WhenToBird

Cinclus mexicanus · Cinclidae

When Do American Dippers Arrive in Oregon?

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

The American Dipper is in Oregon all year. It turns up on about 1.0% of checklists at its peak (early July) and on 0.5% in its quietest week (the second week of April).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekJul 1-7early July
Quietest weekApr 8-14the second week of April

Best: early July. Here all year. Peak: on about 1.0% of Oregon checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%0.5%1%1.5%Jan 1-7: 0.6% of 34973 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.6% of 26807 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.7% of 26567 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.7% of 36019 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.8% of 24020 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.7% of 25765 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.7% of 31019 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.5% of 24582 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.6% of 24834 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.7% of 24642 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.8% of 27420 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.7% of 39913 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.5% of 28817 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.5% of 31221 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.6% of 34402 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.7% of 47144 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.6% of 37716 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.7% of 39651 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.8% of 37496 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.9% of 56967 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.9% of 35893 checklistsJun 8-14: 1.0% of 31880 checklistsJun 15-21: 1.1% of 30942 checklistsJun 22-30: 1.0% of 38478 checklistsJul 1-7: 1.0% of 27409 checklistsJul 8-14: 1.2% of 25161 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.9% of 25473 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.9% of 33920 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.8% of 24310 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.8% of 23675 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.8% of 23623 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.8% of 33762 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.8% of 25120 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.9% of 24458 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.9% of 25528 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.8% of 31631 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.9% of 25498 checklistsOct 8-14: 1.0% of 25161 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.9% of 23701 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.8% of 30996 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.6% of 21089 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.8% of 21880 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.6% of 21501 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.7% of 28930 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.6% of 19807 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.5% of 21022 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.6% of 24817 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.7% of 37592 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 Oregon 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 Oregon

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Jefferson CountyBest mid October · 184 checklists that week, 11,014 in all17%
  2. Grant CountyBest early December · 33 checklists that week, 6,818 in all14%
  3. Wallowa CountyBest late September · 200 checklists that week, 9,170 in all10%
  4. Hood River CountyBest mid August · 162 checklists that week, 9,695 in all6.0%
  5. Sherman CountyBest mid January · 84 checklists that week, 4,629 in all4.5%
  6. Linn CountyBest late September · 452 checklists that week, 27,533 in all4.5%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Wallowa Lake State ParkWallowa County, best early February · 20 checklists that week, 495 in all82%
  2. Metolius, Oregon Wild and Scenic RiverJefferson County, best mid May · 20 checklists that week, 378 in all67%
  3. North Fork Nehalem County ParkClatsop County, best mid April · 23 checklists that week, 483 in all67%
  4. Salmon, Oregon Wild and Scenic RiverClackamas County, best the second week of July · 24 checklists that week, 377 in all53%
  5. Suttle LakeJefferson County, best mid October · 30 checklists that week, 441 in all46%
  6. Benham FallsDeschutes County, best the second week of June · 24 checklists that week, 322 in all39%

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

Best time of day

In Oregon, the American Dipper is most often listed on checklists started between 10 am and 12 pm (0.9% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%12 am: too few checklists (1505) to judge1 am: too few checklists (675) to judge2 am: too few checklists (626) to judge3 am: too few checklists (1641) to judge4 am: too few checklists (3696) to judge5 am: too few checklists (14524) to judge6 am: 0.5% of 50677 checklists7 am: 0.5% of 125347 checklists8 am: 0.7% of 163668 checklists9 am: 0.8% of 160351 checklists10 am: 1.0% of 148940 checklists11 am: 0.9% of 124743 checklists12 pm: 0.9% of 112537 checklists1 pm: 0.9% of 98999 checklists2 pm: 0.9% of 94690 checklists3 pm: 0.9% of 87923 checklists4 pm: 0.8% of 75235 checklists5 pm: 0.6% of 54504 checklists6 pm: 0.5% of 40469 checklists7 pm: 0.3% of 33675 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (18715) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (5839) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (2704) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (1549) 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
January0.6%0.6%0.7%0.7%
February0.8%0.7%0.7%0.5%
March0.6%0.7%0.8%0.7%
April0.5%0.5%0.6%0.7%
May0.6%0.7%0.8%0.9%
June0.9%1.0%1.1%1.0%
July1.0%1.2%0.9%0.9%
August0.8%0.8%0.8%0.8%
September0.8%0.9%0.9%0.8%
October0.9%1.0%0.9%0.8%
November0.6%0.8%0.6%0.7%
December0.6%0.5%0.6%0.7%

Neighboring states

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

Common questions

When do American Dippers arrive in Oregon?
The American Dipper is in Oregon all year. It turns up on about 1.0% of checklists at its peak (early July) and on 0.5% in its quietest week (the second week of April).
When do American Dippers leave Oregon?
The American Dipper does not leave Oregon: it is reported all year, from 0.5% of checklists in the second week of April to 1.0% in early July.
When is the best time to see a American Dipper in Oregon?
The American Dipper is reported most often in early July, on about 1.0% of Oregon checklists.
Where in Oregon are American Dippers seen most often?
By county, Jefferson County, Grant County, and Wallowa County have the highest peak reporting rates for the American Dipper (counties with at least 200 checklists).