Consider birding the grounds of the Lutheran property at the corner of 15th and McAllister after the ditch;  birds seen here may be included in your George Ditch hotspot list. 

If you also bird Daley Park, please do not combine your Daley Park and George Ditch observations in a single checklist.

Among Birds of Conservation Concern for the Sonoran Desert, Costa’s Hummingbird is a rare winter visitor, whereas Gila Woodpecker is common throughout the year, as are Verdin, and Curve-billed Thrasher, while Gilded Flicker is listed occasionally from late summer through fall. Rosy-faced Lovebird is commonly reported all year. 

Tempe's University Park historic district, with homes mostly constructed in the 1940s and 1950s, stretches south from an alley below Apache Boulevard to the railroad tracks south of 15th Street, being bounded on the east by McAllister Avenue and on the west by Mill Avenue. These borderlines would circumscribe the greatest extent of this hotspot, with the southeastern boundary overlapping or contiguous to the northern boundary of the Daley Park hotspot;  some birders might argue that the George Ditch hotspot extends no further south than 15th Street. Either way, the primary attraction is the ditch between McAllister and Mill. 

College Avenue runs north-south, bisecting the district and hotspot. A community sign at the hotspot coordinates on the east side of College states that Benjamin and Virginia George dug a ditch in 1883 to bring water from the Tempe canal, 4 miles to the east. The half mile between McAllister and Mill is all that remains above ground of that effort. While having typically at most a few inches of water flowing west, this nonetheless attracts a variety of birds. 

An unpaved road, Parkway Boulevard, lies on either side of the ditch, but attempting to bird from a vehicle on this route is not recommended. Regardless of which side you’re on, of course, birding east to west is easier in the morning and west to east easier in the afternoon. A few foot bridges allow you to cross the ditch from one side to the other, without walking the entire way between College and Mill or College and McAllister. Yards on properties (all residential) along both sides of the ditch are flood irrigated, with mature plantings of pecan and citrus trees, as well as various shrubs. A few trees, including palms and palo verde, also appear directly at ditch-side. A number of alleys run north-south from the Parkway on the ditch’s south side.

As far as parking, it is easiest of leave your vehicle at Daley Park and walk up (plus you get to submit separate lists for the 2 hotspots!).  You may be able to use visitor parking at St. Luke’s Hospital across Mill from the west end of the hotspot, but most parking in the historic district requires a special permit. You are less likely to encounter persons experiencing homelessness at this hotspot than at most Tempe parks.