WhenToBird

Thryomanes bewickii · Troglodytidae

When Do Bewick's Wrens Arrive in Washington?

Adult Bewick's Wren
Photo: Fernando Pérez Peralta, CC0 1.0 via iNaturalist

The Bewick's Wren is in Washington all year. It turns up on about 23% of checklists at its peak (late March) and on 16% in its quietest week (the second week of January).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekMar 22-31late March
Quietest weekJan 8-14the second week of January

Best: late March. Here all year. Peak: on about 23% of Washington checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Deccommon

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

0%10%20%30%Jan 1-7: 15% of 41928 checklistsJan 8-14: 16% of 31152 checklistsJan 15-21: 17% of 31753 checklistsJan 22-31: 17% of 42530 checklistsFeb 1-7: 18% of 29739 checklistsFeb 8-14: 18% of 32746 checklistsFeb 15-21: 17% of 40328 checklistsFeb 22-28: 20% of 28432 checklistsMar 1-7: 21% of 30758 checklistsMar 8-14: 22% of 29368 checklistsMar 15-21: 23% of 32580 checklistsMar 22-31: 23% of 45614 checklistsApr 1-7: 23% of 33997 checklistsApr 8-14: 23% of 34729 checklistsApr 15-21: 23% of 38474 checklistsApr 22-30: 23% of 52185 checklistsMay 1-7: 22% of 44236 checklistsMay 8-14: 21% of 48708 checklistsMay 15-21: 20% of 41742 checklistsMay 22-31: 19% of 57082 checklistsJun 1-7: 18% of 39193 checklistsJun 8-14: 17% of 36042 checklistsJun 15-21: 18% of 34003 checklistsJun 22-30: 18% of 39711 checklistsJul 1-7: 19% of 31949 checklistsJul 8-14: 19% of 29086 checklistsJul 15-21: 19% of 28045 checklistsJul 22-31: 19% of 38275 checklistsAug 1-7: 19% of 28846 checklistsAug 8-14: 18% of 28036 checklistsAug 15-21: 19% of 27614 checklistsAug 22-31: 20% of 40356 checklistsSep 1-7: 21% of 31214 checklistsSep 8-14: 20% of 27795 checklistsSep 15-21: 20% of 29677 checklistsSep 22-30: 21% of 35241 checklistsOct 1-7: 21% of 28605 checklistsOct 8-14: 20% of 28655 checklistsOct 15-21: 19% of 24643 checklistsOct 22-31: 18% of 34874 checklistsNov 1-7: 17% of 25658 checklistsNov 8-14: 17% of 25700 checklistsNov 15-21: 17% of 24331 checklistsNov 22-30: 17% of 32784 checklistsDec 1-7: 16% of 24099 checklistsDec 8-14: 17% of 23339 checklistsDec 15-21: 17% of 27666 checklistsDec 22-31: 17% of 42130 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 Washington 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.

Embed this map on your site

Where in Washington

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. King CountyBest mid April · 9357 checklists that week, 390,864 in all41%
  2. Benton CountyBest late August · 463 checklists that week, 23,565 in all39%
  3. Walla Walla CountyBest early September · 629 checklists that week, 35,829 in all36%
  4. Clark CountyBest late April · 1778 checklists that week, 53,250 in all35%
  5. Asotin CountyBest late October · 98 checklists that week, 4,316 in all30%
  6. Pierce CountyBest late March · 2628 checklists that week, 92,224 in all28%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. W E Johnson ParkBenton County, best early September · 30 checklists that week, 1,031 in all91%
  2. Parsons GardensKing County, best late July · 25 checklists that week, 599 in all89%
  3. Licton Springs ParkKing County, best early May · 31 checklists that week, 1,151 in all88%
  4. Carillon WoodsKing County, best late April · 46 checklists that week, 273 in all88%
  5. Whitman Mission National Historic SiteWalla Walla County, best the second week of June · 30 checklists that week, 1,992 in all87%

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

Best time of day

In Washington, the Bewick's Wren is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (30% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%40%12 am: too few checklists (796) to judge1 am: too few checklists (776) to judge2 am: too few checklists (709) to judge3 am: too few checklists (901) to judge4 am: too few checklists (3221) to judge5 am: too few checklists (16576) to judge6 am: 32% of 56744 checklists7 am: 29% of 133294 checklists8 am: 26% of 184196 checklists9 am: 22% of 186303 checklists10 am: 20% of 177063 checklists11 am: 18% of 154936 checklists12 pm: 16% of 138061 checklists1 pm: 15% of 127449 checklists2 pm: 14% of 121511 checklists3 pm: 13% of 107793 checklists4 pm: 13% of 82862 checklists5 pm: 14% of 57183 checklists6 pm: 13% of 39886 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (26969) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (12427) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (3658) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1500) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (834) 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
January15%16%17%17%
February18%18%17%20%
March21%22%23%23%
April23%23%23%23%
May22%21%20%19%
June18%17%18%18%
July19%19%19%19%
August19%18%19%20%
September21%20%20%21%
October21%20%19%18%
November17%17%17%17%
December16%17%17%17%

Neighboring states

  • Oregon: year-round, peaks the second week of April
  • Idaho: all year, most in fall, peaks the second week of December
  • Nevada: year-round, peaks mid April
  • Utah: winter visitor, peaks the second week of October

Common questions

When do Bewick's Wrens arrive in Washington?
The Bewick's Wren is in Washington all year. It turns up on about 23% of checklists at its peak (late March) and on 16% in its quietest week (the second week of January).
When do Bewick's Wrens leave Washington?
The Bewick's Wren does not leave Washington: it is reported all year, from 16% of checklists in the second week of January to 23% in late March.
When is the best time to see a Bewick's Wren in Washington?
The Bewick's Wren is reported most often in late March, on about 23% of Washington checklists.
Where in Washington are Bewick's Wrens seen most often?
By county, King County, Benton County, and Walla Walla County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Bewick's Wren (counties with at least 200 checklists).