WhenToBird

Euphagus cyanocephalus · Icteridae

When Do Brewer's Blackbirds Arrive in Washington?

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

Brewer's Blackbirds are in Washington all year, but most are here in summer: numbers build from the second week of April, peak in late May (8.6% of checklists), and fall back by mid July. In the quietest week (the second week of February) they are still on about 2.1% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildApr 8-14the second week of April
PeakMay 22-31late May
Fall back byJul 15-21mid 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 mid July. Peak: on about 8.6% of Washington checklists.

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

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

0%5%10%Jan 1-7: 2.4% of 41928 checklistsJan 8-14: 2.6% of 31152 checklistsJan 15-21: 2.3% of 31753 checklistsJan 22-31: 2.3% of 42530 checklistsFeb 1-7: 2.1% of 29739 checklistsFeb 8-14: 2.0% of 32746 checklistsFeb 15-21: 2.1% of 40328 checklistsFeb 22-28: 2.5% of 28432 checklistsMar 1-7: 2.7% of 30758 checklistsMar 8-14: 3.0% of 29368 checklistsMar 15-21: 3.7% of 32580 checklistsMar 22-31: 4.2% of 45614 checklistsApr 1-7: 4.6% of 33997 checklistsApr 8-14: 5.6% of 34729 checklistsApr 15-21: 6.2% of 38474 checklistsApr 22-30: 6.9% of 52185 checklistsMay 1-7: 7.5% of 44236 checklistsMay 8-14: 8.2% of 48708 checklistsMay 15-21: 8.6% of 41742 checklistsMay 22-31: 8.6% of 57082 checklistsJun 1-7: 8.5% of 39193 checklistsJun 8-14: 8.4% of 36042 checklistsJun 15-21: 7.8% of 34003 checklistsJun 22-30: 7.5% of 39711 checklistsJul 1-7: 6.7% of 31949 checklistsJul 8-14: 6.2% of 29086 checklistsJul 15-21: 5.3% of 28045 checklistsJul 22-31: 4.9% of 38275 checklistsAug 1-7: 4.5% of 28846 checklistsAug 8-14: 4.5% of 28036 checklistsAug 15-21: 4.9% of 27614 checklistsAug 22-31: 4.7% of 40356 checklistsSep 1-7: 4.8% of 31214 checklistsSep 8-14: 5.2% of 27795 checklistsSep 15-21: 5.1% of 29677 checklistsSep 22-30: 4.7% of 35241 checklistsOct 1-7: 3.9% of 28605 checklistsOct 8-14: 3.5% of 28655 checklistsOct 15-21: 3.3% of 24643 checklistsOct 22-31: 3.4% of 34874 checklistsNov 1-7: 3.1% of 25658 checklistsNov 8-14: 3.0% of 25700 checklistsNov 15-21: 2.8% of 24331 checklistsNov 22-30: 2.4% of 32784 checklistsDec 1-7: 2.5% of 24099 checklistsDec 8-14: 2.3% of 23339 checklistsDec 15-21: 2.1% of 27666 checklistsDec 22-31: 2.0% 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. Lincoln CountyBest the second week of May · 278 checklists that week, 6,135 in all51%
  2. Adams CountyBest mid May · 201 checklists that week, 4,574 in all49%
  3. Douglas CountyBest early July · 121 checklists that week, 9,418 in all30%
  4. Jefferson CountyBest late May · 1893 checklists that week, 59,663 in all25%
  5. Pend Oreille CountyBest the second week of June · 191 checklists that week, 3,664 in all23%
  6. Yakima CountyBest early May · 850 checklists that week, 28,504 in all23%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Lake Tye ParkSnohomish County, best late May · 27 checklists that week, 675 in all91%
  2. Toke Point (Tokeland)Pacific County, best late September · 21 checklists that week, 520 in all89%
  3. Walla Walla Point ParkChelan County, best mid August · 53 checklists that week, 2,889 in all89%
  4. Nelson (Kalama River)Cowlitz County, best late July · 20 checklists that week, 660 in all85%

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

Best time of day

In Washington, the Brewer's Blackbird is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (6.0% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%8%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: 7.4% of 56744 checklists7 am: 5.4% of 133294 checklists8 am: 4.8% of 184196 checklists9 am: 4.5% of 186303 checklists10 am: 4.2% of 177063 checklists11 am: 4.2% of 154936 checklists12 pm: 4.3% of 138061 checklists1 pm: 4.4% of 127449 checklists2 pm: 4.5% of 121511 checklists3 pm: 4.5% of 107793 checklists4 pm: 5.0% of 82862 checklists5 pm: 5.7% of 57183 checklists6 pm: 5.9% 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
January2.4%2.6%2.3%2.3%
February2.1%2.0%2.1%2.5%
March2.7%3.0%3.7%4.2%
April4.6%5.6%6.2%6.9%
May7.5%8.2%8.6%8.6%
June8.5%8.4%7.8%7.5%
July6.7%6.2%5.3%4.9%
August4.5%4.5%4.9%4.7%
September4.8%5.2%5.1%4.7%
October3.9%3.5%3.3%3.4%
November3.1%3.0%2.8%2.4%
December2.5%2.3%2.1%2.0%

Neighboring states

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

Common questions

When do Brewer's Blackbirds arrive in Washington?
Brewer's Blackbirds are in Washington all year, but most are here in summer: numbers build from the second week of April, peak in late May (8.6% of checklists), and fall back by mid July. In the quietest week (the second week of February) they are still on about 2.1% of checklists.
When do Brewer's Blackbirds leave Washington?
Brewer's Blackbirds never fully leave Washington: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by mid July, but some are still reported in every week, about 2.1% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Brewer's Blackbird in Washington?
The Brewer's Blackbird is reported most often in late May, on about 8.6% of Washington checklists.
Where in Washington are Brewer's Blackbirds seen most often?
By county, Lincoln County, Adams County, and Douglas County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Brewer's Blackbird (counties with at least 200 checklists).