WhenToBird

Haemorhous cassinii · Fringillidae

When Do Cassin's Finches Arrive in Nevada?

Adult male Cassin's Finch
Photo: Craig Martin, CC0 1.0 via iNaturalist

Cassin's Finches reach Nevada in mid January, are common by mid February, peak in late June (13% of checklists), and most are gone by late August.

When to look

First arrivalsJan 15-21mid January
Common byFeb 15-21mid February
PeakJun 22-30late June
Most gone byAug 22-31late August

Best: late June. First arrivals mid January; most are gone by late August. Peak: on about 13% of Nevada checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Decuncommon

Darker months: more checklists report it. Outlined: peak month.

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 1.7% of 5121 checklistsJan 8-14: 2.1% of 3908 checklistsJan 15-21: 2.8% of 4000 checklistsJan 22-31: 3.7% of 4991 checklistsFeb 1-7: 2.3% of 3377 checklistsFeb 8-14: 3.7% of 3747 checklistsFeb 15-21: 3.5% of 4852 checklistsFeb 22-28: 4.3% of 3712 checklistsMar 1-7: 5.1% of 3745 checklistsMar 8-14: 5.3% of 3763 checklistsMar 15-21: 5.0% of 4188 checklistsMar 22-31: 4.8% of 6027 checklistsApr 1-7: 5.8% of 4679 checklistsApr 8-14: 6.1% of 4609 checklistsApr 15-21: 6.9% of 4709 checklistsApr 22-30: 6.8% of 6984 checklistsMay 1-7: 8.2% of 5702 checklistsMay 8-14: 9.0% of 5928 checklistsMay 15-21: 7.6% of 5353 checklistsMay 22-31: 8.6% of 7352 checklistsJun 1-7: 9.6% of 4360 checklistsJun 8-14: 10% of 4183 checklistsJun 15-21: 13% of 3751 checklistsJun 22-30: 12% of 4126 checklistsJul 1-7: 12% of 3231 checklistsJul 8-14: 13% of 3024 checklistsJul 15-21: 11% of 2967 checklistsJul 22-31: 9.6% of 4212 checklistsAug 1-7: 7.4% of 2828 checklistsAug 8-14: 6.7% of 3036 checklistsAug 15-21: 5.1% of 3076 checklistsAug 22-31: 4.2% of 4345 checklistsSep 1-7: 2.8% of 3369 checklistsSep 8-14: 2.2% of 3728 checklistsSep 15-21: 2.3% of 3535 checklistsSep 22-30: 2.6% of 5028 checklistsOct 1-7: 2.8% of 3976 checklistsOct 8-14: 3.3% of 3781 checklistsOct 15-21: 3.1% of 3577 checklistsOct 22-31: 3.3% of 4986 checklistsNov 1-7: 3.1% of 3592 checklistsNov 8-14: 2.1% of 3685 checklistsNov 15-21: 2.5% of 3399 checklistsNov 22-30: 2.1% of 4544 checklistsDec 1-7: 2.2% of 3162 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.9% of 3191 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.9% of 3615 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.8% of 5101 checklistsJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Share of complete checklists reporting it, by week (4 per month). Grey bars: fewer than 10 checklists, not counted.

Frequency is the share of complete checklists in Nevada that listed the bird, 2016–2025. It is not a head count, and it follows where and when people go birding. How to read it.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
today
Second week of November

Each county is shaded by the share of complete checklists there that listed the bird, blended with the weeks either side. Darker is more often. It follows where people watch birds, not how many birds there are. How to read it.

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Where in Nevada

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. White Pine CountyBest late May · 276 checklists that week, 5,465 in all28%
  2. Elko CountyBest mid July · 358 checklists that week, 8,844 in all22%
  3. Lander CountyBest mid May · 60 checklists that week, 1,413 in all21%
  4. Washoe CountyBest early July · 803 checklists that week, 53,497 in all20%
  5. Douglas CountyBest late June · 234 checklists that week, 7,476 in all19%
  6. Storey CountyBest early January · 18 checklists that week, 1,593 in all16%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Toiyabe National ForestWashoe County, best late April · 20 checklists that week, 877 in all96%
  2. Spring Mountains National Recreation AreaClark County, best the second week of July · 37 checklists that week, 748 in all91%
  3. Island LakeElko County, best the second week of July · 27 checklists that week, 340 in all89%
  4. Tamarack LakeWashoe County, best early July · 42 checklists that week, 556 in all85%
  5. Island Lake (southeast)Elko County, best mid July · 20 checklists that week, 138 in all67%
  6. Spooner LakeDouglas County, best the second week of June · 40 checklists that week, 634 in all63%

Busy spots report more of everything; compare the checklist counts before you drive anywhere.

Best time of day

In Nevada, the Cassin's Finch is most often listed on checklists started between 5 and 7 am (7.6% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%12 am: too few checklists (114) to judge1 am: too few checklists (99) to judge2 am: too few checklists (71) to judge3 am: too few checklists (108) to judge4 am: too few checklists (459) to judge5 am: 10% of 4313 checklists6 am: 7.0% of 17070 checklists7 am: 7.0% of 27389 checklists8 am: 7.0% of 24858 checklists9 am: 6.0% of 22012 checklists10 am: 4.9% of 19284 checklists11 am: 4.3% of 15592 checklists12 pm: 4.0% of 12432 checklists1 pm: 3.9% of 11386 checklists2 pm: 3.6% of 11262 checklists3 pm: 3.4% of 10721 checklists4 pm: 3.6% of 9090 checklists5 pm: 4.3% of 6397 checklists6 pm: 4.0% of 5012 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (3026) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (905) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (271) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (164) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (120) to judge12a3a6a9a12p3p6p9p
Share of checklists started in each local hour that reported it. It reflects when people go birding as well as when birds are active. Grey hours have too few checklists (under 2% of the state’s, or under 200) to judge.
Week-by-week table
MonthDays 1-78-1415-2122-end
January1.7%2.1%2.8%3.7%
February2.3%3.7%3.5%4.3%
March5.1%5.3%5.0%4.8%
April5.8%6.1%6.9%6.8%
May8.2%9.0%7.6%8.6%
June9.6%10%13%12%
July12%13%11%9.6%
August7.4%6.7%5.1%4.2%
September2.8%2.2%2.3%2.6%
October2.8%3.3%3.1%3.3%
November3.1%2.1%2.5%2.1%
December2.2%1.9%1.9%1.8%

Neighboring states

  • California: arrives early May, 14 weeks later than Nevada
  • Utah: arrives the second week of January, 1 week earlier than Nevada
  • Idaho: arrives mid January, in the same week than Nevada
  • Arizona: arrives early October, 14 weeks earlier than Nevada

Common questions

When do Cassin's Finches arrive in Nevada?
Cassin's Finches reach Nevada in mid January, are common by mid February, peak in late June (13% of checklists), and most are gone by late August.
When do Cassin's Finches leave Nevada?
Most Cassin's Finches have left Nevada by late August, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until late November.
When is the best time to see a Cassin's Finch in Nevada?
The Cassin's Finch is reported most often in late June, on about 13% of Nevada checklists.
Where in Nevada are Cassin's Finches seen most often?
By county, White Pine County, Elko County, and Lander County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Cassin's Finch (counties with at least 200 checklists).