WhenToBird

Chaetura pelagica · Apodidae

When Do Chimney Swifts Arrive in West Virginia?

Adult Chimney Swift
Photo: Ali Campbell, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Chimney Swifts reach West Virginia in mid April, are common by late April, peak in late May (19% of checklists), and most are gone by early October.

When to look

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

Best: late May. First arrivals mid April; most are gone by early October. Peak: on about 19% of West Virginia checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marnot usually seen
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novnot usually seen
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%10%20%30%Jan 1-7: 0% of 4227 checklistsJan 8-14: 0% of 3147 checklistsJan 15-21: 0% of 3410 checklistsJan 22-31: 0% of 4248 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0% of 3150 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0% of 3653 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0% of 5140 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0% of 3846 checklistsMar 1-7: 0% of 3901 checklistsMar 8-14: 0% of 3820 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.1% of 3781 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.1% of 5705 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.2% of 4529 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.6% of 4935 checklistsApr 15-21: 3.5% of 5429 checklistsApr 22-30: 9.9% of 8015 checklistsMay 1-7: 15% of 7421 checklistsMay 8-14: 17% of 6910 checklistsMay 15-21: 20% of 5596 checklistsMay 22-31: 19% of 6884 checklistsJun 1-7: 20% of 4123 checklistsJun 8-14: 18% of 3957 checklistsJun 15-21: 18% of 3863 checklistsJun 22-30: 19% of 4217 checklistsJul 1-7: 18% of 3491 checklistsJul 8-14: 19% of 3044 checklistsJul 15-21: 20% of 3095 checklistsJul 22-31: 18% of 4120 checklistsAug 1-7: 19% of 3009 checklistsAug 8-14: 16% of 3007 checklistsAug 15-21: 14% of 2905 checklistsAug 22-31: 13% of 4312 checklistsSep 1-7: 11% of 3429 checklistsSep 8-14: 12% of 3217 checklistsSep 15-21: 13% of 3285 checklistsSep 22-30: 13% of 4067 checklistsOct 1-7: 10% of 3380 checklistsOct 8-14: 3.2% of 3460 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.3% of 3129 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.1% of 3881 checklistsNov 1-7: 0% of 3084 checklistsNov 8-14: 0% of 2869 checklistsNov 15-21: 0% of 2484 checklistsNov 22-30: 0% of 3663 checklistsDec 1-7: 0% of 2574 checklistsDec 8-14: 0% of 2680 checklistsDec 15-21: 0% of 3792 checklistsDec 22-31: 0% of 4236 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 West 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 West Virginia

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Marion CountyBest late May · 153 checklists that week, 5,628 in all45%
  2. Raleigh CountyBest mid July · 64 checklists that week, 7,579 in all42%
  3. Kanawha CountyBest early July · 157 checklists that week, 12,108 in all37%
  4. Hancock CountyBest late May · 12 checklists that week, 283 in all34%
  5. Monongalia CountyBest late June · 394 checklists that week, 21,393 in all34%
  6. Brooke CountyBest early July · 26 checklists that week, 594 in all34%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Herrs Island (historical)Jefferson County, best the second week of June · 21 checklists that week, 729 in all71%
  2. Wade SpringMonongalia County, best the second week of May · 20 checklists that week, 401 in all66%
  3. Town of Masontown Water Supply D LakePreston County, best late May · 23 checklists that week, 800 in all58%
  4. New HillMonongalia County, best late August · 26 checklists that week, 666 in all57%
  5. McDonough Wildlife RefugeWood County, best late September · 23 checklists that week, 542 in all54%

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

Best time of day

In West Virginia, the Chimney Swift is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 pm (20% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%12 am: too few checklists (65) to judge1 am: too few checklists (47) to judge2 am: too few checklists (46) to judge3 am: too few checklists (49) to judge4 am: too few checklists (140) to judge5 am: too few checklists (952) to judge6 am: 17% of 5860 checklists7 am: 9.4% of 18233 checklists8 am: 8.0% of 24468 checklists9 am: 6.3% of 22542 checklists10 am: 5.9% of 19537 checklists11 am: 6.0% of 16362 checklists12 pm: 6.9% of 14819 checklists1 pm: 5.1% of 12772 checklists2 pm: 4.9% of 11765 checklists3 pm: 5.5% of 12579 checklists4 pm: 6.1% of 11463 checklists5 pm: 11% of 9409 checklists6 pm: 18% of 6557 checklists7 pm: 23% of 4256 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (1589) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (377) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (147) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (86) 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%0.1%0.1%
April0.2%0.6%3.5%9.9%
May15%17%20%19%
June20%18%18%19%
July18%19%20%18%
August19%16%14%13%
September11%12%13%13%
October10%3.2%0.3%0.1%
November0%0%0%0%
December0%0%0%0%

Neighboring states

  • Virginia: arrives the second week of April, 1 week earlier than West Virginia
  • District of Columbia: arrives the second week of April, 1 week earlier than West Virginia
  • Maryland: arrives the second week of April, 1 week earlier than West Virginia
  • Ohio: arrives mid April, in the same week than West Virginia

Common questions

When do Chimney Swifts arrive in West Virginia?
Chimney Swifts reach West Virginia in mid April, are common by late April, peak in late May (19% of checklists), and most are gone by early October.
When do Chimney Swifts leave West Virginia?
Most Chimney Swifts have left West Virginia by early October, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until the second week of October.
When is the best time to see a Chimney Swift in West Virginia?
The Chimney Swift is reported most often in late May, on about 19% of West Virginia checklists.
Where in West Virginia are Chimney Swifts seen most often?
By county, Marion County, Raleigh County, and Kanawha County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Chimney Swift (counties with at least 200 checklists).