East County
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Description of the Area
This location consists of a short, unpaved semi-public road which leads to two small ponds (one on the left and one on the right), and one small lake. The name of this place (pronounced ‘jer AR doh’) is taken from prominent words on the large sign at the road’s intersection with Hwy 12 which advertises a horse stables and training service. The road is “semi-public” in that it services residences as well as the stables business. Past the lake and second pond the road leads to the stables and private residences, so do not go beyond this point. Stop and turn around to leave or to re-bird the part of the road you came in on.
How to Get There
Proceed east on Hwy 12 from Lodi till you get to the small town of Clements. Continue east and stay on Hwy 12 past its intersection with Hwy 88 (traffic light). Look for two signed roads on your right, first is Johnson Rd and then Cord Rd, which are covered in another chapter. Approximately 1.5 miles east past Cord Road, still on your right, look for the Gerardot Stables sign.
Birding the Site: The chief features are the aforementioned ponds and lake which will have waterfowl in the fall-winter-early spring seasons. The two ponds are near the road and can be birded using binoculars. The lake, however, stretches away east from the road a considerable extent and one would be well-advised to bring a scope as well as binoculars. The ponds often have some shorebirds in season when the water levels are conducive. This spot is often pretty quiet in the summer–the two ponds often dry out and the waterfowl are far fewer on the lake. While the waterfowl are the chief attraction, there are also notable passerines and other smaller birds during the fall-winter-spring seasons on either side of the road. Note: the ponds were drained and unproductive for much of 2022, but the “plumbing” has been fixed and birds have returned, including a Brown Pelican which was there for one afternoon in July 2023.
A nearby area of interest is the large marsh along Hwy 12 on the right as you are going east, just beyond the last emergency call station before the county line. This marsh is actually a continuation of the larger Gerardot Pond described above. However, this is hazardous viewing due to the traffic, so make sure you pull completely off this very busy highway before you try to check out the birds there. In the past, this marsh sometimes held American Bitterns, breeding Tricolored and Yellow-headed blackbirds.
Note: Because this road serves a business plus private residences, it can get somewhat busy. Always be courteous and yield right-of-way. When birding, park off the road on the soft shoulder. Do not stray past the last pond. So far, we have had no complaints from the residents regarding birding there. We want to keep it that way. The closest bathroom facilities are at the nearby Mokelumne Day Use area or in the towns of Wallace or Clements.
Target Birds
Year-round: Great Egret, Great Blue Heron, grackles, House Finch, Canada Goose (resident), Mallards, Belted Kingfisher, American Robin, Killdeer, Turkey Vulture, Eurasian Collared- and Mourning doves, Black Phoebe, Northern Mockingbird, California Scrub-Jay, American Crow.
Summer: As already mentioned, summer is not the time to bird this spot. Birding drops off when the hot weather hits in June (or late May) and does not pick up until the latter part of August, when fall migration begins.
Fall-Winter: It is in these combined seasons that Gerardot’s waterfowl really shine. The resident Canada Geese and Mallards are joined by Ruddy Duck, Common and Hooded mergansers, Gadwall, American Wigeon, Bufflehead and others. Shorebirds are occasionally present at the ponds with Greater Yellowlegs leading the list, plus Least Sandpiper, Killdeer, Long-billed Dowitcher and Black-necked Stilt.
Other birds of these two seasons are Double-crested Cormorant, Pied-billed and Eared grebes, White- and Golden-crowned sparrows, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Say’s Phoebe, Acorn and Lewis’s (rare) woodpeckers, American Coot, and Common Gallinule.
Spring: This season comes early in San Joaquin County, sometimes by mid- and certainly by late-February and extending until the hot, dry weather of summer. Raptors seem to pick up with Red-shouldered and Red-tailed hawks and American Kestrel; Ospreys sometimes nest here. New arrivals include Western Kingbirds, Ash-throated Flycatchers, Western Bluebird, Savannah Sparrow, Tree Swallows (and others), Great-tailed Grackles, Red-winged and Brewer’s blackbirds, and in good years Yellow-headed Blackbirds. Check the big lake for Forster’s Terns and various gulls.
Migrant: None
Rarities: Merlin, Wilson’s and Red-necked phalaropes, Brown Pelican, Violet-green Swallow, Red-breasted Sapsucker.
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More Information
Timing: Not Applicable
Parking: Park along the dirt road, without obstructing vehicles.
Facilities: No Bathroom
Accessibility: Not Available
Dogs: Not Allowed
Bikes: Not Allowed