WhenToBird

Euphagus cyanocephalus · Icteridae

When Do Brewer's Blackbirds Arrive in Oregon?

Adult Brewer's Blackbird
Photo: William Harmon, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Brewer's Blackbirds are in Oregon all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from the second week of April, peak in late May (16% of checklists), and fall back by early July. In the quietest week (the second week of February) they are still on about 4.4% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildApr 8-14the second week of April
PeakMay 22-31late May
Fall back byJul 1-7early July
FewestFeb 8-14the second week of February

Best: late May. Here all year; numbers build from the second week of April and fall back by early July. Peak: on about 16% of Oregon checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%5%10%15%20%Jan 1-7: 5.3% of 34973 checklistsJan 8-14: 4.7% of 26807 checklistsJan 15-21: 4.9% of 26567 checklistsJan 22-31: 4.7% of 36019 checklistsFeb 1-7: 4.5% of 24020 checklistsFeb 8-14: 4.3% of 25765 checklistsFeb 15-21: 4.3% of 31019 checklistsFeb 22-28: 5.7% of 24582 checklistsMar 1-7: 6.2% of 24834 checklistsMar 8-14: 6.9% of 24642 checklistsMar 15-21: 7.1% of 27420 checklistsMar 22-31: 7.4% of 39913 checklistsApr 1-7: 8.6% of 28817 checklistsApr 8-14: 10% of 31221 checklistsApr 15-21: 12% of 34402 checklistsApr 22-30: 13% of 47144 checklistsMay 1-7: 14% of 37716 checklistsMay 8-14: 15% of 39651 checklistsMay 15-21: 15% of 37496 checklistsMay 22-31: 17% of 56967 checklistsJun 1-7: 16% of 35893 checklistsJun 8-14: 14% of 31880 checklistsJun 15-21: 14% of 30942 checklistsJun 22-30: 12% of 38478 checklistsJul 1-7: 11% of 27409 checklistsJul 8-14: 10% of 25161 checklistsJul 15-21: 9.5% of 25473 checklistsJul 22-31: 8.5% of 33920 checklistsAug 1-7: 8.7% of 24310 checklistsAug 8-14: 8.7% of 23675 checklistsAug 15-21: 9.7% of 23623 checklistsAug 22-31: 9.5% of 33762 checklistsSep 1-7: 10% of 25120 checklistsSep 8-14: 10% of 24458 checklistsSep 15-21: 10% of 25528 checklistsSep 22-30: 9.0% of 31631 checklistsOct 1-7: 7.1% of 25498 checklistsOct 8-14: 6.9% of 25161 checklistsOct 15-21: 6.7% of 23701 checklistsOct 22-31: 6.3% of 30996 checklistsNov 1-7: 5.7% of 21089 checklistsNov 8-14: 5.3% of 21880 checklistsNov 15-21: 4.9% of 21501 checklistsNov 22-30: 5.0% of 28930 checklistsDec 1-7: 4.8% of 19807 checklistsDec 8-14: 4.8% of 21022 checklistsDec 15-21: 5.1% of 24817 checklistsDec 22-31: 5.0% 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. Baker CountyBest early May · 136 checklists that week, 6,705 in all45%
  2. Crook CountyBest the second week of May · 254 checklists that week, 9,466 in all44%
  3. Lake CountyBest mid May · 576 checklists that week, 13,301 in all41%
  4. Sherman CountyBest the second week of July · 51 checklists that week, 4,629 in all40%
  5. Columbia CountyBest early June · 953 checklists that week, 27,750 in all36%
  6. Klamath CountyBest early May · 820 checklists that week, 26,875 in all36%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Local Government 9Benton County, best mid June · 78 checklists that week, 6,965 in all100%
  2. Nehalem RiverTillamook County, best late September · 45 checklists that week, 914 in all93%

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

Best time of day

In Oregon, the Brewer's Blackbird is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (12% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%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: 13% of 50677 checklists7 am: 11% of 125347 checklists8 am: 10% of 163668 checklists9 am: 9.8% of 160351 checklists10 am: 9.1% of 148940 checklists11 am: 8.3% of 124743 checklists12 pm: 7.9% of 112537 checklists1 pm: 8.0% of 98999 checklists2 pm: 8.3% of 94690 checklists3 pm: 8.6% of 87923 checklists4 pm: 8.3% of 75235 checklists5 pm: 8.9% of 54504 checklists6 pm: 9.4% of 40469 checklists7 pm: 7.0% 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
January5.3%4.7%4.9%4.7%
February4.5%4.3%4.3%5.7%
March6.2%6.9%7.1%7.4%
April8.6%10%12%13%
May14%15%15%17%
June16%14%14%12%
July11%10%9.5%8.5%
August8.7%8.7%9.7%9.5%
September10%10%10%9.0%
October7.1%6.9%6.7%6.3%
November5.7%5.3%4.9%5.0%
December4.8%4.8%5.1%5.0%

Neighboring states

  • Washington: arrives the second week of April, in the same week than Oregon
  • Idaho: arrives mid March, 3 weeks earlier than Oregon
  • Nevada: year-round, peaks late June
  • California: year-round, peaks the second week of June

Common questions

When do Brewer's Blackbirds arrive in Oregon?
Brewer's Blackbirds are in Oregon all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from the second week of April, peak in late May (16% of checklists), and fall back by early July. In the quietest week (the second week of February) they are still on about 4.4% of checklists.
When do Brewer's Blackbirds leave Oregon?
Brewer's Blackbirds never fully leave Oregon: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by early July, but some are still reported in every week, about 4.4% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Brewer's Blackbird in Oregon?
The Brewer's Blackbird is reported most often in late May, on about 16% of Oregon checklists.
Where in Oregon are Brewer's Blackbirds seen most often?
By county, Baker County, Crook County, and Lake County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Brewer's Blackbird (counties with at least 200 checklists).