The name may be a bit misleading, but the adjective sweet certainly applies to the birding opportunities at these water-reclamation ponds. The riparian habitat is important for wildlife in the absence of the cottonwood gallery forest that used to exist along the nearby Santa Cruz River. As such, it is a green jewel in an otherwise arid environment.
My favorite time to visit is in the evening just before the sun goes down, when activity peaks again after the warmth of the day. In winter, White-crowned Sparrows and Green-tailed Towhees join the resident Abert’s Towhees to scratch for food on the paths. The bulrush-filled ponds attract large flocks of noisy Red-winged and Yellow-headed Blackbirds, which in turn attract the attention of sharp-eyed Cooper’s Hawks. Harris’s Hawks are often vocal while settling in for the night in nearby eucalyptus trees. The lower settling basins often vary in the amount of water they hold, so checking each one assures a great mix of shorebirds and waterfowl.
In my experience, no other locale in urban Tucson is as pleasant or as surprising to bird as Sweetwater. — Matthew Brooks
Matthew Brooks is the education outreach specialist for the Tucson Audubon Society. He also wrote about Sabino Canyon, Tucson, Arizona, Hotspot Near You No. 34, Mendenhall Glacier Recreation Area, Juneau, Alaska, No. 41, and Mesilla Valley Bosque State Park, Las Cruces, New Mexico, No. 103.
Directions
Sweetwater Wetlands is a bird magnet in Tucson. From westbound I-10, exit at Prince Rd. and turn left. At the T-intersection with Business Center Dr., turn right and follow it as it becomes River Park Rd. After 0.33 mile, turn right on Commerce Dr., then left on Benan Venture Dr., and left on Sweetwater Dr. The parking lot is on your left.
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At a Glance
Click on the coordinates below to view location:
32°16’45.45″N 111°1’23.98″W
Habitat
Open-water ponds, wooded ponds, marshes with bulrushes, thick riparian brush, a short stretch of manmade stream, and adjacent disturbed desert scrub.
Terrain
Wide, level trails around most ponds. The main trail is paved for the first 200 meters to permit wheelchairs.
Birds
Resident: Abert’s Towhee, Harris’s and Red-tailed Hawks, Great Horned Owl, Cactus Wren, Common Yellowthroat, Northern Cardinal, Pyrrhuloxia, Greater Roadrunner, Ladder-backed Woodpecker, Song Sparrow. Winter: many species of waterfowl, shorebirds, Marsh Wren, Green Heron, Virginia Rail, Sora, Yellow-headed Blackbird, Yellow-rumped Warbler. Summer: Lucy’s Warbler, Black-necked Stilt, American Avocet, Tropical, Cassin’s, and Western Kingbirds. Rarities: Neotropic Cormorant, Tricolored Heron, Purple Gallinule, Black-bellied Whistling-Duck, Least Tern, Elegant Trogon, Least Grebe, and many vagrant warblers.
When to go
Fall, winter, and spring. Shorebird migration is protracted, with birds around most months. Summer is hot but can be good in the mornings. Desert species present all year.
Amenities
Restrooms and a water fountain in the parking lot. Hotels and restaurants east on Prince Rd. or south on the frontage road along the interstate.
Access
City water-treatment facility. No entrance fee. Hours are dawn until one hour after dusk from Tuesday to Sunday, and 8 a.m. until one hour after dusk on Monday.
Tips
Bring sun protection and water.
For more info
Tucson Audubon Society, (520) 629-0510.
Tucson Water