Partially moving this from a thread on the Books forum at Swissboy's suggestion.
Good sites within the Las Vegas urban area:
Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve, on Moser N of Sunset, E of Boulder Highway. Artificial ponds (used to be sewerage settling ponds) with levees planted with native and adapted plants. Good Fall through spring. Desert birds on levees, most of same spp as Wetlands Park.
Clark County Wetlands Park. Off the east end of Tropicana (E of Boulder Hwy) on Wetlands Park Lane. Saltgrass savannah with mesquite and screwbean, and reconstructed/created mesquite/cottonwood/willow riparian woodlands set amid reed grass stands in the entry area (it extends E along Las Vegas Wash for several miles.) I saw 52 species there the other day. Good for desert birds as well as aquatics, expect Crissal Thrasher, Abert's Towhee, Anna's, Costa's and Black-chinned Hummingbirds. Lucy's Warbler along the wash. Black-capped Gnatcatcher and Bushtit in brushy areas. Verdin and Gambels Quail all over. A pair of Cooper's Hawks breeding this year.
The Duck Creek Ponds are another area of the Wetlands Park. Curve south along Broadbent from Tropicana instead of continuing on Wetland Park Ln. Look on the left for the trailhead parking area. Paved trails through Reed Grass and Saltgrass Savannah to a series of large naturalistic constructed ponds. This area was just completed and planted last winter, so will be better in the future, but I've repeatedly broken 50 spp here. Bird east along the wide dirt road (eventually to be a paved trail) to the E side of the ponds, then N along the last pond to Las Vegas Wash.
Sunset Park is a County park in the SE corner of Sunset and Eastern. The SW part of the park has been preserved in a semi-natural state. Bird the mesquite-covered sand hills. Also bird the manicured mesquite bosque around the park dept headquarters. Crissal Thrasher, Abert's Towhee, Lucy's Warbler, and Bullocks and Hooded Oriole are pretty much reliable from now through summer if you're there in the morning. This spot can be reached by city bus without a hike from the nearest stop.
Red Rock National Conservation Area. West of town at the foot of the Spring Range. Blackbrush Desert (some Joshua Trees) and Pinyon-Juniper woodland. Get directions for good birding areas at the visitor center. Many species of Mohave desert and p-j birds.
North along US-95 is Corn Creek on Desert NWR. This is a premier migrant trap if you are going to be here during migration. It's good for desert resident spp year round, with some added summer residents.
If you're interested in montane birds, drive up to the Mt Charleston Natl Recreation Area in the Spring Range. N on US-95 to NV-157 and drive W up Kyle Canyon. Bird the pine-fir forest in Cathedral Rock picnic area and around the Mary Jane Falls trail head, then N on the Deer Cr Rd (NV-158), stopping to bird Deer Cr Picnic Area, and up Lee Canyon to bird the Bristlcone Trail area.
Will
Good sites within the Las Vegas urban area:
Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve, on Moser N of Sunset, E of Boulder Highway. Artificial ponds (used to be sewerage settling ponds) with levees planted with native and adapted plants. Good Fall through spring. Desert birds on levees, most of same spp as Wetlands Park.
Clark County Wetlands Park. Off the east end of Tropicana (E of Boulder Hwy) on Wetlands Park Lane. Saltgrass savannah with mesquite and screwbean, and reconstructed/created mesquite/cottonwood/willow riparian woodlands set amid reed grass stands in the entry area (it extends E along Las Vegas Wash for several miles.) I saw 52 species there the other day. Good for desert birds as well as aquatics, expect Crissal Thrasher, Abert's Towhee, Anna's, Costa's and Black-chinned Hummingbirds. Lucy's Warbler along the wash. Black-capped Gnatcatcher and Bushtit in brushy areas. Verdin and Gambels Quail all over. A pair of Cooper's Hawks breeding this year.
The Duck Creek Ponds are another area of the Wetlands Park. Curve south along Broadbent from Tropicana instead of continuing on Wetland Park Ln. Look on the left for the trailhead parking area. Paved trails through Reed Grass and Saltgrass Savannah to a series of large naturalistic constructed ponds. This area was just completed and planted last winter, so will be better in the future, but I've repeatedly broken 50 spp here. Bird east along the wide dirt road (eventually to be a paved trail) to the E side of the ponds, then N along the last pond to Las Vegas Wash.
Sunset Park is a County park in the SE corner of Sunset and Eastern. The SW part of the park has been preserved in a semi-natural state. Bird the mesquite-covered sand hills. Also bird the manicured mesquite bosque around the park dept headquarters. Crissal Thrasher, Abert's Towhee, Lucy's Warbler, and Bullocks and Hooded Oriole are pretty much reliable from now through summer if you're there in the morning. This spot can be reached by city bus without a hike from the nearest stop.
Red Rock National Conservation Area. West of town at the foot of the Spring Range. Blackbrush Desert (some Joshua Trees) and Pinyon-Juniper woodland. Get directions for good birding areas at the visitor center. Many species of Mohave desert and p-j birds.
North along US-95 is Corn Creek on Desert NWR. This is a premier migrant trap if you are going to be here during migration. It's good for desert resident spp year round, with some added summer residents.
If you're interested in montane birds, drive up to the Mt Charleston Natl Recreation Area in the Spring Range. N on US-95 to NV-157 and drive W up Kyle Canyon. Bird the pine-fir forest in Cathedral Rock picnic area and around the Mary Jane Falls trail head, then N on the Deer Cr Rd (NV-158), stopping to bird Deer Cr Picnic Area, and up Lee Canyon to bird the Bristlcone Trail area.
Will
