February Birding Forecast

Author name

By Alex Harper


Neither in the depths of winter anymore and too early for the rush of spring, February is a  month that may feel more stagnant than January or March. The increasing daylight triggers  hormone production that may prepare some birds for breeding or migratory behavior. The  behavior changes in birds may be obvious when observing some species, but not observable in others. There are indeed some birds on the move in February, and they are the harbingers of  an incoming spring. 


For our local breeding birds, many will be engaging in territorial behavior or “tuning up” their  songs. Residential birds at low elevations, such as in the Las Vegas area, will be most obvious.  You’ll notice doves, hummingbirds and mockingbirds chasing each other around or displaying.  You may even catch hummingbirds in the act of collecting nest materials; spider webs are amongst some of their favorite materials. The songs of House Finches may be heard on almost  every city block in town. 


At local parks such as Sunset Park, the Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve, and Pittman Wash,  you may hear the harsh song of the Black-tailed Gnatcatcher, a rambling Crissal Thrasher, or the  hurried and stuttering song of the Abert’s Towhee. Since these resident birds are nonmigratory and are already in the area that they will attempt to breed, they can begin breeding activities  now. For many of the migratory species, they are on a different schedule. 


At our parks with water and our reservoirs, we could still see influxes of winter-driven  waterfowl, especially in diving ducks like goldeneyes, Red-breasted and Common Mergansers.  Cooler temperatures to the north or farther inland can freeze ponds over, which directly affects  the ability for waterfowl to forage for food. Diving waterfowl are impacted by any freezes, and  they’ll move around throughout February when necessary. 


February is another great gull-watching month. Virtually any species can show up at Lake Mead  during February. 

Some migratory birds are on the way from south of the border. Fast-flying swallows are  amongst the first to arrive, and they’ll trickle into wetlands such as Clark County Wetlands Park  and the Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve. Migratory Northern Rough-winged Swallows will join  the small winter flocks at the bird preserve, as will Tree Swallows, followed by a few Barns and  Violet-greens. Visit the Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve towards the end of February, and  you’ll notice the slow accumulation of swallows. 


Once the trees begin to produce new leaves again, insect and bird activity will escalate. From  March to May, surges of spring-related activities such as singing, nest-building, and migration  will be in full motion. 


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