The Sleep Inn Ponds refers to a complex of adjacent ponds located behind the Sleep Inn & Suites at Fort Lee, off Rt. 144 just east of Colonial Heights. These ponds are birded almost exclusively between late November and the end of March, as they are one of the best waterfowl spots in Prince George County. The ponds are fenced off, but the best viewing is behind the Sleep Inn, where you can walk up a berm at the base of the fence and set up a scope. To access the ponds, park on the back side of the Sleep Inn parking lot away from the main building. You will have to cut through some vegetation to get to the fence, but there are a few informal paths you can follow to avoid the worst of it. Step carefully, as there are ditches that sometimes have standing water.
One you get to the fence, birding this spot is as simple as setting up your scope and scanning the waterfowl. Some of the vegetation around the fence is overgrown, so you may have to maneuver a bit to find the best window to view. These ponds almost always have a nice assortment of waterfowl, both dabbler and divers. Among the species that have been recorded in the past are Northern Shoveler, Gadwall, American Wigeon, American Black Duck, Green-winged Teal, Bufflehead, Common Goldeneye, Hooded Merganser, and Ruddy Duck. This spot has historically been particularly good for Aythya ducks, and careful scanning can often turn up Canvasback, Redhead, and both scaup. It only takes a few trips to this spot to build up a healthy waterfowl list for Prince George. A small population of Mute Swans is resident locally, and they can often be seen here. Apart from ducks, these ponds often get large congregations of gulls resting on the water. Presumably some of these birds are from the same large flock that frequents the nearby landfill and Colonial Heights Walmart pond. While the records from this spot have all been expected species, any large gull group is worth scanning closely since Iceland, Glaucous, Lesser Black-backed, and Black-headed have all been spotted nearby.
Waterbirds are clearly the highlight of this spot, but the scrubby vegetation around the base of the fence usually has some passerines that can be coaxed out with pishing. Mostly you will find typical edge species like kinglets, sparrows, and cardinals, but House Wren has been recorded here in winter and other uncommon overwinterers could turn up. Adjacent to the Sleep Inn parking lot is a weedy field that is usually a good place to see Field and Savannah Sparrows.
eBird Hotspot: Sleep Inn Ponds
—Matt Anthony