WhenToBird

Bombycilla cedrorum · Bombycillidae

When Do Cedar Waxwings Arrive in Virginia?

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

Cedar Waxwings are in Virginia all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from the second week of May, peak in mid May (19% of checklists), and fall back by the second week of June. In the quietest week (mid February) they are still on about 4.0% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildMay 8-14the second week of May
PeakMay 15-21mid May
Fall back byJun 8-14the second week of June
FewestFeb 15-21mid February

Best: mid May. Here all year; numbers build from the second week of May and fall back by the second week of June. Peak: on about 19% of Virginia checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%10%20%30%Jan 1-7: 5.9% of 32817 checklistsJan 8-14: 5.4% of 25111 checklistsJan 15-21: 5.1% of 25510 checklistsJan 22-31: 5.4% of 34492 checklistsFeb 1-7: 4.5% of 24950 checklistsFeb 8-14: 4.0% of 28224 checklistsFeb 15-21: 3.7% of 43578 checklistsFeb 22-28: 4.3% of 26467 checklistsMar 1-7: 4.1% of 25851 checklistsMar 8-14: 3.8% of 25901 checklistsMar 15-21: 4.3% of 26747 checklistsMar 22-31: 4.2% of 40819 checklistsApr 1-7: 4.5% of 31351 checklistsApr 8-14: 4.9% of 33239 checklistsApr 15-21: 4.6% of 37284 checklistsApr 22-30: 6.0% of 54364 checklistsMay 1-7: 10% of 47698 checklistsMay 8-14: 16% of 46174 checklistsMay 15-21: 22% of 36444 checklistsMay 22-31: 19% of 43203 checklistsJun 1-7: 14% of 28503 checklistsJun 8-14: 12% of 25485 checklistsJun 15-21: 10% of 23728 checklistsJun 22-30: 9.3% of 28785 checklistsJul 1-7: 8.5% of 22294 checklistsJul 8-14: 8.1% of 20481 checklistsJul 15-21: 7.4% of 18914 checklistsJul 22-31: 7.1% of 26976 checklistsAug 1-7: 7.5% of 19555 checklistsAug 8-14: 8.6% of 18744 checklistsAug 15-21: 10% of 18721 checklistsAug 22-31: 10% of 28763 checklistsSep 1-7: 11% of 23594 checklistsSep 8-14: 11% of 22581 checklistsSep 15-21: 11% of 23036 checklistsSep 22-30: 9.0% of 29687 checklistsOct 1-7: 8.6% of 24321 checklistsOct 8-14: 8.3% of 23946 checklistsOct 15-21: 8.8% of 22191 checklistsOct 22-31: 11% of 30161 checklistsNov 1-7: 14% of 21431 checklistsNov 8-14: 13% of 22758 checklistsNov 15-21: 13% of 19988 checklistsNov 22-30: 11% of 27665 checklistsDec 1-7: 8.9% of 19324 checklistsDec 8-14: 7.9% of 20316 checklistsDec 15-21: 8.5% of 25675 checklistsDec 22-31: 7.4% 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. Craig CountyBest late August · 46 checklists that week, 1,834 in all48%
  2. Buchanan CountyBest the second week of September · 37 checklists that week, 1,612 in all47%
  3. Waynesboro CountyBest the second week of October · 76 checklists that week, 3,400 in all47%
  4. Appomattox CountyBest the second week of August · 117 checklists that week, 4,946 in all45%
  5. Russell CountyBest early August · 13 checklists that week, 770 in all44%
  6. Clarke CountyBest late May · 256 checklists that week, 8,388 in all43%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. George Washington National ForestAugusta County, best late September · 27 checklists that week, 814 in all84%
  2. Jefferson National ForestGiles County, best mid June · 24 checklists that week, 496 in all83%
  3. Seven Bends State ParkShenandoah County, best late May · 21 checklists that week, 481 in all83%
  4. Waples MillFairfax County, best late May · 23 checklists that week, 1,647 in all77%
  5. Abbott LakeBedford County, best the second week of September · 37 checklists that week, 605 in all76%
  6. Algonkian Regional ParkLoudoun County, best mid May · 113 checklists that week, 4,531 in all73%

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

Best time of day

In Virginia, the Cedar Waxwing is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (14% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%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: 15% of 64788 checklists7 am: 13% of 169128 checklists8 am: 11% of 180748 checklists9 am: 8.8% of 153462 checklists10 am: 7.2% of 128966 checklists11 am: 6.4% of 104204 checklists12 pm: 6.0% of 91604 checklists1 pm: 6.0% of 85547 checklists2 pm: 6.6% of 82355 checklists3 pm: 7.0% of 82265 checklists4 pm: 6.5% of 76714 checklists5 pm: 7.3% of 56782 checklists6 pm: 8.7% 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
January5.9%5.4%5.1%5.4%
February4.5%4.0%3.7%4.3%
March4.1%3.8%4.3%4.2%
April4.5%4.9%4.6%6.0%
May10%16%22%19%
June14%12%10%9.3%
July8.5%8.1%7.4%7.1%
August7.5%8.6%10%10%
September11%11%11%9.0%
October8.6%8.3%8.8%11%
November14%13%13%11%
December8.9%7.9%8.5%7.4%

Neighboring states

  • District of Columbia: arrives early May, 1 week earlier than Virginia
  • Maryland: arrives the second week of May, in the same week than Virginia
  • West Virginia: arrives early May, 1 week earlier than Virginia
  • Delaware: arrives late April, 2 weeks earlier than Virginia

Common questions

When do Cedar Waxwings arrive in Virginia?
Cedar Waxwings are in Virginia all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from the second week of May, peak in mid May (19% of checklists), and fall back by the second week of June. In the quietest week (mid February) they are still on about 4.0% of checklists.
When do Cedar Waxwings leave Virginia?
Cedar Waxwings never fully leave Virginia: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by the second week of June, but some are still reported in every week, about 4.0% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Cedar Waxwing in Virginia?
The Cedar Waxwing is reported most often in mid May, on about 19% of Virginia checklists.
Where in Virginia are Cedar Waxwings seen most often?
By county, Craig County, Buchanan County, and Waynesboro County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Cedar Waxwing (counties with at least 200 checklists).