WhenToBird

Setophaga cerulea · Parulidae

When Do Cerulean Warblers Arrive in Virginia?

Adult female Cerulean Warbler
Photo: William Jones, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Cerulean Warblers mostly pass through Virginia: they arrive in late April, peak in the second week of May (2.2% of checklists), and most are gone by mid June.

When to look

First arrivalsApr 22-30late April
Common byApr 22-30late April
PeakMay 8-14the second week of May
Most gone byJun 15-21mid June

Best: the second week of May. First arrivals late April; most are gone by mid June. Peak: on about 2.2% of Virginia checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marnot usually seen
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Juluncommon
  8. Augrare
  9. Seprare
  10. Octnot usually seen
  11. Novnot usually seen
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%1%2%3%Jan 1-7: 0% of 32817 checklistsJan 8-14: 0% of 25111 checklistsJan 15-21: 0% of 25510 checklistsJan 22-31: 0% of 34492 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0% of 24950 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0% of 28224 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0% of 43578 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0% of 26467 checklistsMar 1-7: 0% of 25851 checklistsMar 8-14: 0% of 25901 checklistsMar 15-21: 0% of 26747 checklistsMar 22-31: 0% of 40819 checklistsApr 1-7: 0% of 31351 checklistsApr 8-14: 0% of 33239 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.2% of 37284 checklistsApr 22-30: 1.0% of 54364 checklistsMay 1-7: 2.3% of 47698 checklistsMay 8-14: 2.1% of 46174 checklistsMay 15-21: 2.1% of 36444 checklistsMay 22-31: 2.2% of 43203 checklistsJun 1-7: 1.8% of 28503 checklistsJun 8-14: 1.3% of 25485 checklistsJun 15-21: 1.1% of 23728 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.8% of 28785 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.6% of 22294 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.3% of 20481 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.2% of 18914 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.2% of 26976 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.2% of 19555 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.2% of 18744 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.2% of 18721 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.2% of 28763 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.1% of 23594 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.1% of 22581 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.1% of 23036 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.1% of 29687 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.1% of 24321 checklistsOct 8-14: 0% of 23946 checklistsOct 15-21: 0% of 22191 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.1% of 30161 checklistsNov 1-7: 0% of 21431 checklistsNov 8-14: 0% of 22758 checklistsNov 15-21: 0% of 19988 checklistsNov 22-30: 0% of 27665 checklistsDec 1-7: 0% of 19324 checklistsDec 8-14: 0% of 20316 checklistsDec 15-21: 0% of 25675 checklistsDec 22-31: 0% 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. Greene CountyBest mid May · 129 checklists that week, 2,866 in all32%
  2. Warren CountyBest early June · 230 checklists that week, 6,182 in all23%
  3. Bedford CountyBest the second week of May · 583 checklists that week, 13,536 in all20%
  4. Botetourt CountyBest the second week of May · 699 checklists that week, 12,409 in all20%
  5. Nelson CountyBest early June · 190 checklists that week, 7,436 in all19%
  6. Fauquier CountyBest the second week of May · 888 checklists that week, 23,175 in all17%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Thompson Wildlife Management AreaFauquier County, best the second week of June · 34 checklists that week, 820 in all96%
  2. Apple Orchard MountainBedford County, best late May · 39 checklists that week, 335 in all92%
  3. Jefferson National Forest (Apple Orchard Falls)Botetourt County, best mid May · 22 checklists that week, 224 in all86%
  4. Jefferson National Forest (Pine Mountain)Botetourt County, best the second week of May · 25 checklists that week, 101 in all84%
  5. Shenandoah National Park (Upper Pocosin)Greene County, best mid May · 23 checklists that week, 345 in all81%
  6. Blue Ridge Parkway (Humpback Gap)Augusta County, best mid May · 20 checklists that week, 280 in all74%

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

Best time of day

In Virginia, the Cerulean Warbler is most often listed on checklists started between 8 and 10 am (0.6% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%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: 0.8% of 64788 checklists7 am: 0.5% of 169128 checklists8 am: 0.6% of 180748 checklists9 am: 0.6% of 153462 checklists10 am: 0.5% of 128966 checklists11 am: 0.5% of 104204 checklists12 pm: 0.5% of 91604 checklists1 pm: 0.4% of 85547 checklists2 pm: 0.3% of 82355 checklists3 pm: 0.2% of 82265 checklists4 pm: 0.2% of 76714 checklists5 pm: 0.2% of 56782 checklists6 pm: 0.3% 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
January0%0%0%0%
February0%0%0%0%
March0%0%0%0%
April0%0%0.2%1.0%
May2.3%2.1%2.1%2.2%
June1.8%1.3%1.1%0.8%
July0.6%0.3%0.2%0.2%
August0.2%0.2%0.2%0.2%
September0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
October0.1%0%0%0.1%
November0%0%0%0%
December0%0%0%0%

Neighboring states

  • West Virginia: arrives mid April, 1 week earlier than Virginia
  • Pennsylvania: arrives late April, in the same week than Virginia
  • New York: arrives early May, 1 week later than Virginia
  • Ohio: arrives late April, in the same week than Virginia

Common questions

When do Cerulean Warblers arrive in Virginia?
Cerulean Warblers mostly pass through Virginia: they arrive in late April, peak in the second week of May (2.2% of checklists), and most are gone by mid June.
When do Cerulean Warblers leave Virginia?
Most Cerulean Warblers have left Virginia by mid June, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Cerulean Warbler in Virginia?
The Cerulean Warbler is reported most often in the second week of May, on about 2.2% of Virginia checklists.
Where in Virginia are Cerulean Warblers seen most often?
By county, Greene County, Warren County, and Bedford County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Cerulean Warbler (counties with at least 200 checklists).