer Ave and Goodwin Av; Vermillion Township, Dakota, MN
I found this area on Google maps and dropped a pin then saved it to a list of other Dakota county birding sights.
Google info from my dropped pin:
44°41'17.6"N 92°57'57.3"W
44.688220, -92.965903
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