The Village Creek Drying Beds hosts an abundance of waterfowl in winter and provide critical stopover habitat for shorebirds and other migrants in spring and fall. Image courtesy of Colby Ayers.
The Village Creek Drying Beds, arguably the best birding hotspot in the Dallas–Fort Worth area, has been closed indefinitely due to a crude oil line leak. On May 6, 2025, a transmission line with crude oil in Arlington leaked into a Fort Worth municipal sewer line, which was diverted to the drying beds for emergency containment. About 2,600 barrels-worth of oil entered the Village Creek Water Reclamation Area.
City officials responded by sealing off the Village Creek Drying Beds, which are normally used for air-drying sewage sludge, prohibiting public access due to safety concerns and legal liabilities on a temporary but indefinite basis. EPA and Fort Worth officials have stated that the oil poses no immediate public health risk, but the oil has disrupted biological treatment processes of the microbial biomass that purifies the wastewater.
The Village Creek Drying Beds is over 280 acres and located in east Fort Worth, only 14 miles south of the Dallas–Fort Worth International Airport. The site includes a variety of habitat types, including woods, open water, mudflats, marsh, and grassland. The site has 323 species on eBird, a mix of eastern and western species and even some species from southern Texas like Least Grebe. Village Creek Drying Beds is a good location for wintering sparrows, raptors, waterfowl, and shorebirds.
ABA Editor Michael Retter explained that the Village Creek Drying Beds is “one of the few accessible locations for birding in Fort Worth and all of Tarrant County, which is mostly strip malls and housing.” An article in the April 2025 special issue of Birding magazine by John Allendorf highlights this phenomenal location, especially with regard to visits while waiting connecting flights at DFW airport.
Colby Ayers, who has birded the Village Creek Drying Beds for 20 years and almost daily in recent years, describes the drying beds as “where I’ve gone to breathe, to listen, to feel connected—to the seasons, to the birds, to my own father who first brought me out there. During the pandemic, I was out at the Village Creek Drying Beds nearly every day, finding peace in the familiar rhythm of wildlife when everything else felt uncertain. This place wasn’t just a birding hotspot. It was my refuge. My community. My joy.” Ayers recently started a petition to reopen the site, which has garnered 700 signatures.
The wastewater system was constructed as a biosolid (treated sludge) drying site for the area’s wastewater treatment system. For decades, biosolids were pumped into dozens of separate beds so they could air-dry in the sun. The dried sludge was then removed each summer and made into fertilizer, a final step in the wastewater treatment chain. This system changed in 2001, when the site stopped this routine and instead became an emergency backup for biosolid storage. Now the beds collect water intermittently, supporting waterfowl during the winter.
Limited reopening of the area for birders and other wildlife enthusiasts is being considered, but, as of now, the area is totally off-limits. The Village Creek Drying Beds has been enjoyed for decades by birders, as the drying beds and adjacent ponds are one of the most birdy areas in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and even North Texas. It’s a migrant magnet that has recorded some excellent vagrants. Village Creek Drying Beds supported a Limpkin in 2022 and 2023, and in 1991 hosted a Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, a first record for Texas.
Previously, Fort Worth Audubon Society led monthly wildlife walks. With even official walks canceled as of this writing, birders are stunned and genuinely sad.
Some birders have been pushing the city not just to reopen the site but also for transparency regarding timelines for restoring access after cleanups are finished. Officials claim to be evaluating whether partial reopening to community groups is safe from a biohazard standpoint as well as from a legal risk perspective.
In the meantime, birders can bird the nearby River Legacy park, which includes some of the same habitat, and possibly consider participating in alternate field trips hosted by Fort Worth Audubon Society while its Village Creek Drying Beds walks are on hiatus.
As the future of Village Creek Drying Beds is planned, this may be a moment for birders to advocate for preservation and maintenance of the site for the benefit of the many wintering and migratory species that use the location, as well as resident and breeding species. Some birders are already engaged in such advocacy. Remember to follow the ABA Code of Birding Ethics and do not trespass while the site remains closed.
An “after” photo of the compacted sludge from the oil spill cleanup. Image courtesy of Colby Ayers.
Coincidentally, the country recently celebrated the 35-year anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The Village Creek Drying Beds offered ease of entry and flat terrain, with access to excellent wildlife encounters, and so represents a loss for birding accessibility. As the city plans the site’s future, hopefully reopening efforts will prioritize not just habitat recovery and preservation, but human accessibility as well.
Frank Izaguirre edits Birding magazine, along with Ted Floyd and Michael Retter. Frank also writes articles for the ABA’s website and creates social media posts for the association’s various social media platforms. With Kelly Smith, Frank co-runs the Bird of the Year Program, which entails working with the Bird of the Year artist and writing articles that promote the Bird of the Year Program and conservation efforts related to the Bird of the Year. Frank also regularly appears on the American Birding Podcast as a guest and occasionally as a guest host. Frank enjoys local birding in bad weather and networking with birders around the world. He also loves looking for salamanders and moths. Frank lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where his patch is Schenley Park
