A Desert Oasis for Birds and for Birders: Hiking at Clark County Wetland Park

Greater Roadrunner

 

Date: December 26, 2020, and January 1, 2021

Place: Clark County Wetland Park

Coordinates: 36.100891, -115.022587

Length: 2-3 miles

Level: easy

Pappa Quail was the one who planned our 2020 winter break trip to Las Vegas. It was an alternative to our original plan to go to Death Valley, but the national park was closed due to the pandemic. When a birder plans a vacation, birding sites are guaranteed to be on the itinerary, so after our morning hike at the Petroglyphs of Sloan Canyon we went to check out the first of the birding sites on our list - the Clark County Wetland Park. We had only a couple of hours of daylight left which left our family birders a bit wanting, so we visited this park again in the morning of our last day of the trip. The park has a very extensive trail system but for the most part we stayed around the perimeter, where most of the bodies of water were at the time. I include the map of our second visit there which was nearly one mile and one hour longer than our first. The photos posted here are from both visits. Most of the bird species we saw there were present both days, some in the exact same spot, and I included the best image of the numerous photos taken on both days. 

January 1, 2021, 3 miles

The Clark County Wetland park and birding center is full of birds. I mean, really full. Right at the parking lot there were plenty enough to hold us here for a while, before entering the grounds. 

Yellow-rumped Warbler, 12/26/2020

On our first day there, right in the parking lot, we obtained the best shot of one of the most typical birds of the southwest - the verdin. We saw plenty of verdins on both our visits in this park, but one of the best photo was that first one, in the parking lot. 

Verdin, 12/26/2020

The entrance to the park from the main parking lot goes by the visitor center. The center was, as expected, closed due to the pandemic. A little creek or canal with some water flow was running next to it and on our first day there I saw a couple of mallard ducks swimming in it. We have seen many mallards on both our visits, in air and in the water. Mallard were not the only ducks we've seen in the park, though. Clark County Wetland Park is an excellent place for migratory waterfowl to stay in winter. 

American Wigeon (below), and Ring-neck (above) Ducks, 12/26/2020

I'm not sure if ibises are considered waterfowl, but they are wetland birds. They are usually seen in flocks but we saw only one of them on our visits, and that was in flight. 

White-faced Ibis, 12/26/2020

Clark County Wetland Park was very much dry in the winter of 2020, which, on top of being a pandemic year, also was a serious drought year. The main source of water in the park is the Las Vegas Wash, and its water used to keep a few canals and ponds. Nearly all the vegetation however, as well as what I assumed to be much of the wetland area, was bone dry.

12/26/2020

We passed a few canals or creeks that had some water flowing through them. We paused by each one, looking for wildlife.

1/1/2021

The tall vegetation, even dry, is an excellent hideout for birds. On our second visit we got to see some Gambel's quail by the dry reeds. They vanished into the thickets when we approached. 

Gambel's Quail, 1/1/2021

The sparrows were less shy of us. They can fly better than quail. I find that generally, sparrows of this species are quite bold little birds. 

White-crowned Sparrow, 1/1/2021

Las Vegas is surrounded by mountains. The mountains on the northeast reminded me of ancient pyramids of a long lost civilization. 

12/26/2020

The fields of dray reeds are an excellent shelter not only for small birds but also for invertebrates, reptiles and rodents. Perched on a tall bush was one of the local predator birds - the loggerhead shrike. Shrikes hunt invertebrates and small reptiles. They hunt more than what the can eat in one meal and the excess prey they skewer on thorns for future use. 

Loggerhead Shrike, 12/26/2020

Searching for larger pray from higher above was the northern harrier. This raptor favors rodents and snakes. 

Northern Harrier, 1/1/2021

The northeast side of the perimeter trail of this park borders with the Las Vegas Wash. It was nice to see the wash flowing well. I assume there is a regular output of water from the upstream Lake Las Vegas, as well as from the larger upstream Lake Mead that keeps this wash alive. 

Las Vegas Wash 12/26/2020

On our first visit, one of the first birds we noticed near the wash was a very wet roadrunner. Seeing a roadrunner is always exciting for us, but I think this was the first time we've seen one after taking a bath. 

Greater Roadrunner, 12/26/2020

We've seen a number of roadrunners during both of our visits to Clark County Wetland Park, and all of them were near that part of the trail, right by the Las Vegas Wash. 

Greater Roadrunner, 12/26/2020

The roadrunners there seemed very nonchalant and familiar with humans. It looked like they enjoyed 'people watching' just as much as we enjoyed watching them. 

Greater Roadrunner, 12/26/2020

The wash wasn't in sight all the length of the northeast perimeter trail. When distant from the water, the trail cut through tall vegetation, much of it dry, but not all. 

12/26/2020

The tall vegetation - high bushes and low trees, was a home to many little bush birds - sparrows, warblers, and such. Pappa Quail and the elder chika took a lot of time exploring the vegetation, especially on our second visit, when time was less restricting. 

Orange-crowned Warbler, 1/1/2021

Some of the bird species were familiar to us from the Bay Area, but there were plenty of other birds, birds typical of the desert that we had to travel far to see.

Black-tailed Gnatcatcher, 1/1/2021

Verdins, for example, are desert birds that we don't get to see around our area of residence. It's a very pretty bird and, like the roadrunner, it is always a joy to see, regardless of how many times we've seen it already. 

Verdin, 1/1/2021

We've seen Anna's hummingbirds around the park on both our visits. By then I already knew that hummingbirds eat insects as well and don't rely solely on nectar. Otherwise I'd wonder how can they survive when there was absolutely no flower blooming anywhere around. 

Anna's Hummingbird, 1/1/2021

Preying on the little bush birds was the sharp-shinned hawk that was hovering over the vegetation. The hawk was pretty high up, but these raptors have and amazingly keen eyesight, and they can dive at an incredible speed when they see an opportunity. 

Sharp-shinned Hawk, 12/26/2020

The Say's phoebe however, was hunting for insects. The phoebe is of the flycatcher group of birds, which catch flying insects in mid air. Rather than hovering in the air, the phoebe perches on a hight reed and observed its surroundings, taking into flight when it sees a flying bug. 

Say's Phoebe, 12/26/2020

Swallows also hunt for flying insects, but they do that in continuous flight, looping in the air in magnificent aerodynamic mastery. 

Tree Swallow, 1/1/2021

There were places where we could go right to the wash and look directly on the water. One of these places was the northeast entrance to the park which was on a large pedestrian bridge that spanned the wash and connected to the city beyond. Naturally, we went on the bridge to get a good view of the wash. 

Las Vegas Wash, 12/26/2020

On our first visit we arrived the bridge of the Las Vegas Wash near sunset time, when the light was already fading.  The opposite bank was lit in the soft western sunlight, lighting the cattail tops with sunset gold. 

Las Vegas Wash, 12/26/2020

There were many ducks in the water, of several species, including mallards. Mallards are year-round birds, and this particular mallard on a perch of a sunken cart wheel was there on both of our visits. He was clearly the top duck there. 

Mallards, 12/26/2020

Other duck species we've seen there were migratory, over-wintering in the warmth of the desert sun. A few gadwall ducks were swimming leisurely, mixed in with the mallards. 

Gadwall, 1/1/2021

We've seen also a number of ring-necked ducks, which is another migratory duck species that over-winters in the park. These ducks are smaller and are very pretty. 

Ring-necked Duck, 1/1/2021

Downstream of the bridge the wash was a bit narrower and faster flowing, creating a layer of white foam over the water. 

Las Vegas Wash, 12/26/2020

We haven't seen many waterfowl in that part of the wash other than a few coots and gallinule, which hung by the reeds. 

Common Gallinule, 12/26/2020

Ducks were also perching on the rocks that stuck out of the water in the shallower part of the wash. On our first visit there these were mainly mallards and gadwall ducks, but on our second visit the rocky stands were occupied also by common mergansers. 

Common Merganser, 1/1/2021

On our second visit to this park we arrived at the bridge closer to mid-day when the sun was high above us. I loves how the different illumination on different times of the day gives a very different air to a place. 

Las Vegas Wash, 12/26/2020

Considering how late it was when we got to the wash on our first visit, we looped back on a short-cut trail, making it a mile shorter hike than the one we did on our second visit. 

12/26/2020

The sunset light was great to highlight to top branch sentinel birds such as the male phainopeplas, of which there seemed to be one on nearly every bush in that hour. 

Phainopepla, male, 12/26/2020

But the sun was touching the horizon when we completing the hike of our first visit at Clark County Wetland Park, and the twilight light was less than favorable for bird photographing. 

Northern Mockingbird, 12/26/2020

On the second visit at this park on New Years Day we took the longer perimeter trail, and took a few turns in and out of some inner parts of the park. The light was much brighter and we had some nice view of the mountains too. 

1/1/2021

I gave a bit more attention to the plants as well, especially to the pretty pods of the corkscrew mesquite bushes. 

1/1/2021

Our New Years Day visit was to be our last hike on this road trip and we took it very leisurely. The sun was bright but the air was cool. Although I don't remember the feeling, almost four years ago now, but I see in the photos that we wore long sleeves that morning. 

1/1/2021

Me and the younger chika lingered a bit behind and at some point, fairly early on our second visit's hike, when we caught up with Pappa Quail and the elder chika we saw them sitting on the ground and staring up into the dry branches of a descent size tree.

1/1/2021

 It was clear that they meant to sit there for a while. They had an excellent reason too: a gorgeous great-horned owl was sitting in that tree. 

Great Horned Owl, 1/1/2021

The trees, even the bare ones, held quite a bit of surprises and were definitely interesting to check out. In some cases, these were used, empty birds' nests. 

1/1/2021

There were many living birds in those trees as well. Northern flickers, a bird of the woodpecker family, we've seen on both our visits. 

Northern Flicker, 1/1/2021

Northern flickers are pretty common birds and we see them a lot in the Bay Area as well. The ladder-backed woodpecker however, we don't see often, and it was very exciting to see one on our second visit. 

Ladder-backed Woodpecker, 1/1/2021

In the inner part of the park we checked out the vegetation was thicker, and I saw places where it was also somewhat greener, despite the dryness all around. 

1/1/2021

Here too were many little birds inside and on the bushes. Most of them we saw because they mere moving constantly. Some of the birds were singing as well. 

Bewick's Wren, 1/1/2021

Pappa Quail and the elder chika were in birder's heaven. They kept seeing new birds everywhere. I enjoyed the slow, leisurely hike, but the younger chika was getting bored, and resorted to telling me stories, spinning an endless yarn. 

Ruby-crowned Kinglet, 1/1/2021

Most of the perimeter trail was paved but the inner trails were mostly packed dirt. Thankfully not too much dust was raised as we walked the dirt paths. 

1/1/2021

Most of the park was dry, including areas that I believe would have been flooded on other times of the year. There were however, a few small ponds on the west side of the park that were kept full. Naturally, we went to check those out, on both of our visits.  

1/1/2021

It was in one of these ponds that we spotted the one and only grebe we've seen in the park, and even that grebe was swimming away from us.  

Eared Grebe, 12/26/2020

There were more coots, but even these very common water birds were not very plentiful. Still, it was nice to see them floating about.  

American Coot, 1/1/2021

The larger of the pond had an observation deck and what looked like a parking area (I didn't think regular cars were allowed in there) that extended right to the water edge, perhaps to enable lowering a boat to the water. We all went to the edge and scanned that pond in search of wildlife. 

1/1/2021

There weren't all that many birds there, just a few coots and gallinules. There were however, plenty of turtles that were sunning themselves on every possible perch. 

Pond Slider Turtle, 1/1/2021

Most of the turtles we saw were of the smaller, pond slider turtle species, which is native of the east of the United States and of northern Mexico. It was introduced into the western states and took hold in the local ponds and lakes od the west. 

Pond Slider Turtle, 1/1/2021

The elder chika found a soft shell turtle too - a surprising find because these too are not native to the area, and we've never seen them before on any of out trips in the western states. 

Soft Shell Pond Turtle 1/1/2021

On the perimeter trail we were back on the pavement, which was mostly cement. The trail may have been made for human traffic, but the birds were also making good use of it.  

1/1/2021

Many sparrows, finches, and towhees hopped on the cement pavement, collecting seeds that fell down from the trail-side trees and bushes. These little birds were surprisingly bold and didn't budge until we were almost stepping on them. 

Abert's Towhee, 1/1/2021

Eventually all the little birds ended up on the trees or in the bush when we passed on the trail. They didn't stray far though, and dropped back on the trail as soon as we cleared the path.  

House Finch, 1/1/2021

As the closing photo for this hike I chose this nice view of a field of dry carding plants with the tops of the desert mountains south of Las Vegas. I would love to see this place again after a rainy period - seeing it flooded and green. So far I had not the chance to visit there again. 

1/1/2021

Clark County Wetland Park and Birding Center was one of the highlights of our 2020 winter trip to Las Vegas. In hiking term it wasn't of any challenging level, but in terms of wildlife exposure, especially birds, it was one of the superb spot I know. Certainly a place to revisit next time we have the chance.