WhenToBird

Cinclus mexicanus · Cinclidae

When Do American Dippers Arrive in Montana?

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

The American Dipper is in Montana all year. It turns up on about 2.9% of checklists at its peak (the second week of July) and on 1.3% in its quietest week (late October).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekJul 8-14the second week of July
Quietest weekOct 22-31late October

Best: the second week of July. Here all year. Peak: on about 2.9% of Montana checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  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%1%2%3%4%Jan 1-7: 2.7% of 7987 checklistsJan 8-14: 2.0% of 5561 checklistsJan 15-21: 2.6% of 5613 checklistsJan 22-31: 2.6% of 7881 checklistsFeb 1-7: 2.9% of 5018 checklistsFeb 8-14: 2.7% of 5598 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.8% of 7247 checklistsFeb 22-28: 2.5% of 5531 checklistsMar 1-7: 2.2% of 6110 checklistsMar 8-14: 2.0% of 6623 checklistsMar 15-21: 2.4% of 7687 checklistsMar 22-31: 1.9% of 11095 checklistsApr 1-7: 1.9% of 7774 checklistsApr 8-14: 1.3% of 8785 checklistsApr 15-21: 1.3% of 9684 checklistsApr 22-30: 1.4% of 13805 checklistsMay 1-7: 1.4% of 11847 checklistsMay 8-14: 1.5% of 13547 checklistsMay 15-21: 1.5% of 13019 checklistsMay 22-31: 1.9% of 20456 checklistsJun 1-7: 1.4% of 12993 checklistsJun 8-14: 2.2% of 11594 checklistsJun 15-21: 2.2% of 11159 checklistsJun 22-30: 2.6% of 13786 checklistsJul 1-7: 2.5% of 9584 checklistsJul 8-14: 3.1% of 9078 checklistsJul 15-21: 3.1% of 7905 checklistsJul 22-31: 2.2% of 10906 checklistsAug 1-7: 1.8% of 7335 checklistsAug 8-14: 1.9% of 6868 checklistsAug 15-21: 1.4% of 6866 checklistsAug 22-31: 1.3% of 10076 checklistsSep 1-7: 1.3% of 7670 checklistsSep 8-14: 1.5% of 7490 checklistsSep 15-21: 1.5% of 6804 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.8% of 8016 checklistsOct 1-7: 1.6% of 5996 checklistsOct 8-14: 2.0% of 6156 checklistsOct 15-21: 1.5% of 5742 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.4% of 7790 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.0% of 5353 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.8% of 5475 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.5% of 4603 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.7% of 6067 checklistsDec 1-7: 2.0% of 4362 checklistsDec 8-14: 2.5% of 4467 checklistsDec 15-21: 2.4% of 5328 checklistsDec 22-31: 2.5% of 6672 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 Montana 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 Montana

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Meagher CountyBest early April · 10 checklists that week, 1,201 in all16%
  2. Judith Basin CountyBest early April · 11 checklists that week, 650 in all16%
  3. Lincoln CountyBest mid December · 79 checklists that week, 5,543 in all15%
  4. Pondera CountyBest mid February · 15 checklists that week, 659 in all13%
  5. Granite CountyBest mid December · 14 checklists that week, 1,737 in all12%
  6. Park CountyBest mid December · 76 checklists that week, 7,672 in all12%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Missouri RiverLewis and Clark County, best early January · 24 checklists that week, 179 in all76%
  2. Sunrift GorgeGlacier County, best the second week of July · 20 checklists that week, 121 in all67%
  3. Johns LakeFlathead County, best late June · 22 checklists that week, 221 in all61%
  4. Saint Mary FallsGlacier County, best late June · 22 checklists that week, 152 in all55%
  5. Running Eagle FallsGlacier County, best late June · 22 checklists that week, 134 in all54%
  6. Greenough ParkMissoula County, best late September · 25 checklists that week, 2,749 in all52%

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

Best time of day

In Montana, the American Dipper is most often listed on checklists started between 10 am and 12 pm (2.1% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%12 am: too few checklists (183) to judge1 am: too few checklists (169) to judge2 am: too few checklists (163) to judge3 am: too few checklists (212) to judge4 am: too few checklists (503) to judge5 am: too few checklists (4022) to judge6 am: 1.7% of 12719 checklists7 am: 1.7% of 31202 checklists8 am: 1.7% of 47646 checklists9 am: 2.1% of 44624 checklists10 am: 2.1% of 40704 checklists11 am: 2.1% of 33825 checklists12 pm: 2.0% of 29407 checklists1 pm: 2.1% of 27959 checklists2 pm: 2.0% of 26928 checklists3 pm: 2.2% of 25313 checklists4 pm: 2.1% of 22151 checklists5 pm: 1.7% of 16884 checklists6 pm: 1.9% of 13780 checklists7 pm: 1.6% of 9926 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (5765) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2099) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (595) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (230) 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
January2.7%2.0%2.6%2.6%
February2.9%2.7%1.8%2.5%
March2.2%2.0%2.4%1.9%
April1.9%1.3%1.3%1.4%
May1.4%1.5%1.5%1.9%
June1.4%2.2%2.2%2.6%
July2.5%3.1%3.1%2.2%
August1.8%1.9%1.4%1.3%
September1.3%1.5%1.5%1.8%
October1.6%2.0%1.5%1.4%
November1.0%1.8%1.5%1.7%
December2.0%2.5%2.4%2.5%

Neighboring states

  • Idaho: winter visitor, peaks late January
  • Wyoming: winter visitor, peaks the second week of January
  • Utah: year-round, peaks late June
  • Washington: year-round, peaks early October

Common questions

When do American Dippers arrive in Montana?
The American Dipper is in Montana all year. It turns up on about 2.9% of checklists at its peak (the second week of July) and on 1.3% in its quietest week (late October).
When do American Dippers leave Montana?
The American Dipper does not leave Montana: it is reported all year, from 1.3% of checklists in late October to 2.9% in the second week of July.
When is the best time to see a American Dipper in Montana?
The American Dipper is reported most often in the second week of July, on about 2.9% of Montana checklists.
Where in Montana are American Dippers seen most often?
By county, Meagher County, Judith Basin County, and Lincoln County have the highest peak reporting rates for the American Dipper (counties with at least 200 checklists).