WhenToBird

Bombycilla cedrorum · Bombycillidae

When Do Cedar Waxwings Arrive in Oregon?

Adult Cedar Waxwing
Photo: Sean Frey, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Cedar Waxwings reach Oregon in late April, are common by mid May, peak in early August (23% of checklists), and most are gone by late October.

When to look

First arrivalsApr 22-30late April
Common byMay 15-21mid May
PeakAug 1-7early August
Most gone byOct 22-31late October

Best: early August. First arrivals late April; most are gone by late October. Peak: on about 23% of Oregon checklists.

  1. Janrare
  2. Febrare
  3. Marrare
  4. Aprrare
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decrare

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

0%10%20%30%Jan 1-7: 2.6% of 34973 checklistsJan 8-14: 2.3% of 26807 checklistsJan 15-21: 2.1% of 26567 checklistsJan 22-31: 2.2% of 36019 checklistsFeb 1-7: 2.3% of 24020 checklistsFeb 8-14: 2.0% of 25765 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.9% of 31019 checklistsFeb 22-28: 2.0% of 24582 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.8% of 24834 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.9% of 24642 checklistsMar 15-21: 1.7% of 27420 checklistsMar 22-31: 2.1% of 39913 checklistsApr 1-7: 1.9% of 28817 checklistsApr 8-14: 1.6% of 31221 checklistsApr 15-21: 1.8% of 34402 checklistsApr 22-30: 2.0% of 47144 checklistsMay 1-7: 2.8% of 37716 checklistsMay 8-14: 7.1% of 39651 checklistsMay 15-21: 16% of 37496 checklistsMay 22-31: 23% of 56967 checklistsJun 1-7: 23% of 35893 checklistsJun 8-14: 21% of 31880 checklistsJun 15-21: 20% of 30942 checklistsJun 22-30: 19% of 38478 checklistsJul 1-7: 21% of 27409 checklistsJul 8-14: 21% of 25161 checklistsJul 15-21: 22% of 25473 checklistsJul 22-31: 22% of 33920 checklistsAug 1-7: 23% of 24310 checklistsAug 8-14: 23% of 23675 checklistsAug 15-21: 21% of 23623 checklistsAug 22-31: 21% of 33762 checklistsSep 1-7: 21% of 25120 checklistsSep 8-14: 20% of 24458 checklistsSep 15-21: 22% of 25528 checklistsSep 22-30: 22% of 31631 checklistsOct 1-7: 21% of 25498 checklistsOct 8-14: 19% of 25161 checklistsOct 15-21: 16% of 23701 checklistsOct 22-31: 12% of 30996 checklistsNov 1-7: 9.0% of 21089 checklistsNov 8-14: 6.8% of 21880 checklistsNov 15-21: 4.8% of 21501 checklistsNov 22-30: 3.6% of 28930 checklistsDec 1-7: 3.3% of 19807 checklistsDec 8-14: 3.1% of 21022 checklistsDec 15-21: 3.1% of 24817 checklistsDec 22-31: 2.7% 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. Washington CountyBest early June · 2007 checklists that week, 110,376 in all48%
  2. Marion CountyBest early June · 1088 checklists that week, 52,870 in all39%
  3. Multnomah CountyBest early June · 3419 checklists that week, 182,088 in all39%
  4. Polk CountyBest early July · 493 checklists that week, 29,096 in all38%
  5. Tillamook CountyBest early August · 988 checklists that week, 45,809 in all35%
  6. Union CountyBest early August · 471 checklists that week, 33,301 in all34%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Local Government 9Benton County, best late July · 144 checklists that week, 6,965 in all92%
  2. Company LakeMultnomah County, best late May · 21 checklists that week, 750 in all92%
  3. Jackson Bottom Wetlands PreserveWashington County, best the second week of June · 49 checklists that week, 2,662 in all91%
  4. Fernhill WetlandsWashington County, best early June · 102 checklists that week, 6,516 in all91%

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

Best time of day

In Oregon, the Cedar Waxwing is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (17% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%20%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: 18% of 50677 checklists7 am: 17% of 125347 checklists8 am: 14% of 163668 checklists9 am: 13% of 160351 checklists10 am: 11% of 148940 checklists11 am: 9.4% of 124743 checklists12 pm: 8.5% of 112537 checklists1 pm: 7.9% of 98999 checklists2 pm: 7.8% of 94690 checklists3 pm: 7.5% of 87923 checklists4 pm: 8.1% of 75235 checklists5 pm: 10% of 54504 checklists6 pm: 12% of 40469 checklists7 pm: 10% 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
January2.6%2.3%2.1%2.2%
February2.3%2.0%1.9%2.0%
March1.8%1.9%1.7%2.1%
April1.9%1.6%1.8%2.0%
May2.8%7.1%16%23%
June23%21%20%19%
July21%21%22%22%
August23%23%21%21%
September21%20%22%22%
October21%19%16%12%
November9.0%6.8%4.8%3.6%
December3.3%3.1%3.1%2.7%

Neighboring states

  • Washington: arrives early May, 1 week later than Oregon
  • Idaho: arrives late May, 4 weeks later than Oregon
  • Nevada: arrives mid August, 15 weeks later than Oregon
  • California: arrives late July, 12 weeks later than Oregon

Common questions

When do Cedar Waxwings arrive in Oregon?
Cedar Waxwings reach Oregon in late April, are common by mid May, peak in early August (23% of checklists), and most are gone by late October.
When do Cedar Waxwings leave Oregon?
Most Cedar Waxwings have left Oregon by late October, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until early February.
When is the best time to see a Cedar Waxwing in Oregon?
The Cedar Waxwing is reported most often in early August, on about 23% of Oregon checklists.
Where in Oregon are Cedar Waxwings seen most often?
By county, Washington County, Marion County, and Multnomah County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Cedar Waxwing (counties with at least 200 checklists).