Shorebirds of Southern Nevada

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Shorebirds are truly impressive flyers – their bodies are sleek, their wings pointed and long. They move quickly and powerfully across the sky with fast, shallow wingbeats, propelled forward by powerful pectoral muscles. In 2022, one species of shorebird had its moment in the national news cycle as major newspapers picked up on impressive results from a study which tagged shorebirds called Bar-tailed Godwits. A few godwits in Alaska were captured by biologists, tagged with low-weight tracking beacons, and released. These birds breed in Alaska, but head down to New Zealand or Tasmania for the winter. Until birds could be tracked using modern, light-weight systems, no one could say for certain how long it takes for these migratory birds to get from one place to another, and which routes they take. But the results from the biologists’ tracking and reporting on their birds were newsworthy: one bird had flown from Alaska to New Zealand, flying across most of the Pacific Ocean, a route of more than 8,400 miles, in just eleven days. The bird was four months old.


Anyone who caught this news, even biologists and birders already paying attention to shorebirds, would have likely been impressed. But while the godwit may be a world superlative, we here in Nevada are also in luck, as our area plays host to its own impressive assemblage of long-distance athletes. To see them, you’ll need to visit the right habitats at the right time of year.

The word “shorebird” refers to a related group of bird families, and includes jacanas, avocets, stilts, plovers, and the richly diverse sandpipers. Some of the plovers and most of the sandpipers are long-distance migrants, meaning that their populations will cover vast amounts of ground throughout the year depending on the season. Yellowlegs breed in the spruce forests of Alaska and Canada and spend the winter in the southern states, Mexico, and tropical America. Western Sandpipers breed in open tundra in Alaska and then head to coastal Mexico. Long-billed Curlews breed in arid prairies across the west, but head to the Pacific and Gulf of Mexico to feed on crabs for the winter.


There are about fifty species of shorebirds whose populations can be found in North America at some point during the year. Some species rarely leave the coastlines of the Pacific or Atlantic, but most shorebirds that criss-cross the continent’s interior will show up in Nevada. When they do, most will assuredly be near water. Aside from the Killdeer and Long-billed Curlew, Nevada's shorebirds will need to locate a water source for finding food and security. Wetlands, pond and lake edges, and shallow flooded areas, like Ash Meadows NWR, Las Vegas Wash, and Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve, are the preferred stopover habitats for shorebirds that migrate through Nevada twice a year. During the late summer or early fall, you may also find shorebirds feeding in flooded dry lake beds. Monsoons can fill ancient lakes with water, inviting small tadpole shrimp out of dormancy in the dried sediment.


To find and observe shorebirds, visit wetlands or flooded areas with expansive, shallow water and mudflats. Most shorebirds avoid areas close to dense vegetation, where predators can ambush them. Spring migration may begin in March, peak in late April, and continue into May. Fall migration can begin as early as late July, gain momentum in August, and peak in early September. Small number of Greater Yellowlegs and Long-billed Dowitchers may overwinter in wetlands, while Killdeer are in the region throughout the year. At all times of the year, shorebirds will mix and mingle, often congregating where the water levels are optimal and the found bountiful.

We don’t get more than a few optimal weeks per year to observe shorebirds. Many of them look similar, and they’re often skittish and sometimes observed only from a distance. For these and other reasons, shorebirds can be challenging to birders of all skill levels. Try doing the following when you see a shorebird this spring: first, get an impression of the shape of the bird. Look at the shape of the beak, as well as the beak length relative to the size of the bird’s head. Unless the bird is wading, you should be able to see the length of the bird’s legs. Note the leg color, and get a sense of the bird’s back and wing colors. Check the breast or flanks for any patterns and their colors.


Watch the bird’s forward movements, and how the bird appears to look for food. Yellowlegs stride and pick at the surface, dowitchers move slowly along as they aggressively probe in the mud, and short-legged Western Sandpipers run quickly at the edge of any shallow water source.


Finally, listen for any vocalizations that the bird may make. During migration, shorebirds are usually only giving simple calls, but most are recognizable to species by these sounds. Some shorebirds make simple notes, often repeated, while some may chatter quickly. Most plovers tend to give long whistling notes.


By getting a sense of the bird’s beak and body shape, how the bird moves and forages, where in the water or shore the bird feeds, and a sense of color and pattern of the bird, you will collect many of the key pieces to identifying most shorebirds under most circumstances. Continue to hone in on the personalities and subtle patterns of these birds, and you’ll find yourself always looking to discover something new about shorebirds. Head to wetlands and begin searching around muddy areas bordered by shallow water. These areas are critical stopover habitats for shorebirds and other water birds that migrate through the arid west, where late April-early May is the window for peak numbers and diversity.


Photo: Least Sandpiper by Alex Harper

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Connecting Birding to PTSD For students coping with PTSD, mindful birding offers a grounding practice that is both accessible and flexible. It requires no prior experience and can be done anywhere, even while walking to class. A student feeling dysregulated might pause to listen to birdsong, notice the flight of a sparrow, or observe the seasonal rhythms on campus. These moments provide a break from intrusive thoughts, reconnecting the student with body, mind, and surroundings. This connection to nature can create a sense of safety and predictability, something many survivors of trauma desperately need. The cyclical patterns of bird life remind us that the world continues in order, even amid personal chaos. Measurable Examples During the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers at the University of North Carolina, Greensboro found that combining mindfulness with time in nature significantly reduced anxiety symptoms in students (Vitagliano, 2023). This serves as a vital lesson for higher education, where counseling centers are stretched beyond capacity. While campus green spaces are therapeutic as they boost students' physical, mental, and social well-being, not all campuses can afford to expand green infrastructure. Birding, however, is free. It can be practiced anywhere, costs nothing, and helps students connect with nature in a restorative way. Programs like Audubon on Campus demonstrate that mindful birding is not only feasible but also practical and appealing for budget-conscious administrators. A qualitative analysis on the impact of ecotherapeutic mental health interventions on stress reduction and mental well-being was conducted. All ecotherapeutic methods (nature-based mindfulness, forest therapy, and therapeutic ornithology) were found to improve general well-being at various levels and dimensions. These levels include sensory, emotional, cognitive, language, and emotional state. Participants of the study reported increased feelings of relaxation, release of tension, increased awareness, and aroused curiosity. (Simonienko, 2023) How Universities Can Act Universities are well-positioned to make mindful birding more accessible. Audubon on Campus, the collegiate branch of the National Audubon Society, already hosts birding events throughout the academic year. By partnering with campus mental health services and victim advocate programs, these initiatives could expand into intentional ecotherapy opportunities for students living with PTSD. Providing mindful birding workshops, guided walks, or even simple campus maps highlighting bird-rich areas could help students build grounding practices into their daily lives. The cost is minimal, but the potential benefits of greater resilience, stronger community connections, and improved well-being are immense. A Call to Listen As the prevalence of PTSD rises, universities must look beyond conventional therapies and consider innovative, accessible options for healing. Mindful birding is not a cure, but it is a powerful tool to help survivors reconnect with themselves, their peers, and their campuses. Birds are everywhere, singing and flying, reminding us of the continuity and resilience of life. By encouraging students to listen, notice, and engage, universities can give trauma survivors not just a coping strategy, but a pathway back to healing. Zhai, Yusen, and Xue Du. “Trends in Diagnosed Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Acute Stress Disorder in US College Students, 2017-2022.” JAMA Network Open 7, no. 5 (May 30, 2024). https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.13874. “Mindful Birding.” The Mindful Birding Network. Accessed August 29, 2025. https://www.themindfincludeulbirdingnetwork.com/mindful-birding . Vitagliano, L. A., Wester, K. L., Jones, C. T., Wyrick, D. L., & Vermeesch, A. L. (2023). Group Nature-Based Mindfulness Interventions: Nature-Based Mindfulness Training for College Students with Anxiety. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(2), 1451. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph2002145 Simonienko, Katarzyna, Sławomir Murawiec, and Piotr Tryjanowski. “The Impact of Ecotherapeutic Mental Health Interventions (Forest Therapy, Therapeutic Ornithology, and Nature-Based Mindfulness) on Stress Reduction and Mental Wellbeing: A Qualitative Analysis.” Psychiatria i Psychologia Kliniczna 23, no. 4 (December 29, 2023): 324–31. https://doi.org/10.15557/pipk.2023.0040. Skyler Peterson is now the AmeriCorps Service Member for Red Rock Audubon. This story was written prior to her employment with the organization.