A small blind has been constructed west of the wetland area. Towards the southwest end of the property, a kestrel nest box has been used successfully.

American Kestrel

This property of fewer than 4 acres, once a privately-owned, used concrete dumpsite, was donated to Southwest Environmental Center (SEC), which in 2016 began building an artificial “groundwater wetland”.  The hotspot, open to the public, now contains a small pond surrounded by cattails and has been held since 2022 by the non-profit Nuestra Tierra Conservation Project.

With the evident dropping of the water table since its original construction, the pond has shrunk in size and depth, with consequent warming of the water and fish die-offs. Given the ongoing housing development adjacent to the wetlands, preparatory to which the mesquite bosque abutting the wetland property was entirely bladed, the continued existence of the wetland, even on a reduced scale, is questionable. While documentation of bird numbers and species diversity during this period is of interest, historical eBird species-frequency bar charts are unlikely to represent future observation opportunities. Birders are encouraged to study recent lists to obtain more accurate expectations.

The hotspot may be accessed by traveling southwest underneath US-10 on Aries Avenue to its end.

 There is a video on YouTube about the creation of La Mancha Wetlands.