WhenToBird

Spizella passerina · Passerellidae

When Do Chipping Sparrows Arrive in Virginia?

Adult Chipping Sparrow
Photo: Shirley Zundell, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Chipping Sparrows are in Virginia all year, but most are here in summer: numbers build from late March, peak in the second week of April (38% of checklists), and fall back by early August. In the quietest week (late January) they are still on about 3.5% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildMar 22-31late March
PeakApr 8-14the second week of April
Fall back byAug 1-7early August
FewestJan 22-31late January

Best: the second week of April. Here all year; numbers build from late March and fall back by early August. Peak: on about 38% of Virginia checklists.

  1. Janrare
  2. Febrare
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Decrare

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

0%10%20%30%40%Jan 1-7: 3.8% of 32817 checklistsJan 8-14: 3.8% of 25111 checklistsJan 15-21: 3.4% of 25510 checklistsJan 22-31: 3.6% of 34492 checklistsFeb 1-7: 3.3% of 24950 checklistsFeb 8-14: 4.1% of 28224 checklistsFeb 15-21: 4.4% of 43578 checklistsFeb 22-28: 3.9% of 26467 checklistsMar 1-7: 4.7% of 25851 checklistsMar 8-14: 6.9% of 25901 checklistsMar 15-21: 13% of 26747 checklistsMar 22-31: 24% of 40819 checklistsApr 1-7: 36% of 31351 checklistsApr 8-14: 39% of 33239 checklistsApr 15-21: 39% of 37284 checklistsApr 22-30: 36% of 54364 checklistsMay 1-7: 32% of 47698 checklistsMay 8-14: 29% of 46174 checklistsMay 15-21: 29% of 36444 checklistsMay 22-31: 29% of 43203 checklistsJun 1-7: 30% of 28503 checklistsJun 8-14: 31% of 25485 checklistsJun 15-21: 31% of 23728 checklistsJun 22-30: 31% of 28785 checklistsJul 1-7: 30% of 22294 checklistsJul 8-14: 30% of 20481 checklistsJul 15-21: 27% of 18914 checklistsJul 22-31: 25% of 26976 checklistsAug 1-7: 22% of 19555 checklistsAug 8-14: 19% of 18744 checklistsAug 15-21: 17% of 18721 checklistsAug 22-31: 15% of 28763 checklistsSep 1-7: 13% of 23594 checklistsSep 8-14: 12% of 22581 checklistsSep 15-21: 12% of 23036 checklistsSep 22-30: 12% of 29687 checklistsOct 1-7: 13% of 24321 checklistsOct 8-14: 14% of 23946 checklistsOct 15-21: 16% of 22191 checklistsOct 22-31: 17% of 30161 checklistsNov 1-7: 14% of 21431 checklistsNov 8-14: 9.8% of 22758 checklistsNov 15-21: 7.2% of 19988 checklistsNov 22-30: 5.1% of 27665 checklistsDec 1-7: 4.2% of 19324 checklistsDec 8-14: 4.0% of 20316 checklistsDec 15-21: 3.8% of 25675 checklistsDec 22-31: 3.5% 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. Appomattox CountyBest mid July · 112 checklists that week, 4,946 in all88%
  2. Martinsville CountyBest the second week of April · 48 checklists that week, 1,842 in all73%
  3. Louisa CountyBest the second week of April · 137 checklists that week, 5,590 in all71%
  4. Buchanan CountyBest early April · 26 checklists that week, 1,612 in all70%
  5. Clarke CountyBest mid April · 204 checklists that week, 8,388 in all70%
  6. Amelia CountyBest early April · 43 checklists that week, 1,947 in all67%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. New River Trail State ParkWythe County, best late April · 34 checklists that week, 471 in all98%
  2. Holliday Lake State ParkAppomattox County, best mid April · 66 checklists that week, 3,369 in all96%
  3. Jefferson National ForestGiles County, best mid June · 24 checklists that week, 496 in all95%
  4. York River State ParkJames City, best late June · 27 checklists that week, 1,602 in all95%
  5. Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania County Battlefields Memorial National Military ParkSpotsylvania County, best late April · 36 checklists that week, 507 in all94%

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

Best time of day

In Virginia, the Chipping Sparrow is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (24% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%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: 28% of 64788 checklists7 am: 23% of 169128 checklists8 am: 21% of 180748 checklists9 am: 19% of 153462 checklists10 am: 17% of 128966 checklists11 am: 15% of 104204 checklists12 pm: 15% of 91604 checklists1 pm: 14% of 85547 checklists2 pm: 13% of 82355 checklists3 pm: 13% of 82265 checklists4 pm: 14% of 76714 checklists5 pm: 17% of 56782 checklists6 pm: 19% 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
January3.8%3.8%3.4%3.6%
February3.3%4.1%4.4%3.9%
March4.7%6.9%13%24%
April36%39%39%36%
May32%29%29%29%
June30%31%31%31%
July30%30%27%25%
August22%19%17%15%
September13%12%12%12%
October13%14%16%17%
November14%9.8%7.2%5.1%
December4.2%4.0%3.8%3.5%

Neighboring states

  • District of Columbia: arrives early March, 3 weeks earlier than Virginia
  • Maryland: arrives the second week of March, 2 weeks earlier than Virginia
  • West Virginia: arrives mid March, 1 week earlier than Virginia
  • Delaware: arrives the second week of March, 2 weeks earlier than Virginia

Common questions

When do Chipping Sparrows arrive in Virginia?
Chipping Sparrows are in Virginia all year, but most are here in summer: numbers build from late March, peak in the second week of April (38% of checklists), and fall back by early August. In the quietest week (late January) they are still on about 3.5% of checklists.
When do Chipping Sparrows leave Virginia?
Chipping Sparrows never fully leave Virginia: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by early August, but some are still reported in every week, about 3.5% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Chipping Sparrow in Virginia?
The Chipping Sparrow is reported most often in the second week of April, on about 38% of Virginia checklists.
Where in Virginia are Chipping Sparrows seen most often?
By county, Appomattox County, Martinsville County, and Louisa County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Chipping Sparrow (counties with at least 200 checklists).