WhenToBird

Poecile atricapillus · Paridae

When Do Black-capped Chickadees Arrive in Washington?

Adult Black-capped Chickadee
Photo: Marcel_Pepin, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

The Black-capped Chickadee is in Washington all year. It turns up on about 43% of checklists at its peak (early December) and on 30% in its quietest week (early June).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekDec 1-7early December
Quietest weekJun 1-7early June

Best: early December. Here all year. Peak: on about 43% 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. Decpeak season

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

0%20%40%60%Jan 1-7: 39% of 41928 checklistsJan 8-14: 39% of 31152 checklistsJan 15-21: 40% of 31753 checklistsJan 22-31: 39% of 42530 checklistsFeb 1-7: 40% of 29739 checklistsFeb 8-14: 41% of 32746 checklistsFeb 15-21: 42% of 40328 checklistsFeb 22-28: 41% of 28432 checklistsMar 1-7: 41% of 30758 checklistsMar 8-14: 41% of 29368 checklistsMar 15-21: 42% of 32580 checklistsMar 22-31: 41% of 45614 checklistsApr 1-7: 41% of 33997 checklistsApr 8-14: 40% of 34729 checklistsApr 15-21: 39% of 38474 checklistsApr 22-30: 39% of 52185 checklistsMay 1-7: 36% of 44236 checklistsMay 8-14: 32% of 48708 checklistsMay 15-21: 31% of 41742 checklistsMay 22-31: 31% of 57082 checklistsJun 1-7: 30% of 39193 checklistsJun 8-14: 30% of 36042 checklistsJun 15-21: 32% of 34003 checklistsJun 22-30: 34% of 39711 checklistsJul 1-7: 37% of 31949 checklistsJul 8-14: 38% of 29086 checklistsJul 15-21: 38% of 28045 checklistsJul 22-31: 38% of 38275 checklistsAug 1-7: 38% of 28846 checklistsAug 8-14: 38% of 28036 checklistsAug 15-21: 39% of 27614 checklistsAug 22-31: 40% of 40356 checklistsSep 1-7: 40% of 31214 checklistsSep 8-14: 40% of 27795 checklistsSep 15-21: 41% of 29677 checklistsSep 22-30: 42% of 35241 checklistsOct 1-7: 42% of 28605 checklistsOct 8-14: 42% of 28655 checklistsOct 15-21: 41% of 24643 checklistsOct 22-31: 42% of 34874 checklistsNov 1-7: 41% of 25658 checklistsNov 8-14: 41% of 25700 checklistsNov 15-21: 43% of 24331 checklistsNov 22-30: 43% of 32784 checklistsDec 1-7: 41% of 24099 checklistsDec 8-14: 43% of 23339 checklistsDec 15-21: 43% of 27666 checklistsDec 22-31: 42% 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. Ferry CountyBest late January · 61 checklists that week, 5,106 in all69%
  2. King CountyBest mid September · 6422 checklists that week, 390,864 in all65%
  3. Clark CountyBest mid December · 809 checklists that week, 53,250 in all65%
  4. Pend Oreille CountyBest late December · 39 checklists that week, 3,664 in all63%
  5. Thurston CountyBest early September · 1224 checklists that week, 68,352 in all58%
  6. Stevens CountyBest mid December · 62 checklists that week, 7,596 in all53%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Miller CreekKing County, best late June · 21 checklists that week, 836 in all100%
  2. North Seattle College Woods and WetlandKing County, best the second week of July · 28 checklists that week, 1,795 in all100%
  3. Licton Springs ParkKing County, best late September · 26 checklists that week, 1,151 in all100%
  4. Parsons GardensKing County, best the second week of August · 20 checklists that week, 599 in all98%
  5. Fort Steilacoom ParkPierce County, best early August · 30 checklists that week, 1,310 in all98%
  6. Green River Natural Resources AreaKing County, best the second week of August · 20 checklists that week, 1,204 in all97%

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

Best time of day

In Washington, the Black-capped Chickadee is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (49% of those checklists).

0%20%40%60%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: 48% of 56744 checklists7 am: 49% of 133294 checklists8 am: 48% of 184196 checklists9 am: 44% of 186303 checklists10 am: 40% of 177063 checklists11 am: 37% of 154936 checklists12 pm: 35% of 138061 checklists1 pm: 34% of 127449 checklists2 pm: 33% of 121511 checklists3 pm: 33% of 107793 checklists4 pm: 32% of 82862 checklists5 pm: 32% of 57183 checklists6 pm: 30% 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
January39%39%40%39%
February40%41%42%41%
March41%41%42%41%
April41%40%39%39%
May36%32%31%31%
June30%30%32%34%
July37%38%38%38%
August38%38%39%40%
September40%40%41%42%
October42%42%41%42%
November41%41%43%43%
December41%43%43%42%

Neighboring states

  • Oregon: year-round, peaks early December
  • Idaho: year-round, peaks early December
  • Montana: year-round, peaks mid December
  • Utah: year-round, peaks the second week of December

Common questions

When do Black-capped Chickadees arrive in Washington?
The Black-capped Chickadee is in Washington all year. It turns up on about 43% of checklists at its peak (early December) and on 30% in its quietest week (early June).
When do Black-capped Chickadees leave Washington?
The Black-capped Chickadee does not leave Washington: it is reported all year, from 30% of checklists in early June to 43% in early December.
When is the best time to see a Black-capped Chickadee in Washington?
The Black-capped Chickadee is reported most often in early December, on about 43% of Washington checklists.
Where in Washington are Black-capped Chickadees seen most often?
By county, Ferry County, King County, and Clark County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Black-capped Chickadee (counties with at least 200 checklists).