Skunk Creek

Fast Flight Facts

Target Species:  Migrants

Elevation: 1170'

Habitat:  Floodbelt area with a nice clump of riparian habitat

Overall Birding Rating: 2

Difficulty: 1-2 (Easy to Fairly Easy)

Birding Type: Easy Hiking

Facilities:  None, restrooms at nearby park

Fees/Ownership:  None/City of Peoria

Closest Town or City/How far from Phoenix:  Peoria /15.3 miles northwest of Phoenix

Getting there:  Located between Thunderbird Road and Greenway Roads adjacent to 83rd Avenue in Peoria

Overview:  Skunk Creek is a floodbelt area in Peoria, mostly a grassy and rocky area with a small canal running through.  For the most part, birdlife is very low down in the floodbelt.  However, just east of 83rd Avenue and south of Bell, a small but very attractive patch of riparian plants and trees have been planted, consisting of many willows, a few cottonwoods, and others.  It is good for migrating songbirds, and is well worth checking if in the area.  It's a noticeable patch of big green trees, and would certainly be noticeable to migrants on the move.  West of this patch, some of the mesquite and paloverde habitats might have good birding as well.  Further east, Skunk Creek is relatively bird less itself, but if on the path, one will walk by housing developments that have farmlands and orchards, which could very well hold interesting birds.

Directions:  Skunk Creek is located in Peoria.  The good habitat mentioned lies just east of 83rd Avenue with between Thunderbird Road to the south and Greenway Road to the north.  It also lies just east of the Loop 101.  A good way to get here would be to take the 101 to the Thunderbird Road exit.  Once exiting the 101, take Thunderbird Road a very short distance to Rio Vista Blvd.  Take Rio Vista Blvd all the way northeast a short distance as well until a dead end is reached at a few baseball fields and children's park.  Park here and follow the Skunk Creek Trail east past the 101 bridge and the 83rd Avenue bridge, where the good habitat will be just east of 83rd Avenue.  Once to the patch of trees, go inside the patch and look for birds, there seems to be more habitat once inside the patch than outside of it.

Pages:

Skunk Creek Maps

Scenes and Sights from Skunk Creek:

Back to Area 6-Peoria, Glendale, and North Phoenix