WhenToBird

Strix varia · Strigidae

When Do Barred Owls Arrive in Virginia?

Adult Barred Owl
Photo: David Bird, CC0 1.0 via iNaturalist

Barred Owls reach Virginia in the second week of December, are common by early February, peak in mid April (3.7% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of October.

When to look

First arrivalsDec 8-14the second week of December
Common byFeb 1-7early February
PeakApr 15-21mid April
Most gone byOct 8-14the second week of October

Best: mid April. First arrivals the second week of December; most are gone by the second week of October. Peak: on about 3.7% of Virginia checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%1%2%3%4%Jan 1-7: 1.0% of 32817 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.0% of 25111 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.1% of 25510 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.3% of 34492 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.5% of 24950 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.7% of 28224 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.5% of 43578 checklistsFeb 22-28: 2.4% of 26467 checklistsMar 1-7: 2.0% of 25851 checklistsMar 8-14: 2.3% of 25901 checklistsMar 15-21: 2.5% of 26747 checklistsMar 22-31: 2.8% of 40819 checklistsApr 1-7: 3.0% of 31351 checklistsApr 8-14: 3.4% of 33239 checklistsApr 15-21: 3.6% of 37284 checklistsApr 22-30: 3.9% of 54364 checklistsMay 1-7: 3.4% of 47698 checklistsMay 8-14: 3.2% of 46174 checklistsMay 15-21: 2.8% of 36444 checklistsMay 22-31: 2.7% of 43203 checklistsJun 1-7: 2.3% of 28503 checklistsJun 8-14: 2.2% of 25485 checklistsJun 15-21: 2.0% of 23728 checklistsJun 22-30: 1.9% of 28785 checklistsJul 1-7: 1.7% of 22294 checklistsJul 8-14: 1.7% of 20481 checklistsJul 15-21: 1.5% of 18914 checklistsJul 22-31: 1.5% of 26976 checklistsAug 1-7: 1.4% of 19555 checklistsAug 8-14: 1.3% of 18744 checklistsAug 15-21: 1.4% of 18721 checklistsAug 22-31: 1.8% of 28763 checklistsSep 1-7: 1.8% of 23594 checklistsSep 8-14: 1.9% of 22581 checklistsSep 15-21: 2.0% of 23036 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.8% of 29687 checklistsOct 1-7: 1.7% of 24321 checklistsOct 8-14: 1.5% of 23946 checklistsOct 15-21: 1.2% of 22191 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.1% of 30161 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.0% of 21431 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.9% of 22758 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.9% of 19988 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.0% of 27665 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.0% of 19324 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.0% of 20316 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.2% of 25675 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.4% of 38677 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 Virginia 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 Virginia

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Southampton CountyBest the second week of August · 12 checklists that week, 717 in all20%
  2. Suffolk CountyBest the second week of April · 314 checklists that week, 8,168 in all18%
  3. Greensville CountyBest late March · 10 checklists that week, 454 in all15%
  4. James CityBest late April · 1024 checklists that week, 23,084 in all15%
  5. Danville CountyBest mid April · 34 checklists that week, 1,494 in all12%
  6. Nottoway CountyBest the second week of March · 49 checklists that week, 1,909 in all12%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife RefugeSuffolk County, best the second week of April · 43 checklists that week, 508 in all54%
  2. Algonkian Regional Park (Sugarland Run)Loudoun County, best mid February · 34 checklists that week, 1,325 in all48%
  3. Frying Pan City ParkFairfax County, best early March · 36 checklists that week, 2,006 in all43%
  4. Merrimac Farm Wildlife Management AreaPrince William County, best late February · 20 checklists that week, 429 in all42%

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

Best time of day

In Virginia, the Barred Owl is most often listed on checklists started between 5 and 7 pm (3.3% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%4%12 am: too few checklists (485) to judge1 am: too few checklists (488) to judge2 am: too few checklists (423) to judge3 am: too few checklists (565) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1410) to judge5 am: too few checklists (10265) to judge6 am: 3.8% of 64788 checklists7 am: 2.1% of 169128 checklists8 am: 1.6% of 180748 checklists9 am: 1.3% of 153462 checklists10 am: 1.1% of 128966 checklists11 am: 1.1% of 104204 checklists12 pm: 1.1% of 91604 checklists1 pm: 1.3% of 85547 checklists2 pm: 1.7% of 82355 checklists3 pm: 2.1% of 82265 checklists4 pm: 2.6% of 76714 checklists5 pm: 3.1% of 56782 checklists6 pm: 3.5% of 40131 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (24290) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (7744) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2383) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1122) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (651) 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
January1.0%1.0%1.1%1.3%
February1.5%1.7%1.5%2.4%
March2.0%2.3%2.5%2.8%
April3.0%3.4%3.6%3.9%
May3.4%3.2%2.8%2.7%
June2.3%2.2%2.0%1.9%
July1.7%1.7%1.5%1.5%
August1.4%1.3%1.4%1.8%
September1.8%1.9%2.0%1.8%
October1.7%1.5%1.2%1.1%
November1.0%0.9%0.9%1.0%
December1.0%1.0%1.2%1.4%

Neighboring states

  • District of Columbia: arrives mid January, 5 weeks later than Virginia
  • Maryland: arrives the second week of December, in the same week than Virginia
  • West Virginia: arrives early February, 7 weeks later than Virginia
  • Delaware: arrives mid January, 5 weeks later than Virginia

Common questions

When do Barred Owls arrive in Virginia?
Barred Owls reach Virginia in the second week of December, are common by early February, peak in mid April (3.7% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of October.
When do Barred Owls leave Virginia?
Most Barred Owls have left Virginia by the second week of October, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until early November.
When is the best time to see a Barred Owl in Virginia?
The Barred Owl is reported most often in mid April, on about 3.7% of Virginia checklists.
Where in Virginia are Barred Owls seen most often?
By county, Southampton County, Suffolk County, and Greensville County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Barred Owl (counties with at least 200 checklists).