WhenToBird

Haematopus bachmani · Haematopodidae

When Do Black Oystercatchers Arrive in Washington?

Adult Black Oystercatcher
Photo: Mara Christensen, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

The Black Oystercatcher is in Washington all year. It turns up on about 1.7% of checklists at its peak (mid July) and on 1.0% in its quietest week (the second week of November).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekJul 15-21mid July
Quietest weekNov 8-14the second week of November

Best: mid July. Here all year. Peak: on about 1.7% of Washington checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maycommon
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%0.5%1%1.5%2%Jan 1-7: 1.1% of 41928 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.3% of 31152 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.5% of 31753 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.5% of 42530 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.3% of 29739 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.3% of 32746 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.3% of 40328 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.4% of 28432 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.5% of 30758 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.5% of 29368 checklistsMar 15-21: 1.7% of 32580 checklistsMar 22-31: 1.3% of 45614 checklistsApr 1-7: 1.5% of 33997 checklistsApr 8-14: 1.5% of 34729 checklistsApr 15-21: 1.6% of 38474 checklistsApr 22-30: 1.3% of 52185 checklistsMay 1-7: 1.3% of 44236 checklistsMay 8-14: 1.2% of 48708 checklistsMay 15-21: 1.1% of 41742 checklistsMay 22-31: 1.1% of 57082 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.9% of 39193 checklistsJun 8-14: 1.0% of 36042 checklistsJun 15-21: 1.2% of 34003 checklistsJun 22-30: 1.5% of 39711 checklistsJul 1-7: 1.3% of 31949 checklistsJul 8-14: 1.7% of 29086 checklistsJul 15-21: 1.8% of 28045 checklistsJul 22-31: 1.7% of 38275 checklistsAug 1-7: 1.6% of 28846 checklistsAug 8-14: 1.7% of 28036 checklistsAug 15-21: 1.4% of 27614 checklistsAug 22-31: 1.6% of 40356 checklistsSep 1-7: 1.5% of 31214 checklistsSep 8-14: 1.6% of 27795 checklistsSep 15-21: 1.3% of 29677 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.1% of 35241 checklistsOct 1-7: 1.0% of 28605 checklistsOct 8-14: 1.1% of 28655 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.8% of 24643 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.2% of 34874 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.9% of 25658 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.1% of 25700 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.9% of 24331 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.2% of 32784 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.2% of 24099 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.0% of 23339 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.9% of 27666 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.0% 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.

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Where in Washington

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. San Juan CountyBest mid July · 972 checklists that week, 35,337 in all15%
  2. Whatcom CountyBest the second week of March · 1190 checklists that week, 64,687 in all9.6%
  3. Clallam CountyBest the second week of April · 1966 checklists that week, 85,362 in all7.8%
  4. Jefferson CountyBest late January · 1457 checklists that week, 59,663 in all7.4%
  5. Skagit CountyBest mid July · 1279 checklists that week, 78,154 in all6.7%
  6. Island CountyBest mid January · 802 checklists that week, 46,092 in all6.7%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Hole-in-the-WallClallam County, best early October · 20 checklists that week, 1,063 in all99%
  2. Yellow IslandSan Juan County, best late June · 27 checklists that week, 757 in all93%
  3. Sharpe CoveSkagit County, best the second week of July · 52 checklists that week, 2,369 in all88%
  4. Portage CanalJefferson County, best late September · 29 checklists that week, 1,022 in all79%
  5. San Juan ParkSan Juan County, best late May · 40 checklists that week, 450 in all78%
  6. Pacific Northwest National Scenic TrailIsland County, best the second week of January · 43 checklists that week, 1,049 in all74%

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

Best time of day

In Washington, the Black Oystercatcher is most often listed on checklists started between 1 and 3 pm (1.6% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%2%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: 1.1% of 56744 checklists7 am: 0.9% of 133294 checklists8 am: 1.0% of 184196 checklists9 am: 1.2% of 186303 checklists10 am: 1.4% of 177063 checklists11 am: 1.6% of 154936 checklists12 pm: 1.5% of 138061 checklists1 pm: 1.6% of 127449 checklists2 pm: 1.6% of 121511 checklists3 pm: 1.5% of 107793 checklists4 pm: 1.3% of 82862 checklists5 pm: 1.1% of 57183 checklists6 pm: 1.0% 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
January1.1%1.3%1.5%1.5%
February1.3%1.3%1.3%1.4%
March1.5%1.5%1.7%1.3%
April1.5%1.5%1.6%1.3%
May1.3%1.2%1.1%1.1%
June0.9%1.0%1.2%1.5%
July1.3%1.7%1.8%1.7%
August1.6%1.7%1.4%1.6%
September1.5%1.6%1.3%1.1%
October1.0%1.1%0.8%1.2%
November0.9%1.1%0.9%1.2%
December1.2%1.0%0.9%1.0%

Neighboring states

  • Oregon: summer visitor, peaks early August
  • California: year-round, peaks late July
  • Alaska: summer visitor, peaks late July

Common questions

When do Black Oystercatchers arrive in Washington?
The Black Oystercatcher is in Washington all year. It turns up on about 1.7% of checklists at its peak (mid July) and on 1.0% in its quietest week (the second week of November).
When do Black Oystercatchers leave Washington?
The Black Oystercatcher does not leave Washington: it is reported all year, from 1.0% of checklists in the second week of November to 1.7% in mid July.
When is the best time to see a Black Oystercatcher in Washington?
The Black Oystercatcher is reported most often in mid July, on about 1.7% of Washington checklists.
Where in Washington are Black Oystercatchers seen most often?
By county, San Juan County, Whatcom County, and Clallam County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Black Oystercatcher (counties with at least 200 checklists).