in a 12-year study of seasonal bird use along las Vegas Wash (Clark County, nevada), an area undergoing intensive channel stabilization and riparian and wetland restoration, we found that total bird abundance and species richness significantly increased. in the late phase of the project, total bird abundance was greatest during the nonbreeding season and winter transition, and species richness was greatest during the fall transition. species associated with riparian shrubs decreased, likely as a response to large-scale removal of non-native shrubs and the lag in recovery of a native shrub understory. species associated with trees and the mid-story had a mixed response, with detections of those species previously most closely associated with non-native trees showing a negative trend, while those associated with native overstory plants showing an increasing or mixed trend. detections of wetland and aquatic species increased significantly throughout the project. this study shows differential restoration responses of species based on their natural history, seasons of primary use of the site, and the lag time in recovery of particular vegetation elements that are used by various species assemblages.