Description

Duck Creek is part of the Clark County Wetlands Park on the east side of the Las Vegas Valley and right along Las Vegas Wash. In recent years, Clark County, in partnership with Duck Unlimited, has dredged out and sculpted six ponds near the wash. The ponds attract large numbers of ducks, shorebirds, and other wetland species (e.g., grebes, herons, and rails), plus a few oddities such as Scissor-tailed Flycatcher and Red-throated Pipit. This is also a good place to see dragonflies. The 0.4-mile walk out to the edge of the ponds is paved and nearly level. Dirt roads run along the west edge of the ponds and along the south end, although high water, creeks, and dense vegetation can prevent making a complete loop. The area is being managed to prevent tall vegetation from taking over and crowding out the birds and bird watchers.

Location

Link to Overview Map or Detailed Trails Map.

From downtown, drive south on Highway 93-95 to Tropicana. Exit the highway, turn left onto Tropicana, and drive east. Cross Boulder Highway and continue east until Tropicana bends to the right in a broad, 45-degree turn to the right (south). At the curve, Tropicana turns into Broadbent Blvd. Continue on Broadbent, but notice on the outside of the curve that Tropicana continues eastward to the Clark County Wetlands Park Visitor Center.

To get to the Duck Creek trailhead, continue around the big 45-degree curve onto Broadbent Blvd. Just past the cinder block wall on the east (left) side of the road, the Duck Creek parking lot is marked by a wooden fence and a "Wetlands Park, Duck Creek Trail" sign. Park here; this is the trailhead (Site 0711).

Restrooms (outhouses) are located near the Wetlands Park Information Center.

From the trailhead, walk east on the paved Duck Creek Trail (the Quail Run Loop Trail runs north and can be used to connect with the Wetlands Park, proper. Look for sparrows in the screwbean mesquite thickets planted along the trail. About 250 yards out, the trail forks. The better birding seems to be on the southern ponds, so stay to the right. After a total of about 0.4 miles, the paved trail ends at the edge of a very wide dirt road (Dragonfly Divide Road). The ponds are across the road. All paved trails end at Dragonfly Divide.

Bird the ponds working south along Dragonfly Divide, then swing to the east around the south side of the last pond and head east towards Las Vegas Wash, which is a total of 0.4 miles from the end of the paved trail.

After birding along the wash, turn around and walk back to Dragonfly Divide, then continue birding the west side of the ponds or walk up the dirt roads between the ponds (historically road between the ponds have had "closed area" signs).

Hours

Always open, dawn to dusk.

Fees

None.

Specialties

This is a good place to find waterfowl, shorebirds, grebes, cormorants, herons and other species associated with water, such as Osprey.

Check the mud flats for Long-billed Dowitcher (keep an eye out for rare Short-billed Dowitcher too), Least Sandpiper, various sparrows (e.g., Vesper Sparrow and Savannah Sparrow), and the occasional Pectoral Sandpiper or other interesting migrant. Keep an eye out for Sora too. Open water attracts ducks and wading birds.

The birding can be good, as evidenced by the list of birds seen by Las Vegas birder Randy Michal on September 27, 2009: Eared Grebe, Pied-billed Grebe, Least Bittern, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Green Heron, White-faced Ibis, Mallard, Cinnamon Teal, Green-winged Teal, Ruddy Duck, Peregrine Falcon, Osprey, Gambel's Quail, Common Moorhen, American Coot, Western Sandpiper, Least Sandpiper, Greater Yellowlegs, Killdeer, Mourning Dove, Verdin, Black Phoebe, Say's Phoebe, Loggerhead Shrike, Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Barn Swallow, Marsh Wren, Black-tailed Gnatcatcher, Abert's Towhee, Orange-crowned Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Savannah Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Yellow-headed Blackbird, Red-winged Blackbird, Great-tailed Grackle.

Also that day: Pectoral Sandpiper, Black-necked Stilt, Sora, Brewer's Sparrow, Red-throated Pipit, Common Merganser.