WhenToBird

Sialia currucoides · Turdidae

When Do Mountain Bluebirds Arrive in Nevada?

Adult male Mountain Bluebird
Photo: Josiah Londerée, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Mountain Bluebirds reach Nevada in the second week of May, are common by late May, peak in late June (4.0% of checklists), and most are gone by early September.

When to look

First arrivalsMay 8-14the second week of May
Common byMay 22-31late May
PeakJun 22-30late June
Most gone bySep 1-7early September

Best: late June. First arrivals the second week of May; most are gone by early September. Peak: on about 4.0% of Nevada checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%2%4%6%Jan 1-7: 2.5% of 5121 checklistsJan 8-14: 3.4% of 3908 checklistsJan 15-21: 3.8% of 4000 checklistsJan 22-31: 3.6% of 4991 checklistsFeb 1-7: 2.7% of 3377 checklistsFeb 8-14: 2.3% of 3747 checklistsFeb 15-21: 2.1% of 4852 checklistsFeb 22-28: 3.8% of 3712 checklistsMar 1-7: 3.2% of 3745 checklistsMar 8-14: 2.8% of 3763 checklistsMar 15-21: 2.3% of 4188 checklistsMar 22-31: 1.8% of 6027 checklistsApr 1-7: 1.5% of 4679 checklistsApr 8-14: 1.4% of 4609 checklistsApr 15-21: 1.1% of 4709 checklistsApr 22-30: 1.2% of 6984 checklistsMay 1-7: 1.4% of 5702 checklistsMay 8-14: 1.3% of 5928 checklistsMay 15-21: 1.7% of 5353 checklistsMay 22-31: 1.8% of 7352 checklistsJun 1-7: 2.6% of 4360 checklistsJun 8-14: 3.8% of 4183 checklistsJun 15-21: 4.2% of 3751 checklistsJun 22-30: 3.5% of 4126 checklistsJul 1-7: 4.2% of 3231 checklistsJul 8-14: 3.9% of 3024 checklistsJul 15-21: 3.3% of 2967 checklistsJul 22-31: 3.5% of 4212 checklistsAug 1-7: 2.3% of 2828 checklistsAug 8-14: 2.3% of 3036 checklistsAug 15-21: 2.7% of 3076 checklistsAug 22-31: 2.4% of 4345 checklistsSep 1-7: 1.8% of 3369 checklistsSep 8-14: 1.2% of 3728 checklistsSep 15-21: 1.4% of 3535 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.3% of 5028 checklistsOct 1-7: 1.3% of 3976 checklistsOct 8-14: 1.8% of 3781 checklistsOct 15-21: 1.7% of 3577 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.2% of 4986 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.7% of 3592 checklistsNov 8-14: 2.0% of 3685 checklistsNov 15-21: 2.4% of 3399 checklistsNov 22-30: 2.0% of 4544 checklistsDec 1-7: 2.6% of 3162 checklistsDec 8-14: 2.2% of 3191 checklistsDec 15-21: 3.0% of 3615 checklistsDec 22-31: 2.3% 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. Pershing CountyBest the second week of January · 11 checklists that week, 1,407 in all35%
  2. Mineral CountyBest early March · 36 checklists that week, 1,635 in all27%
  3. Eureka CountyBest early April · 14 checklists that week, 530 in all26%
  4. White Pine CountyBest early April · 68 checklists that week, 5,465 in all24%
  5. Churchill CountyBest late December · 35 checklists that week, 3,104 in all24%
  6. Storey CountyBest early May · 64 checklists that week, 1,593 in all20%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Island LakeElko County, best late August · 37 checklists that week, 340 in all70%
  2. Island Lake (southeast)Elko County, best mid July · 20 checklists that week, 138 in all41%
  3. Corn Creek SpringsClark County, best late January · 150 checklists that week, 6,865 in all39%
  4. Nevada State Maximum Security PrisonCarson City, best late December · 23 checklists that week, 1,008 in all16%
  5. Tamarack LakeWashoe County, best early July · 42 checklists that week, 556 in all16%

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

Best time of day

In Nevada, the Mountain Bluebird is most often listed on checklists started between 11 am and 1 pm (2.5% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%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: 4.6% of 4313 checklists6 am: 1.9% of 17070 checklists7 am: 2.0% of 27389 checklists8 am: 2.3% of 24858 checklists9 am: 2.4% of 22012 checklists10 am: 2.3% of 19284 checklists11 am: 2.5% of 15592 checklists12 pm: 2.6% of 12432 checklists1 pm: 2.2% of 11386 checklists2 pm: 2.3% of 11262 checklists3 pm: 2.4% of 10721 checklists4 pm: 2.2% of 9090 checklists5 pm: 2.2% of 6397 checklists6 pm: 2.3% 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
January2.5%3.4%3.8%3.6%
February2.7%2.3%2.1%3.8%
March3.2%2.8%2.3%1.8%
April1.5%1.4%1.1%1.2%
May1.4%1.3%1.7%1.8%
June2.6%3.8%4.2%3.5%
July4.2%3.9%3.3%3.5%
August2.3%2.3%2.7%2.4%
September1.8%1.2%1.4%1.3%
October1.3%1.8%1.7%1.2%
November1.7%2.0%2.4%2.0%
December2.6%2.2%3.0%2.3%

Neighboring states

  • California: arrives mid May, 1 week later than Nevada
  • Utah: arrives late February, 10 weeks earlier than Nevada
  • Idaho: arrives the second week of March, 8 weeks earlier than Nevada
  • Arizona: arrives mid August, 13 weeks later than Nevada

Common questions

When do Mountain Bluebirds arrive in Nevada?
Mountain Bluebirds reach Nevada in the second week of May, are common by late May, peak in late June (4.0% of checklists), and most are gone by early September.
When do Mountain Bluebirds leave Nevada?
Most Mountain Bluebirds have left Nevada by early September, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until the second week of September.
When is the best time to see a Mountain Bluebird in Nevada?
The Mountain Bluebird is reported most often in late June, on about 4.0% of Nevada checklists.
Where in Nevada are Mountain Bluebirds seen most often?
By county, Pershing County, Mineral County, and Eureka County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Mountain Bluebird (counties with at least 200 checklists).