WhenToBird

Nucifraga columbiana · Corvidae

When Do Clark's Nutcrackers Arrive in Colorado?

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

Clark's Nutcrackers arrive in Colorado in mid May, peak in late August (4.6% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of April.

When to look

First arrivalsMay 15-21mid May
Common byMay 15-21mid May
PeakAug 22-31late August
Most gone byApr 8-14the second week of April

Best: late August. First arrivals mid May; most are gone by the second week of April. Peak: on about 4.6% of Colorado checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%2%4%6%Jan 1-7: 1.4% of 32254 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.4% of 23278 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.6% of 22933 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.7% of 30856 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.5% of 21464 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.5% of 22910 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.4% of 28739 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.2% of 21833 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.2% of 23066 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.3% of 23783 checklistsMar 15-21: 1.3% of 24797 checklistsMar 22-31: 1.1% of 38439 checklistsApr 1-7: 1.1% of 31676 checklistsApr 8-14: 1.0% of 35092 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.8% of 36778 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.7% of 50885 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.7% of 44186 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.8% of 49011 checklistsMay 15-21: 1.0% of 40784 checklistsMay 22-31: 1.5% of 53073 checklistsJun 1-7: 2.0% of 32432 checklistsJun 8-14: 2.2% of 29978 checklistsJun 15-21: 2.2% of 29457 checklistsJun 22-30: 2.7% of 36072 checklistsJul 1-7: 2.9% of 28857 checklistsJul 8-14: 3.1% of 27224 checklistsJul 15-21: 3.3% of 27629 checklistsJul 22-31: 3.7% of 37318 checklistsAug 1-7: 4.6% of 25893 checklistsAug 8-14: 4.5% of 24870 checklistsAug 15-21: 4.8% of 24035 checklistsAug 22-31: 4.6% of 35691 checklistsSep 1-7: 4.5% of 27068 checklistsSep 8-14: 3.7% of 26709 checklistsSep 15-21: 3.7% of 26098 checklistsSep 22-30: 3.9% of 31550 checklistsOct 1-7: 3.7% of 24110 checklistsOct 8-14: 2.7% of 23352 checklistsOct 15-21: 2.4% of 21895 checklistsOct 22-31: 2.0% of 28319 checklistsNov 1-7: 2.1% of 21698 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.7% of 21061 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.5% of 19855 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.5% of 25798 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.1% of 18626 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.3% of 19004 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.1% of 23103 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.4% of 30802 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 Colorado 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 Colorado

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Clear Creek CountyBest early December · 53 checklists that week, 8,581 in all39%
  2. Saguache CountyBest late January · 31 checklists that week, 3,220 in all37%
  3. Teller CountyBest the second week of December · 101 checklists that week, 11,258 in all34%
  4. Gilpin CountyBest early September · 161 checklists that week, 4,252 in all33%
  5. Custer CountyBest mid September · 109 checklists that week, 3,017 in all27%
  6. Chaffee CountyBest late August · 354 checklists that week, 14,510 in all26%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Dream LakeLarimer County, best late July · 23 checklists that week, 314 in all86%
  2. Lake QuiviraClear Creek County, best the second week of January · 25 checklists that week, 1,149 in all79%
  3. Rocky Mountain National Park (northwest 2)Larimer County, best mid July · 24 checklists that week, 448 in all79%
  4. Bald Mountain GulchChaffee County, best late August · 21 checklists that week, 552 in all64%
  5. AllensparkBoulder County, best the second week of January · 33 checklists that week, 466 in all62%

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

Best time of day

In Colorado, the Clark's Nutcracker is most often listed on checklists started between 9 and 11 am (2.6% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%12 am: too few checklists (512) to judge1 am: too few checklists (468) to judge2 am: too few checklists (513) to judge3 am: too few checklists (656) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1918) to judge5 am: too few checklists (16045) to judge6 am: 2.6% of 71991 checklists7 am: 2.5% of 159189 checklists8 am: 2.5% of 177206 checklists9 am: 2.6% of 165269 checklists10 am: 2.5% of 141029 checklists11 am: 2.3% of 115283 checklists12 pm: 1.9% of 96068 checklists1 pm: 1.9% of 89512 checklists2 pm: 1.6% of 86319 checklists3 pm: 1.3% of 82496 checklists4 pm: 1.2% of 71648 checklists5 pm: 1.1% of 52445 checklists6 pm: 0.9% of 40199 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (24246) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (7986) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2004) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (888) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (450) 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
January1.4%1.4%1.6%1.7%
February1.5%1.5%1.4%1.2%
March1.2%1.3%1.3%1.1%
April1.1%1.0%0.8%0.7%
May0.7%0.8%1.0%1.5%
June2.0%2.2%2.2%2.7%
July2.9%3.1%3.3%3.7%
August4.6%4.5%4.8%4.6%
September4.5%3.7%3.7%3.9%
October3.7%2.7%2.4%2.0%
November2.1%1.7%1.5%1.5%
December1.1%1.3%1.1%1.4%

Neighboring states

  • Wyoming: arrives the second week of July, 7 weeks later than Colorado
  • New Mexico: arrives the second week of May, 1 week earlier than Colorado
  • Utah: arrives the second week of May, 1 week earlier than Colorado
  • South Dakota: arrives early June, 2 weeks later than Colorado

Common questions

When do Clark's Nutcrackers arrive in Colorado?
Clark's Nutcrackers arrive in Colorado in mid May, peak in late August (4.6% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of April.
When do Clark's Nutcrackers leave Colorado?
Most Clark's Nutcrackers have left Colorado by the second week of April, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Clark's Nutcracker in Colorado?
The Clark's Nutcracker is reported most often in late August, on about 4.6% of Colorado checklists.
Where in Colorado are Clark's Nutcrackers seen most often?
By county, Clear Creek County, Saguache County, and Teller County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Clark's Nutcracker (counties with at least 200 checklists).