WhenToBird

Poecile carolinensis · Paridae

When Do Carolina Chickadees Arrive in Virginia?

Adult Carolina Chickadee
Photo: Matthew Lumsden, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

The Carolina Chickadee is in Virginia all year. It turns up on about 53% of checklists at its peak (the second week of October) and on 35% in its quietest week (mid July).

When to look

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

Best: the second week of October. Here all year. Peak: on about 53% of Virginia checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  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: 47% of 32817 checklistsJan 8-14: 46% of 25111 checklistsJan 15-21: 46% of 25510 checklistsJan 22-31: 47% of 34492 checklistsFeb 1-7: 45% of 24950 checklistsFeb 8-14: 48% of 28224 checklistsFeb 15-21: 48% of 43578 checklistsFeb 22-28: 47% of 26467 checklistsMar 1-7: 47% of 25851 checklistsMar 8-14: 48% of 25901 checklistsMar 15-21: 50% of 26747 checklistsMar 22-31: 52% of 40819 checklistsApr 1-7: 51% of 31351 checklistsApr 8-14: 51% of 33239 checklistsApr 15-21: 49% of 37284 checklistsApr 22-30: 48% of 54364 checklistsMay 1-7: 45% of 47698 checklistsMay 8-14: 43% of 46174 checklistsMay 15-21: 38% of 36444 checklistsMay 22-31: 36% of 43203 checklistsJun 1-7: 36% of 28503 checklistsJun 8-14: 36% of 25485 checklistsJun 15-21: 36% of 23728 checklistsJun 22-30: 36% of 28785 checklistsJul 1-7: 36% of 22294 checklistsJul 8-14: 36% of 20481 checklistsJul 15-21: 34% of 18914 checklistsJul 22-31: 35% of 26976 checklistsAug 1-7: 37% of 19555 checklistsAug 8-14: 38% of 18744 checklistsAug 15-21: 40% of 18721 checklistsAug 22-31: 43% of 28763 checklistsSep 1-7: 48% of 23594 checklistsSep 8-14: 50% of 22581 checklistsSep 15-21: 53% of 23036 checklistsSep 22-30: 52% of 29687 checklistsOct 1-7: 54% of 24321 checklistsOct 8-14: 54% of 23946 checklistsOct 15-21: 52% of 22191 checklistsOct 22-31: 51% of 30161 checklistsNov 1-7: 51% of 21431 checklistsNov 8-14: 47% of 22758 checklistsNov 15-21: 50% of 19988 checklistsNov 22-30: 50% of 27665 checklistsDec 1-7: 50% of 19324 checklistsDec 8-14: 50% of 20316 checklistsDec 15-21: 50% of 25675 checklistsDec 22-31: 49% of 38677 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 Virginia 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 Virginia

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Buchanan CountyBest early December · 13 checklists that week, 1,612 in all94%
  2. Patrick CountyBest early December · 39 checklists that week, 3,252 in all92%
  3. Wise CountyBest late January · 13 checklists that week, 1,190 in all86%
  4. Williamsburg CountyBest mid September · 131 checklists that week, 7,060 in all82%
  5. Newport News CountyBest the second week of October · 178 checklists that week, 11,661 in all80%
  6. York CountyBest late September · 232 checklists that week, 13,540 in all77%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Huckleberry TrailMontgomery County, best mid September · 22 checklists that week, 292 in all98%
  2. New QuarterYork County, best late August · 36 checklists that week, 1,099 in all97%
  3. James River ParkRichmond City, best early November · 42 checklists that week, 2,638 in all97%
  4. Hunting Horn Rec AreaFairfax County, best early February · 32 checklists that week, 2,439 in all97%
  5. Ivy Creek Natural AreaAlbemarle County, best the second week of December · 26 checklists that week, 3,926 in all96%

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

Best time of day

In Virginia, the Carolina Chickadee is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (57% of those checklists).

0%20%40%60%12 am: too few checklists (485) to judge1 am: too few checklists (488) to judge2 am: too few checklists (423) to judge3 am: too few checklists (565) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1410) to judge5 am: too few checklists (10265) to judge6 am: 56% of 64788 checklists7 am: 58% of 169128 checklists8 am: 54% of 180748 checklists9 am: 49% of 153462 checklists10 am: 45% of 128966 checklists11 am: 42% of 104204 checklists12 pm: 42% of 91604 checklists1 pm: 41% of 85547 checklists2 pm: 41% of 82355 checklists3 pm: 41% of 82265 checklists4 pm: 39% of 76714 checklists5 pm: 36% of 56782 checklists6 pm: 33% of 40131 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (24290) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (7744) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2383) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1122) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (651) 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
January47%46%46%47%
February45%48%48%47%
March47%48%50%52%
April51%51%49%48%
May45%43%38%36%
June36%36%36%36%
July36%36%34%35%
August37%38%40%43%
September48%50%53%52%
October54%54%52%51%
November51%47%50%50%
December50%50%50%49%

Neighboring states

Common questions

When do Carolina Chickadees arrive in Virginia?
The Carolina Chickadee is in Virginia all year. It turns up on about 53% of checklists at its peak (the second week of October) and on 35% in its quietest week (mid July).
When do Carolina Chickadees leave Virginia?
The Carolina Chickadee does not leave Virginia: it is reported all year, from 35% of checklists in mid July to 53% in the second week of October.
When is the best time to see a Carolina Chickadee in Virginia?
The Carolina Chickadee is reported most often in the second week of October, on about 53% of Virginia checklists.
Where in Virginia are Carolina Chickadees seen most often?
By county, Buchanan County, Patrick County, and Wise County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Carolina Chickadee (counties with at least 200 checklists).