WhenToBird

Melospiza lincolnii · Passerellidae

When Do Lincoln's Sparrows Arrive in Nevada?

Adult Lincoln's Sparrow
Photo: Elijah Jaeger, CC0 1.0 via iNaturalist

Lincoln's Sparrows reach Nevada in late August, are common by early September, peak in late September (15% of checklists), and most are gone by late April.

When to look

First arrivalsAug 22-31late August
Common bySep 1-7early September
PeakSep 22-30late September
Most gone byApr 22-30late April

Best: late September. First arrivals late August; most are gone by late April. Peak: on about 15% of Nevada checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Junrare
  7. Julrare
  8. Augrare
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%5%10%15%20%Jan 1-7: 4.6% of 5121 checklistsJan 8-14: 3.8% of 3908 checklistsJan 15-21: 4.1% of 4000 checklistsJan 22-31: 4.2% of 4991 checklistsFeb 1-7: 3.8% of 3377 checklistsFeb 8-14: 3.5% of 3747 checklistsFeb 15-21: 3.5% of 4852 checklistsFeb 22-28: 5.3% of 3712 checklistsMar 1-7: 6.2% of 3745 checklistsMar 8-14: 7.8% of 3763 checklistsMar 15-21: 6.9% of 4188 checklistsMar 22-31: 7.3% of 6027 checklistsApr 1-7: 7.2% of 4679 checklistsApr 8-14: 7.7% of 4609 checklistsApr 15-21: 6.3% of 4709 checklistsApr 22-30: 4.4% of 6984 checklistsMay 1-7: 2.3% of 5702 checklistsMay 8-14: 1.1% of 5928 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.8% of 5353 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.7% of 7352 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.8% of 4360 checklistsJun 8-14: 1.0% of 4183 checklistsJun 15-21: 1.2% of 3751 checklistsJun 22-30: 1.3% of 4126 checklistsJul 1-7: 2.1% of 3231 checklistsJul 8-14: 2.6% of 3024 checklistsJul 15-21: 2.1% of 2967 checklistsJul 22-31: 1.4% of 4212 checklistsAug 1-7: 1.0% of 2828 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.7% of 3036 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.3% of 3076 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.9% of 4345 checklistsSep 1-7: 2.6% of 3369 checklistsSep 8-14: 7.3% of 3728 checklistsSep 15-21: 13% of 3535 checklistsSep 22-30: 16% of 5028 checklistsOct 1-7: 15% of 3976 checklistsOct 8-14: 12% of 3781 checklistsOct 15-21: 9.8% of 3577 checklistsOct 22-31: 7.9% of 4986 checklistsNov 1-7: 5.6% of 3592 checklistsNov 8-14: 6.1% of 3685 checklistsNov 15-21: 5.4% of 3399 checklistsNov 22-30: 4.9% of 4544 checklistsDec 1-7: 5.0% of 3162 checklistsDec 8-14: 5.2% of 3191 checklistsDec 15-21: 6.1% of 3615 checklistsDec 22-31: 4.7% 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.

Embed this map on your site

Where in Nevada

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Esmeralda CountyBest mid September · 154 checklists that week, 2,275 in all45%
  2. Storey CountyBest early October · 33 checklists that week, 1,593 in all26%
  3. Clark CountyBest early October · 1580 checklists that week, 80,458 in all21%
  4. Pershing CountyBest late September · 53 checklists that week, 1,407 in all20%
  5. Nye CountyBest early October · 415 checklists that week, 17,872 in all19%
  6. Lincoln CountyBest early October · 185 checklists that week, 3,842 in all16%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Tamarack LakeWashoe County, best late June · 37 checklists that week, 556 in all72%
  2. Corn Creek SpringsClark County, best late September · 199 checklists that week, 6,865 in all60%

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

Best time of day

In Nevada, the Lincoln's Sparrow is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (8.4% of those checklists).

0%5%10%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: 2.0% of 4313 checklists6 am: 7.5% of 17070 checklists7 am: 8.9% of 27389 checklists8 am: 6.2% of 24858 checklists9 am: 5.1% of 22012 checklists10 am: 4.2% of 19284 checklists11 am: 3.5% of 15592 checklists12 pm: 2.9% of 12432 checklists1 pm: 3.0% of 11386 checklists2 pm: 3.0% of 11262 checklists3 pm: 2.9% of 10721 checklists4 pm: 3.0% of 9090 checklists5 pm: 3.5% of 6397 checklists6 pm: 1.7% 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
January4.6%3.8%4.1%4.2%
February3.8%3.5%3.5%5.3%
March6.2%7.8%6.9%7.3%
April7.2%7.7%6.3%4.4%
May2.3%1.1%0.8%0.7%
June0.8%1.0%1.2%1.3%
July2.1%2.6%2.1%1.4%
August1.0%0.7%0.3%0.9%
September2.6%7.3%13%16%
October15%12%9.8%7.9%
November5.6%6.1%5.4%4.9%
December5.0%5.2%6.1%4.7%

Neighboring states

  • California: arrives the second week of September, 2 weeks later than Nevada
  • Utah: arrives early June, 11 weeks earlier than Nevada
  • Idaho: arrives late May, 12 weeks earlier than Nevada
  • Arizona: arrives early September, 1 week later than Nevada

Common questions

When do Lincoln's Sparrows arrive in Nevada?
Lincoln's Sparrows reach Nevada in late August, are common by early September, peak in late September (15% of checklists), and most are gone by late April.
When do Lincoln's Sparrows leave Nevada?
Most Lincoln's Sparrows have left Nevada by late April, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until the second week of May.
When is the best time to see a Lincoln's Sparrow in Nevada?
The Lincoln's Sparrow is reported most often in late September, on about 15% of Nevada checklists.
Where in Nevada are Lincoln's Sparrows seen most often?
By county, Esmeralda County, Storey County, and Clark County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Lincoln's Sparrow (counties with at least 200 checklists).