WhenToBird

Poecile rufescens · Paridae

When Do Chestnut-backed Chickadees Arrive in California?

Adult Chestnut-backed Chickadee
Photo: John Rosford, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

The Chestnut-backed Chickadee is in California all year. It turns up on about 19% of checklists at its peak (mid September) and on 11% in its quietest week (the second week of January).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekSep 15-21mid September
Quietest weekJan 8-14the second week of January

Best: mid September. Here all year. Peak: on about 19% of California checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%5%10%15%20%Jan 1-7: 11% of 112336 checklistsJan 8-14: 11% of 85518 checklistsJan 15-21: 11% of 86488 checklistsJan 22-31: 11% of 116174 checklistsFeb 1-7: 11% of 75171 checklistsFeb 8-14: 12% of 84467 checklistsFeb 15-21: 12% of 105683 checklistsFeb 22-28: 12% of 83396 checklistsMar 1-7: 12% of 77470 checklistsMar 8-14: 12% of 75180 checklistsMar 15-21: 12% of 80770 checklistsMar 22-31: 13% of 114116 checklistsApr 1-7: 12% of 84057 checklistsApr 8-14: 12% of 83692 checklistsApr 15-21: 12% of 89242 checklistsApr 22-30: 12% of 114289 checklistsMay 1-7: 13% of 85728 checklistsMay 8-14: 14% of 91984 checklistsMay 15-21: 15% of 75478 checklistsMay 22-31: 15% of 106250 checklistsJun 1-7: 16% of 70051 checklistsJun 8-14: 15% of 67485 checklistsJun 15-21: 15% of 66269 checklistsJun 22-30: 15% of 79172 checklistsJul 1-7: 15% of 62877 checklistsJul 8-14: 15% of 60328 checklistsJul 15-21: 14% of 59705 checklistsJul 22-31: 14% of 83796 checklistsAug 1-7: 14% of 60215 checklistsAug 8-14: 15% of 60172 checklistsAug 15-21: 15% of 59877 checklistsAug 22-31: 16% of 89107 checklistsSep 1-7: 19% of 72000 checklistsSep 8-14: 19% of 71228 checklistsSep 15-21: 19% of 76808 checklistsSep 22-30: 19% of 100204 checklistsOct 1-7: 19% of 76571 checklistsOct 8-14: 17% of 80874 checklistsOct 15-21: 16% of 74581 checklistsOct 22-31: 15% of 97498 checklistsNov 1-7: 14% of 70851 checklistsNov 8-14: 13% of 72431 checklistsNov 15-21: 12% of 66767 checklistsNov 22-30: 12% of 94737 checklistsDec 1-7: 12% of 65393 checklistsDec 8-14: 12% of 67449 checklistsDec 15-21: 14% of 83421 checklistsDec 22-31: 12% of 124993 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 California 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 California

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Santa Cruz CountyBest mid June · 2083 checklists that week, 140,819 in all60%
  2. Contra Costa CountyBest the second week of September · 2019 checklists that week, 115,071 in all54%
  3. San Francisco CountyBest the second week of September · 3031 checklists that week, 130,018 in all54%
  4. San Mateo CountyBest late September · 3583 checklists that week, 148,781 in all49%
  5. Santa Clara CountyBest late September · 4792 checklists that week, 201,483 in all48%
  6. Monterey CountyBest late September · 4332 checklists that week, 132,505 in all44%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. George Washington ParkMonterey County, best late August · 20 checklists that week, 932 in all100%
  2. DeLaveaga Park & Golf CourseSanta Cruz County, best late May · 20 checklists that week, 459 in all100%
  3. Carmel River State Beach (Hatton Canyon)Monterey County, best early June · 27 checklists that week, 1,994 in all99%
  4. Stanton Soccer FieldSanta Clara County, best early October · 21 checklists that week, 630 in all99%
  5. Mission Trail Nature PreserveMonterey County, best the second week of May · 27 checklists that week, 572 in all98%
  6. Hatton CanyonMonterey County, best late March · 22 checklists that week, 531 in all98%

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

Best time of day

In California, the Chestnut-backed Chickadee is most often listed on checklists started between 8 and 10 am (16% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%20%12 am: too few checklists (1688) to judge1 am: too few checklists (1451) to judge2 am: too few checklists (1402) to judge3 am: too few checklists (1743) to judge4 am: too few checklists (4647) to judge5 am: too few checklists (32158) to judge6 am: 11% of 186053 checklists7 am: 14% of 444086 checklists8 am: 16% of 535846 checklists9 am: 16% of 486061 checklists10 am: 15% of 411130 checklists11 am: 14% of 325798 checklists12 pm: 13% of 269132 checklists1 pm: 13% of 244762 checklists2 pm: 13% of 235420 checklists3 pm: 12% of 232365 checklists4 pm: 12% of 208688 checklists5 pm: 13% of 146104 checklists6 pm: 11% of 96867 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (50942) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (14803) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (5561) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (3546) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (2092) 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
January11%11%11%11%
February11%12%12%12%
March12%12%12%13%
April12%12%12%12%
May13%14%15%15%
June16%15%15%15%
July15%15%14%14%
August14%15%15%16%
September19%19%19%19%
October19%17%16%15%
November14%13%12%12%
December12%12%14%12%

Neighboring states

  • Oregon: year-round, peaks the second week of September
  • Idaho: year-round, peaks early March
  • Washington: year-round, peaks early August
  • Montana: winter visitor, peaks late February

Common questions

When do Chestnut-backed Chickadees arrive in California?
The Chestnut-backed Chickadee is in California all year. It turns up on about 19% of checklists at its peak (mid September) and on 11% in its quietest week (the second week of January).
When do Chestnut-backed Chickadees leave California?
The Chestnut-backed Chickadee does not leave California: it is reported all year, from 11% of checklists in the second week of January to 19% in mid September.
When is the best time to see a Chestnut-backed Chickadee in California?
The Chestnut-backed Chickadee is reported most often in mid September, on about 19% of California checklists.
Where in California are Chestnut-backed Chickadees seen most often?
By county, Santa Cruz County, Contra Costa County, and San Francisco County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Chestnut-backed Chickadee (counties with at least 200 checklists).