Kawanis Park

Fast Flight Facts

Target Species: Waterbirds

Elevation: 1200

Habitat: City park with fairly large lake and tall surrounding trees

Overall Birding Rating: 2

Difficulty: 1 (Easy)

Birding Type: Simple Walk, Walking and Scanning

Facilities: Parking, restrooms

Fees/Ownership: None/City of Tempe

Closest Town or City/How far from Phoenix: Tempe /9 miles southeast of Phoenix

Getting there: Parking area best reached from the south side of Baseline Road

Overview: Despite the fact Kawanis Park is a very crowded recreation favorite among many Phoenix and Tempe natives, in winter it's often full of waterfowl at the fairly large lake in the park. A variety of different wild ducks and geese are often present here, and will give birders a chance to easily view them with an easy and relaxing walk on paved paths around the lake. Some of the ducks are commonly tame and accept handouts from people. Because it is a large lake, a lot of the waterfowl that prefer their wild ways tend to stick in the middle of the lake. Better optics beyond binoculars may be needed at times. Some of the ducks to expect here in the winter include American Wigeon, Ring-necked Duck, Lesser Scaup, Northern Pintail, Northern Shoveler, Ruddy Duck, and maybe even Canvasback and other diving ducks. With a large amount of water, this lake will also be inviting to grebes and other waterbirds. Surrounding the lake and throughout the park are many palm, pine, and other trees which will attract different migrants or other notable species throughout the year.

Birding Tip: Kawanis Park is very simple and easy to bird. Sometimes a scope may be needed for more distant waterfowl. There are a lot of trees in the park to check for a variety of other bird species.

Directions: Kawanis Park is surrounded by several freeways, making it easy and quick to access. One route to get to the park is by taking the I-10 (Maricopa Freeway) to the Baseline Road exit. Once on Baseline Road, head east for 1.5 miles to the turnoff to Kawanis Park, which will be on the south side of Baseline Road. Another convenient way to reach the park is close by on the U.S. 60 (Superstition Freeway). Take the Mill Avenue exit south for 0.5 miles when on the U.S. 60 to Baseline Road. Head west shortly on Baseline Road for 0.1 miles to the Encanto Park turnoff on the south side of Baseline Road. These are directions to access the north and main parking lot of Encanto Park. If wanting to access the south parking lot, continue south on Mill Avenue past Baseline Road for 0.5 miles to All American Way. Take All American Way a very short distance west (left turn) to the south side and parking area of the park.

Pages:

Kawanis Park Maps

Kawanis Park eBird Data

Scenes and Sights from Kawanis Park: