WhenToBird

Nucifraga columbiana · Corvidae

When Do Clark's Nutcrackers Arrive in California?

Adult Clark's Nutcracker
Photo: rdclark86, CC0 1.0 via iNaturalist

Clark's Nutcrackers arrive in California in late May, peak in early August (1.5% of checklists), and most are gone by late October.

When to look

First arrivalsMay 22-31late May
Common byMay 22-31late May
PeakAug 1-7early August
Most gone byOct 22-31late October

Best: early August. First arrivals late May; most are gone by late October. Peak: on about 1.5% of California checklists.

  1. Janrare
  2. Febrare
  3. Marrare
  4. Aprrare
  5. Maycommon
  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%0.5%1%1.5%2%Jan 1-7: 0.1% of 112336 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.1% of 85518 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.1% of 86488 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.1% of 116174 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.1% of 75171 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.1% of 84467 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.1% of 105683 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.1% of 83396 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.1% of 77470 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.1% of 75180 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.1% of 80770 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.1% of 114116 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.2% of 84057 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.2% of 83692 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.2% of 89242 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.2% of 114289 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.2% of 85728 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.2% of 91984 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.4% of 75478 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.6% of 106250 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.8% of 70051 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.8% of 67485 checklistsJun 15-21: 1.4% of 66269 checklistsJun 22-30: 1.3% of 79172 checklistsJul 1-7: 1.2% of 62877 checklistsJul 8-14: 1.4% of 60328 checklistsJul 15-21: 1.4% of 59705 checklistsJul 22-31: 1.5% of 83796 checklistsAug 1-7: 1.4% of 60215 checklistsAug 8-14: 1.5% of 60172 checklistsAug 15-21: 1.3% of 59877 checklistsAug 22-31: 1.2% of 89107 checklistsSep 1-7: 1.1% of 72000 checklistsSep 8-14: 1.0% of 71228 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.9% of 76808 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.9% of 100204 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.9% of 76571 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.9% of 80874 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.7% of 74581 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.6% of 97498 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.4% of 70851 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.3% of 72431 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.2% of 66767 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.2% of 94737 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.2% of 65393 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.1% of 67449 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.2% of 83421 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.1% 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. Alpine CountyBest late October · 220 checklists that week, 6,013 in all46%
  2. Modoc CountyBest the second week of October · 76 checklists that week, 6,138 in all29%
  3. Mono CountyBest the second week of October · 888 checklists that week, 38,666 in all23%
  4. Inyo CountyBest early August · 459 checklists that week, 35,713 in all23%
  5. Sierra CountyBest the second week of October · 59 checklists that week, 8,945 in all18%
  6. Madera CountyBest late August · 251 checklists that week, 11,452 in all14%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Lake HelenShasta County, best late August · 33 checklists that week, 292 in all82%
  2. MarkleevilleAlpine County, best late October · 67 checklists that week, 376 in all79%
  3. Little Valley (Big Valley Lake)Mono County, best late July · 20 checklists that week, 221 in all78%
  4. AspendellInyo County, best the second week of January · 24 checklists that week, 540 in all67%
  5. Schulman GroveInyo County, best late September · 27 checklists that week, 519 in all66%
  6. Little ValleyMono County, best the second week of July · 39 checklists that week, 289 in all60%

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

Best time of day

In California, the Clark's Nutcracker is most often listed on checklists started between 10 am and 12 pm (0.7% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%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: 0.5% of 186053 checklists7 am: 0.5% of 444086 checklists8 am: 0.5% of 535846 checklists9 am: 0.6% of 486061 checklists10 am: 0.7% of 411130 checklists11 am: 0.7% of 325798 checklists12 pm: 0.6% of 269132 checklists1 pm: 0.5% of 244762 checklists2 pm: 0.5% of 235420 checklists3 pm: 0.4% of 232365 checklists4 pm: 0.3% of 208688 checklists5 pm: 0.3% of 146104 checklists6 pm: 0.3% 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
January0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
February0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
March0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
April0.2%0.2%0.2%0.2%
May0.2%0.2%0.4%0.6%
June0.8%0.8%1.4%1.3%
July1.2%1.4%1.4%1.5%
August1.4%1.5%1.3%1.2%
September1.1%1.0%0.9%0.9%
October0.9%0.9%0.7%0.6%
November0.4%0.3%0.2%0.2%
December0.2%0.1%0.2%0.1%

Neighboring states

  • Nevada: arrives early May, 3 weeks earlier than California
  • Utah: arrives the second week of May, 2 weeks earlier than California
  • Oregon: arrives early June, 1 week later than California
  • Idaho: arrives the second week of May, 2 weeks earlier than California

Common questions

When do Clark's Nutcrackers arrive in California?
Clark's Nutcrackers arrive in California in late May, peak in early August (1.5% of checklists), and most are gone by late October.
When do Clark's Nutcrackers leave California?
Most Clark's Nutcrackers have left California by late October, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Clark's Nutcracker in California?
The Clark's Nutcracker is reported most often in early August, on about 1.5% of California checklists.
Where in California are Clark's Nutcrackers seen most often?
By county, Alpine County, Modoc County, and Mono County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Clark's Nutcracker (counties with at least 200 checklists).