This spot came to local birders' attention when two Pacific Wren were found in late November 2022. It hosted this bird until March 2023 and turned up a number of other interesting birds, including locally rare Gray Catbird and Northern Parula.

A small patch of dirt on the north side of Sunset Road, just before you reach the canal, offers a close parking spot. The hotspot is located on the south side of Sunset Road. A dirt path follows the canal along its eastern edge as it heads south, then follows its northern edge as the canal curves eastward. The bulk of the birds reported from this location have come from roughly the first half mile of this dirt path. 

The phragmites and other vegetation lining the banks of the canal, which attracted the Pacific Wrens, also host wintering sparrows, especially Lincoln's. Birds are generally plentiful along the canal in winter, including Yellow-rumped (and the occasional Orange-crowned) Warblers, Woodhouse's Scrub-Jays, American Robins, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, and Northern Flickers. Pairs of American Kestrels and Black Phoebes frequent the area where the road crosses the canal, and small numbers of ducks and coots can often be seen in the water on the north side of the road. Great Egrets, Great Blue Herons, and Neotropic Cormorants can be found in the water and on the canal's banks on the south side of the road.

This is one of the easier places in El Paso to encounter Phainopeplas, which can be seen high in trees that line the canal's western edge. Spotted Towhees frequent a thorny patch of bushes in a fenced backyard along the eastern side of the path. 

The path along Sunset Canal is often used for jogging and dog-walking. The path itself is open to the public, but it abuts the private yards of residents of the El Paso Country Club neighborhood.