WhenToBird

Bombycilla cedrorum · Bombycillidae

When Do Cedar Waxwings Arrive in Washington?

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

Cedar Waxwings reach Washington in early May, are common by mid May, peak in late June (28% of checklists), and most are gone by early October.

When to look

First arrivalsMay 1-7early May
Common byMay 15-21mid May
PeakJun 22-30late June
Most gone byOct 1-7early October

Best: late June. First arrivals early May; most are gone by early October. Peak: on about 28% of Washington checklists.

  1. Janrare
  2. Febrare
  3. Marrare
  4. Aprrare
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Decrare

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

0%10%20%30%Jan 1-7: 2.0% of 41928 checklistsJan 8-14: 2.1% of 31152 checklistsJan 15-21: 2.3% of 31753 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.7% of 42530 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.7% of 29739 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.5% of 32746 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.4% of 40328 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.4% of 28432 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.3% of 30758 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.2% of 29368 checklistsMar 15-21: 1.1% of 32580 checklistsMar 22-31: 1.2% of 45614 checklistsApr 1-7: 1.2% of 33997 checklistsApr 8-14: 1.0% of 34729 checklistsApr 15-21: 1.0% of 38474 checklistsApr 22-30: 1.4% of 52185 checklistsMay 1-7: 2.1% of 44236 checklistsMay 8-14: 5.2% of 48708 checklistsMay 15-21: 13% of 41742 checklistsMay 22-31: 24% of 57082 checklistsJun 1-7: 28% of 39193 checklistsJun 8-14: 28% of 36042 checklistsJun 15-21: 28% of 34003 checklistsJun 22-30: 28% of 39711 checklistsJul 1-7: 28% of 31949 checklistsJul 8-14: 27% of 29086 checklistsJul 15-21: 27% of 28045 checklistsJul 22-31: 26% of 38275 checklistsAug 1-7: 25% of 28846 checklistsAug 8-14: 24% of 28036 checklistsAug 15-21: 23% of 27614 checklistsAug 22-31: 22% of 40356 checklistsSep 1-7: 18% of 31214 checklistsSep 8-14: 14% of 27795 checklistsSep 15-21: 13% of 29677 checklistsSep 22-30: 13% of 35241 checklistsOct 1-7: 11% of 28605 checklistsOct 8-14: 10% of 28655 checklistsOct 15-21: 9.8% of 24643 checklistsOct 22-31: 7.2% of 34874 checklistsNov 1-7: 4.7% of 25658 checklistsNov 8-14: 4.2% of 25700 checklistsNov 15-21: 2.8% of 24331 checklistsNov 22-30: 2.6% of 32784 checklistsDec 1-7: 2.5% of 24099 checklistsDec 8-14: 2.4% of 23339 checklistsDec 15-21: 2.0% of 27666 checklistsDec 22-31: 2.2% 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. Wahkiakum CountyBest the second week of August · 88 checklists that week, 5,618 in all53%
  2. Clark CountyBest early June · 1130 checklists that week, 53,250 in all50%
  3. Cowlitz CountyBest mid June · 282 checklists that week, 15,273 in all45%
  4. Skamania CountyBest early August · 219 checklists that week, 10,140 in all44%
  5. Columbia CountyBest mid August · 21 checklists that week, 1,894 in all42%
  6. Thurston CountyBest early June · 1438 checklists that week, 68,352 in all40%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail (Ennis Creek)Whatcom County, best early June · 45 checklists that week, 519 in all96%
  2. Tennant LakeWhatcom County, best mid June · 21 checklists that week, 877 in all94%
  3. Green River Natural Resources AreaKing County, best late July · 24 checklists that week, 1,204 in all93%

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

Best time of day

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

0%10%20%30%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: 22% of 56744 checklists7 am: 15% of 133294 checklists8 am: 12% of 184196 checklists9 am: 10% of 186303 checklists10 am: 9.6% of 177063 checklists11 am: 8.6% of 154936 checklists12 pm: 7.7% of 138061 checklists1 pm: 7.6% of 127449 checklists2 pm: 7.3% of 121511 checklists3 pm: 7.3% of 107793 checklists4 pm: 8.7% of 82862 checklists5 pm: 11% of 57183 checklists6 pm: 14% 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
January2.0%2.1%2.3%1.7%
February1.7%1.5%1.4%1.4%
March1.3%1.2%1.1%1.2%
April1.2%1.0%1.0%1.4%
May2.1%5.2%13%24%
June28%28%28%28%
July28%27%27%26%
August25%24%23%22%
September18%14%13%13%
October11%10%9.8%7.2%
November4.7%4.2%2.8%2.6%
December2.5%2.4%2.0%2.2%

Neighboring states

  • Oregon: arrives late April, 1 week earlier than Washington
  • Idaho: arrives late May, 3 weeks later than Washington
  • Montana: arrives the second week of May, 1 week later than Washington
  • Nevada: arrives mid August, 14 weeks later than Washington

Common questions

When do Cedar Waxwings arrive in Washington?
Cedar Waxwings reach Washington in early May, are common by mid May, peak in late June (28% of checklists), and most are gone by early October.
When do Cedar Waxwings leave Washington?
Most Cedar Waxwings have left Washington by early October, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until early December.
When is the best time to see a Cedar Waxwing in Washington?
The Cedar Waxwing is reported most often in late June, on about 28% of Washington checklists.
Where in Washington are Cedar Waxwings seen most often?
By county, Wahkiakum County, Clark County, and Cowlitz County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Cedar Waxwing (counties with at least 200 checklists).