WhenToBird

Cinclus mexicanus · Cinclidae

When Do American Dippers Arrive in Idaho?

Adult American Dipper
Photo: Jared Shorma, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

American Dippers are winter birds in Idaho: the first arrive in early May, they are common by mid May, peak in late January (1.5% of checklists), and most are gone by late March.

When to look

First arrivalsMay 1-7early May
Common byMay 15-21mid May
PeakJan 22-31late January
Most gone byMar 22-31late March

Best: late January. First arrivals early May; most are gone by late March. Peak: on about 1.5% of Idaho checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decpeak season

Darker months: more checklists report it. Outlined: peak month.

0%0.5%1%1.5%2%Jan 1-7: 1.5% of 9357 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.5% of 6408 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.5% of 6358 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.4% of 8601 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.6% of 5611 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.9% of 6090 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.9% of 7973 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.8% of 5866 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.0% of 6144 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.8% of 6456 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.8% of 6786 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.9% of 9539 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.6% of 7202 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.7% of 7608 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.5% of 8069 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.7% of 10973 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.5% of 9481 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.9% of 11318 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.9% of 9141 checklistsMay 22-31: 1.1% of 13984 checklistsJun 1-7: 1.0% of 8897 checklistsJun 8-14: 1.1% of 8504 checklistsJun 15-21: 1.2% of 8078 checklistsJun 22-30: 1.3% of 9665 checklistsJul 1-7: 1.2% of 7144 checklistsJul 8-14: 1.1% of 6557 checklistsJul 15-21: 1.2% of 6430 checklistsJul 22-31: 1.2% of 8696 checklistsAug 1-7: 1.1% of 5896 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.9% of 5643 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.7% of 6151 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.7% of 7863 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.7% of 5769 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.9% of 5646 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.9% of 5460 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.1% of 6363 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.9% of 4980 checklistsOct 8-14: 1.3% of 5096 checklistsOct 15-21: 1.1% of 4878 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.9% of 6426 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.7% of 4822 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.9% of 4999 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.7% of 4601 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.9% of 6027 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.7% of 4180 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.1% of 4775 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.3% of 6522 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.2% of 7792 checklistsJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Share of complete checklists reporting it, by week (4 per month). Grey bars: fewer than 10 checklists, not counted.

Frequency is the share of complete checklists in Idaho that listed the bird, 2016–2025. It is not a head count, and it follows where and when people go birding. How to read it.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
today
Second week of November

Each county is shaded by the share of complete checklists there that listed the bird, blended with the weeks either side. Darker is more often. It follows where people watch birds, not how many birds there are. How to read it.

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Where in Idaho

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Custer CountyBest late January · 13 checklists that week, 3,853 in all22%
  2. Clearwater CountyBest the second week of December · 11 checklists that week, 1,909 in all20%
  3. Idaho CountyBest mid January · 35 checklists that week, 3,961 in all17%
  4. Boise CountyBest the second week of December · 78 checklists that week, 6,761 in all13%
  5. Shoshone CountyBest early July · 131 checklists that week, 2,886 in all12%
  6. Blaine CountyBest mid December · 101 checklists that week, 12,004 in all10%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Fall CreekValley County, best late May · 28 checklists that week, 539 in all42%
  2. Croy CreekBlaine County, best mid May · 23 checklists that week, 344 in all28%
  3. Sandy Point BeachAda County, best late January · 34 checklists that week, 763 in all23%

Busy spots report more of everything; compare the checklist counts before you drive anywhere.

Best time of day

In Idaho, the American Dipper is most often listed on checklists started between 2 and 4 pm (1.2% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%12 am: too few checklists (180) to judge1 am: too few checklists (176) to judge2 am: too few checklists (169) to judge3 am: too few checklists (164) to judge4 am: too few checklists (450) to judge5 am: too few checklists (2270) to judge6 am: 1.2% of 9122 checklists7 am: 0.7% of 22204 checklists8 am: 0.9% of 38672 checklists9 am: 0.9% of 38930 checklists10 am: 1.0% of 37338 checklists11 am: 1.0% of 33508 checklists12 pm: 1.0% of 28544 checklists1 pm: 1.1% of 25774 checklists2 pm: 1.2% of 24296 checklists3 pm: 1.2% of 21784 checklists4 pm: 1.0% of 19051 checklists5 pm: 1.0% of 14150 checklists6 pm: 0.8% of 10014 checklists7 pm: 1.2% of 7495 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (4352) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1449) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (525) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (208) to judge12a3a6a9a12p3p6p9p
Share of checklists started in each local hour that reported it. It reflects when people go birding as well as when birds are active. Grey hours have too few checklists (under 2% of the state’s, or under 200) to judge.
Week-by-week table
MonthDays 1-78-1415-2122-end
January1.5%1.5%1.5%1.4%
February1.6%0.9%0.9%0.8%
March1.0%0.8%0.8%0.9%
April0.6%0.7%0.5%0.7%
May0.5%0.9%0.9%1.1%
June1.0%1.1%1.2%1.3%
July1.2%1.1%1.2%1.2%
August1.1%0.9%0.7%0.7%
September0.7%0.9%0.9%1.1%
October0.9%1.3%1.1%0.9%
November0.7%0.9%0.7%0.9%
December0.7%1.1%1.3%1.2%

Neighboring states

  • Montana: year-round, peaks the second week of July
  • Utah: year-round, peaks late June
  • Oregon: year-round, peaks early July
  • Washington: year-round, peaks early October

Common questions

When do American Dippers arrive in Idaho?
American Dippers are winter birds in Idaho: the first arrive in early May, they are common by mid May, peak in late January (1.5% of checklists), and most are gone by late March.
When do American Dippers leave Idaho?
Most American Dippers have left Idaho by late March, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until early April.
When is the best time to see a American Dipper in Idaho?
The American Dipper is reported most often in late January, on about 1.5% of Idaho checklists.
Where in Idaho are American Dippers seen most often?
By county, Custer County, Clearwater County, and Idaho County have the highest peak reporting rates for the American Dipper (counties with at least 200 checklists).