WhenToBird

Sturnella neglecta · Icteridae

When Do Western Meadowlarks Arrive in Nevada?

Adult Western Meadowlark
Photo: Aiva Noringseth, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Western Meadowlarks are in Nevada all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from mid March, peak in late May (11% of checklists), and fall back by late June. In the quietest week (the second week of February) they are still on about 3.2% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildMar 15-21mid March
PeakMay 22-31late May
Fall back byJun 22-30late June
FewestFeb 8-14the second week of February

Best: late May. Here all year; numbers build from mid March and fall back by late June. Peak: on about 11% of Nevada checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 4.2% of 5121 checklistsJan 8-14: 3.8% of 3908 checklistsJan 15-21: 4.5% of 4000 checklistsJan 22-31: 3.5% of 4991 checklistsFeb 1-7: 3.3% of 3377 checklistsFeb 8-14: 2.7% of 3747 checklistsFeb 15-21: 3.3% of 4852 checklistsFeb 22-28: 4.6% of 3712 checklistsMar 1-7: 4.9% of 3745 checklistsMar 8-14: 7.5% of 3763 checklistsMar 15-21: 7.3% of 4188 checklistsMar 22-31: 8.0% of 6027 checklistsApr 1-7: 9.3% of 4679 checklistsApr 8-14: 10% of 4609 checklistsApr 15-21: 9.9% of 4709 checklistsApr 22-30: 12% of 6984 checklistsMay 1-7: 10% of 5702 checklistsMay 8-14: 9.3% of 5928 checklistsMay 15-21: 11% of 5353 checklistsMay 22-31: 12% of 7352 checklistsJun 1-7: 10% of 4360 checklistsJun 8-14: 8.8% of 4183 checklistsJun 15-21: 9.2% of 3751 checklistsJun 22-30: 8.4% of 4126 checklistsJul 1-7: 6.0% of 3231 checklistsJul 8-14: 5.1% of 3024 checklistsJul 15-21: 5.1% of 2967 checklistsJul 22-31: 4.8% of 4212 checklistsAug 1-7: 3.2% of 2828 checklistsAug 8-14: 3.5% of 3036 checklistsAug 15-21: 4.2% of 3076 checklistsAug 22-31: 5.2% of 4345 checklistsSep 1-7: 5.6% of 3369 checklistsSep 8-14: 6.4% of 3728 checklistsSep 15-21: 6.6% of 3535 checklistsSep 22-30: 7.9% of 5028 checklistsOct 1-7: 8.2% of 3976 checklistsOct 8-14: 9.8% of 3781 checklistsOct 15-21: 10% of 3577 checklistsOct 22-31: 8.4% of 4986 checklistsNov 1-7: 7.9% of 3592 checklistsNov 8-14: 7.1% of 3685 checklistsNov 15-21: 6.5% of 3399 checklistsNov 22-30: 5.8% of 4544 checklistsDec 1-7: 5.8% of 3162 checklistsDec 8-14: 5.0% of 3191 checklistsDec 15-21: 4.2% 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.

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Where in Nevada

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Eureka CountyBest late March · 19 checklists that week, 530 in all70%
  2. Lander CountyBest early May · 50 checklists that week, 1,413 in all48%
  3. Churchill CountyBest mid April · 77 checklists that week, 3,104 in all39%
  4. Humboldt CountyBest late April · 50 checklists that week, 2,523 in all38%
  5. Elko CountyBest mid May · 214 checklists that week, 8,844 in all36%
  6. Pershing CountyBest late April · 36 checklists that week, 1,407 in all34%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Truckee River OutletWashoe County, best the second week of September · 22 checklists that week, 369 in all87%
  2. River Fork Ranch PreserveDouglas County, best late May · 22 checklists that week, 371 in all83%
  3. Washoe Lake State Park (South Beach)Washoe County, best late July · 23 checklists that week, 365 in all73%
  4. Swan Lake/Lemmon ValleyWashoe County, best mid April · 25 checklists that week, 1,492 in all70%
  5. Washoe Lake State Park (Duck Flat)Washoe County, best late April · 29 checklists that week, 391 in all63%
  6. Swan LakeWashoe County, best early May · 40 checklists that week, 569 in all62%

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

Best time of day

In Nevada, the Western Meadowlark is most often listed on checklists started between 5 and 7 am (7.8% 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: 7.2% of 17070 checklists7 am: 7.7% of 27389 checklists8 am: 7.7% of 24858 checklists9 am: 7.6% of 22012 checklists10 am: 7.7% of 19284 checklists11 am: 7.3% of 15592 checklists12 pm: 6.5% of 12432 checklists1 pm: 6.6% of 11386 checklists2 pm: 5.6% of 11262 checklists3 pm: 5.8% of 10721 checklists4 pm: 5.8% of 9090 checklists5 pm: 6.9% of 6397 checklists6 pm: 6.5% 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
January4.2%3.8%4.5%3.5%
February3.3%2.7%3.3%4.6%
March4.9%7.5%7.3%8.0%
April9.3%10%9.9%12%
May10%9.3%11%12%
June10%8.8%9.2%8.4%
July6.0%5.1%5.1%4.8%
August3.2%3.5%4.2%5.2%
September5.6%6.4%6.6%7.9%
October8.2%9.8%10%8.4%
November7.9%7.1%6.5%5.8%
December5.8%5.0%4.2%4.7%

Neighboring states

  • California: arrives the second week of September, 23 weeks later than Nevada
  • Utah: arrives mid March, in the same week than Nevada
  • Idaho: arrives the second week of February, 5 weeks earlier than Nevada
  • Arizona: arrives mid September, 24 weeks earlier than Nevada

Common questions

When do Western Meadowlarks arrive in Nevada?
Western Meadowlarks are in Nevada all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from mid March, peak in late May (11% of checklists), and fall back by late June. In the quietest week (the second week of February) they are still on about 3.2% of checklists.
When do Western Meadowlarks leave Nevada?
Western Meadowlarks never fully leave Nevada: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by late June, but some are still reported in every week, about 3.2% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Western Meadowlark in Nevada?
The Western Meadowlark is reported most often in late May, on about 11% of Nevada checklists.
Where in Nevada are Western Meadowlarks seen most often?
By county, Eureka County, Lander County, and Churchill County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Western Meadowlark (counties with at least 200 checklists).