Description

Duck Creek, on the southeast side of the Las Vegas Valley, is part of the Clark County Wetlands Park and right along Las Vegas Wash. In recent years, Clark County, in partnership with Duck Unlimited, has dredged 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. High water, creeks, and dense vegetation prevent making a complete loop. The area was being managed to prevent tall vegetation from taking over and crowding out the birds and bird watchers, but they don't always do a very good job.

Birders can also walk out to the Lower Duck Creek area along Las Vegas Wash downstream from the Duck Creek Ponds. Wetlands restoration in this area seems to change frequently, sometimes affecting access to this area.

Duck Creek Trailhead serves three accessible trails that fan out northeast, east, and southeast. Each of the three trails end at a fourth accessible trail: Dragonfly Divide Trail.

The east and southeast trails, Duck Creek Trail and Coyote Howl Trail, start at a common point, but fork about 200 yards out. Staying left at the fork onto the middle trail (Duck Creek Trail), the trail continues for a total of 440 yards to Dragonfly Divide Trail. The south-most trail (Coyote Howl Trail) continues for a total of 650 yards to Dragonfly Divide Trail.

The north-most trail is Quail Run Trail, which winds through mesquite and shrub thickets for 0.34 miles and ends at Dragonfly Divide Trail.

At Dragonfly Divide Trail, birders can loop back to the Duck Creek Trailhead using another of the Duck Creek trails, continue north into the Wetlands Park, head east into the Mitigation Ponds, or hike south along the Las Vegas Wash.

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 Trail, 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 (recently, roads between the ponds have had "closed area" signs).

Location

Link to Overview Map, Detailed Trails Map, or Duck Creek Ponds and Las Vegas Wash map. Download official brochure map (PDF).

Duck Creek Trailhead is located in the southeast corner of the Las Vegas Valley. From downtown, drive south on Highway 93-95 and exit onto Tropicana eastbound. Drive east until Tropicana bends right in a broad, 45-degree turn and becomes Broadbent Blvd. Continue on Broadbent to the Duck Creek Trailhead, on the left. Park here; this is the trailhead (Site 0711). For details, see Duck Creek Trailhead.

From the trailhead, two paved trails run eastward towards the Duck Creek Ponds. The main trail, the Duck Creek -- Coyote Howl Trail runs directly out the back of the picnic area. This trail forks, with the left fork becoming the Duck Creek Trail, and the right fork becoming the Coyote Howl Trail. These trails access the Duck Creek Ponds.

The other trail leaving the trailhead (Quail Run Trail) exits the parking lot northbound just north of the picnic area. This trail is a good way to walk to the Wetlands Park Visitor Center.

Hours

Open, dawn to dusk, every day.

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