Southern Nevada Birding & Wildlife Trails Partnership

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Indian Springs


Overview

The community of Indian Springs, 43mi/69km north of downtown Las Vegas, is in the US 95 Highway Corridor.  It is the home of the Thunderbirds – the US Air Force precision flying team headquartered at Creech Air Force Base.  With a population of just 1302, Indian Springs is well beyond the continuous expanse of urban/suburban development of the Las Vegas metropolitan area, but has visitor support services to support a multi-day stay.  A complex includes a 45-room motel, RV Park, plus 24-hour casino, gasoline, general store, and restaurant.

All of the preceding makes Indian Springs a desirable satellite hub for exploring wildlife-viewing areas on the northwest side of Las Vegas, particularly if a rural visitor support services hub is preferable over an urban/suburban hub.  The ponds at Indian Springs, outstanding oases at Corn Springs and Floyd Lamb Park, and higher elevation areas of the nearby Spring Mountains National Recreation Area offer an impressive diversity of birding/wildlife viewing opportunities.  In addition, the Bureau of Land Management is rehabilitating Cactus Springs, an oasis 3mi/5km north of Indian Springs, and the RV park associated with Indian Springs Casino is an oasis with a 0.5ac/0.8ha lawn and trees including numerous tall cottonwoods and elms.

The 268,766ac/108,768ha Spring Mountains Important Bird Area is a flagship wildlife viewing site for the Indian Springs Satellite Hub. “The Spring Mountains are probably the most biologically diverse of all Nevada’s mountain ranges … (with) probably more than 1,000 plant species in the Spring Mountain, and thus it possesses about one third of the entire Nevada flora, including many endemic species…. The Spring Mountains contain all the vegetation zones in Nevada except for the sagebrush and absolute desert zones.” Among the species used to identify the Spring Mountains IBA are breeding/nesting Cooper’s Hawk, Northern Goshawk, Flammulated Owl, Red-naped Sapsucker, Olive-sided Flycatcher, Gray Flycatcher, Ash-throated Flycatcher, Gray Vireo, Pinyon Jay, Western Bluebird, Orange-crowned Warbler, Virginia’s Warbler, Black-throated Gray Warbler, Grace’s Warbler, and MacGillivray’s Warbler. (Biological Resources Research Center, 2004; Important Bird Areas of Nevada, McIvor, 2005)

Visiting of wildlife viewing sites reached from the Indian Springs Satellite Hub may be good to excellent from fall through spring and during early mornings or at high elevations during summer or on hot days at other seasons.  Spring Mountains National Recreation Area-East is particularly recommended during late spring and summer visits.  The high-elevation habitats found there offer relief from summer heat below as well as species attractive to visiting birders including Plumbeous Vireo, Juniper Titmouse, Townsend’s Solitaire, Virginia’s Warbler, Black-throated Gray Warbler, Grace’s Warbler, and Green-tailed Towhee.

The Spring Mountains are part of a suite of mountain areas comprising the Southern Nevada Summer Birding Loop.  These areas offer relief from summer heat. Birding/wildlife viewing in associated lowlands during early morning hours combined with visits to these mountain areas will yield an impressive array of rewarding experiences.  From south to north these mountain areas (and their visitor support services hubs) are:

  • Hualapai Mountains (Laughlin/Lower Colorado River Regional Hub)
  • Spring Mountains National Recreation Area – East (Indian Springs Satellite Hub)
  • Echo Canyon State Park/Spring Valley State Park (Caliente/Panaca/Pioche Regional Hub)
  • Great Basin National Park (Baker Satellite Hub)
  • Cave Lake State Park/Success Summit Loop (Ely Regional Hub)
  • Monitor Range & Toquima Range (Belmont Satellite Hub)
  • Toiyabe Range (Tonopah Regional Hub)
  • Spring Mountains National Recreation Area – West (Pahrump Regional Hub)

The best months for experiencing western spring migrant bird species are April and May with April 25-May 20 often being best.  For vagrant bird species, look from May into early June.  The three-day Memorial Day weekend is often chosen by birders as a time to look for eastern vagrant birds (e.g. vireos, warblers).

Fall migration is at its height mid-August through September.  Fall vagrants show up as early as late August through early October.  The days centered on the third through the last weekend in September are often the best for finding vagrants.

Corn Creek is the best known location for finding vagrant birds and western migrants during both spring and fall making it a second flagship site.  However, Floyd Lamb Park is often productive, too.  Vagrants that have been found at Corn Springs or Floyd Lamb Park in the past include Acorn Woodpecker, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Eastern Phoebe, Northern Parula, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Black-throated Blue Warbler, Blackpoll Warbler, Ovenbird, Worm-eating Warbler, Hooded Warbler, Scarlet Tanager, and Painted Bunting.

Winter is a good time to look for waterfowl of several species at Floyd Lamb Park and Indian Springs Ponds.