What to look for in nature in Nevada this February

When do sandhill cranes fly north through Nevada?

• A small flock from the Colorado River

  Departures from early February to mid-March · Wintering grounds along the lower Colorado River in Arizona and California

  Many of the cranes that nest in Nevada spend the winter far to the south, in a group biologists have named for the Lower Colorado River Valley; of all the migratory crane populations, it has the fewest birds. Its winter home is mainly at Cibola National Wildlife Refuge and nearby wetlands on the Arizona and California border. A satellite-tracking study led by Texas Tech University and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service fitted transmitters to some of these birds in early 2014, and the tagged cranes left their winter quarters between early February and the middle of March. The study notes that the main breeding grounds are thought to lie in Elko and White Pine counties.

• Stopovers on the way north

  Late February into April · Pahranagat Valley near Alamo, Kirch Wildlife Management Area, Lund and the White River Valley

  The tracked cranes rested on ranch land north of Alamo, at the Wayne E. Kirch Wildlife Management Area and in the Ruby Valley before settling to nest. NDOW notes that migrating cranes may cover 200 miles in a day, yet in spring they linger for several weeks near Lund in the White River Valley. Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge, beside US 93 south of Alamo, is an easy place to check for early arrivals feeding in its fields and marsh edges. Look for tall gray birds with a red cap, walking slowly in pairs or small groups.

• Dancing in the northeast

  Mostly March, after the snow loosens · Ruby Valley and Lamoille Valley, southeast of Elko

  NDOW names Ruby Valley and Lamoille Valley, southeast of Elko, as the two largest crane staging areas in Nevada. Most cranes reach the Elko country after February ends, but late-month mild spells can bring the first pairs north early. Once there, they begin the courtship display that makes cranes famous: wings spread, heads bob, and birds bow and spring into the air. Their call is a loud, rolling rattle that carries a long way, so you will often hear cranes long before you find them.

When are desert bighorn lambs born in Nevada?

• Lambing season

  Peak usually February and March; some from mid-December to June · Steep, rocky slopes in the Mojave ranges

  The California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s natural history of desert bighorn notes that without hard winters to avoid, desert ewes can give birth anywhere from mid-December to mid-June, with the peak usually in February and March. Each ewe has a single lamb as a rule, and twins are rare. She gives birth in rough, broken terrain where predators struggle to follow, and the lamb is surprisingly nimble within a few days. A long season may be an advantage in an unpredictable desert, where one bad month could otherwise wipe out a whole year of lambs.

• The Boulder City herd

  Often grazing in the early morning · Hemenway Park and the River Mountains, Boulder City

  The sheep that walk down onto the lawns of Hemenway Park belong to the River Mountains herd, and they carry a lung disease. NDOW identified a bacterial pneumonia, Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae, in the herd in 2013, and in August 2024 testing found that three of 11 sheep carried a new strain. Lambs are hit hardest once they are weaned. In January 2026, the city reported that pneumonia had cut the herd from about 350 animals to fewer than 200, and NDOW says little can be done beyond keeping people and dogs away from the sheep. Watch from a distance, keep dogs well away, and never offer food; the city streams the park on its Ram Cam.

• Where else to look

  Early and late in the day · Lake Mead National Recreation Area; Valley of Fire State Park

  The National Park Service says bighorn at Lake Mead blend into the rock so well that a sighting is a special event, and the park’s sheep have been moved to restock ranges elsewhere in Nevada and as far away as Texas. Valley of Fire, a state park since 1935, is open from sunrise to sunset. Drive slowly, scan ridgelines and the shade at the foot of cliffs, and look for the white rump patch, which is often easier to see than the sheep.

Which birds of prey are nesting in Nevada in February?

• Golden eagles on the cliffs

  Eggs from late January onward · Cliff faces and rimrock above open sagebrush and desert, statewide

  The Great Basin Bird Observatory, which runs the Nevada Bird Count, estimates that about 3,000 golden eagles live in Nevada, and its species account lists breeding dates in the state from late January through August. Pairs hold the same territory for years and keep adding sticks to a favorite nest, mostly on cliffs, though NDOW notes they also use power towers and windmills. Clutches hold one to four eggs, the female does most of the sitting, and NDOW says hatching takes about 40 days. On calm days, watch for a pair circling together above the nesting cliff.

• The first owlets

  Hatching from about February · Old stick nests in cottonwoods, on cliffs and in quiet corners of city parks

  Great horned owls that laid eggs in January have about a month of incubation behind them by now, so some nests in the Truckee Meadows and the Las Vegas valley hold downy gray owlets this month. The female broods them closely through cold nights while the male hunts. If you have been watching a nest since January, note the day you first see a fuzzy head beside the adult.

• Bald eagles’ last weeks

  Through February · Carson Valley ranches; Lake Mead’s Overton Arm

  The National Park Service gives December through February as the high season for bald eagles at Lake Mead, so this is the month to catch them before they head north. In the Carson Valley, the chamber of commerce holds its Eagles and Agriculture weekend each winter (in 2026 it was held February 5 to 8), with ranch tours, an owl prowl and a raptor drive. Confirm this winter’s schedule and tour sign-ups with the chamber before driving over.

Why do pinyon jays start nesting so early?

• Picking a colony site

  Late winter and early spring · Where pinyon-juniper woodland thins out into open sagebrush

  Pinyon jays nest in loose colonies, and the Great Basin Bird Observatory writes that in late winter and early spring each flock settles on a nesting site, usually at the upper edge of the transition between open country and pinyon-juniper woodland. Nest building can begin as early as February when the weather allows. In Nevada, the observatory’s records of actual nesting run from late March to August, so February is mostly a month of scouting and courtship.

• Living off last fall’s pine nuts

  All winter · Pinyon woodland in the Pine Nut, Toiyabe, Egan and Spring mountains, among many other ranges

  A U.S. Forest Service review of the species says a single jay can cache more than 20,000 seeds in one season, and that stored seeds make up most of the diet from November through February. Those caches fuel courtship and nest building; studies summarized in the review found that after a big cone crop, jays breed early in the year, but when the crop fails they skip late-winter nesting and may breed in late summer instead. The National Park Service notes that young hatch after about 16 to 17 days and leave the nest about three weeks later. Listen for a nasal, laughing chorus moving through the trees, then watch for dozens of dull blue, crestless jays flying in a loose stream.

• Why they need counting

  Surveys run spring through summer · Statewide

  The observatory gives rangewide declines of roughly 4 to 6 percent a year, a startling rate for a bird that once seemed everywhere. In 2024 it ran statewide pinyon jay surveys in Nevada, searching square plots for three hours each and mapping cone crops at the same time. Every flock you log in eBird, with a count and a location, adds to that picture.

Why are coyotes so noisy and bold in February?

• Song dogs

  Mostly at dusk and through the night · Everywhere from the Black Rock Desert to suburban washes

  NDOW points out that coyotes earned the name “song dogs” for the range of yips, barks and howls they use to keep in touch. Only the dominant pair in a group breeds, and the others help defend the territory. A family usually has a single litter a year, often around six pups. On a still February night, step outside after dark and try to count the separate voices.

• Keeping town coyotes wild

  Especially during denning season · Yards, parks and golf courses

  NDOW urges people to haze any coyote that lingers near homes: stand your ground, make yourself big and loud, and never run. It also asks residents to remove what draws them in, including pet food, birdseed, trash, fallen fruit and the rodents those attract. Feeding coyotes, the agency warns, makes them bold and is illegal. Keep cats indoors and dogs on a short leash, especially at dawn and dusk.

Is it wildflower season yet around Las Vegas?

• Rain first, flowers later

  Winter storms from November to March · Mojave Desert lowlands

  Annual wildflowers sprout after soaking autumn or winter rains and spend the cool months as small rosettes hugging the ground. In February, look closely at the gravel of washes and road edges: a carpet of tiny green leaves means a bloom is coming, and bare ground means it probably is not. In NOAA’s 1991 to 2020 normals, February is the wettest month of the year at the Las Vegas airport, so storms this month matter.

• When the color comes

  Early March to late May at Red Rock Canyon; peak usually April · Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area; Lake Mead National Recreation Area

  Past wildflower reports posted for Red Rock Canyon, from the 2019 and 2020 springs, described a season running from early March to late May, with April the usual peak; each year differs with the rain. Low, warm spots near the Colorado River usually bloom first and the higher slopes of the Spring Mountains last. Early bloomers named in past Red Rock reports include filaree and desert paintbrush.

• Will El Niño help?

  Late winter 2027 · Clark County and southern Nye and Lincoln counties

  Extension specialists at the University of Nevada, Reno found that El Niño winters in southern Nevada are often, but not always, cooler and wetter than usual. If this winter follows that pattern, March and April 2027 could bring a better than average bloom, but nothing is certain until the rain actually falls.

Is February Nevada’s snowiest month, and what could El Niño bring?

How much daylight does Nevada gain in February, and when is the middle of winter?

What is in the night sky over Nevada in February?

• Mercury after sunset

  Late January to about February 10 · Low in the west-southwest, 30 to 45 minutes after sunset

  Nevadans get their best winter look at the elusive inner planet now, since Mercury hits greatest eastern elongation late on February 2, Pacific time. Five days later, at dusk on February 7, a hairline crescent hangs right next to it; you will need a clear, flat view toward the west-southwest, such as a playa edge.

• Jupiter at opposition

  Wednesday, February 10 · Rising in the east at sunset, highest around midnight

  Jupiter is opposite the sun at 4:21 p.m. Pacific time, meaning it comes up at sunset, stays up until dawn and gleams at magnitude −2.5. Rest your binoculars against a car roof and the Galilean moons appear as tiny points in a row.

• Mars at opposition

  Friday, February 19; closest to Earth on the 20th · In Leo, near Jupiter and the star Regulus

  Mars is a small target this time. Mars is nearly as far from the sun as it ever gets, which keeps this opposition modest: at closest approach, about 63 million miles away, it reaches only magnitude −1.2, a strong orange point rather than the blazing beacon of better years. After this, the red planet’s next opposition waits until 2029.

• The Snow Moon

  Saturday, February 20, exactly full at 3:23 p.m. Pacific time · Rising in the east around sunset

  February’s full moon is often called the Snow Moon. The Old Farmer’s Almanac labels it a supermoon; EarthSky’s tighter cutoff leaves it off, so think of it as nearly super. On the night of the 19th it slides very close to Jupiter, and by Saturday evening the moon, Jupiter, Mars and Regulus form a tight group in Leo. A faint penumbral lunar eclipse also takes place that afternoon, but it ends before the moon rises over Nevada, so there is nothing to see here. The ring-of-fire solar eclipse on February 6 happens far to the south, over Chile, Argentina and the Atlantic, and none of it reaches U.S. skies.

• Venus and Saturn

  All month · Venus in the southeast before dawn; Saturn low in the southwest after dusk

  Venus remains the brilliant morning star. Saturn drops lower into the dusk each week and will vanish into the sun’s glare by spring.

What can families do outdoors in Nevada in February?

Safety notes for February in Nevada