WhenToBird

Nucifraga columbiana · Corvidae

When Do Clark's Nutcrackers Arrive in Utah?

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

Clark's Nutcrackers arrive in Utah in the second week of May, peak in mid August (5.2% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of April.

When to look

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

Best: mid August. First arrivals the second week of May; most are gone by the second week of April. Peak: on about 5.2% of Utah checklists.

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

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

0%2%4%6%Jan 1-7: 1.0% of 10857 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.4% of 8333 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.2% of 8360 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.5% of 10516 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.3% of 7416 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.5% of 8082 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.3% of 9643 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.6% of 7960 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.3% of 7998 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.6% of 8581 checklistsMar 15-21: 1.7% of 8637 checklistsMar 22-31: 1.5% of 13006 checklistsApr 1-7: 1.0% of 10562 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.9% of 11694 checklistsApr 15-21: 1.0% of 11382 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.9% of 16626 checklistsMay 1-7: 1.0% of 13523 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.8% of 14714 checklistsMay 15-21: 1.2% of 13711 checklistsMay 22-31: 1.4% of 16546 checklistsJun 1-7: 1.7% of 10284 checklistsJun 8-14: 2.1% of 9530 checklistsJun 15-21: 2.6% of 8854 checklistsJun 22-30: 3.5% of 10566 checklistsJul 1-7: 3.6% of 7987 checklistsJul 8-14: 4.4% of 7471 checklistsJul 15-21: 5.2% of 7240 checklistsJul 22-31: 5.1% of 9329 checklistsAug 1-7: 5.0% of 6521 checklistsAug 8-14: 5.2% of 6423 checklistsAug 15-21: 5.5% of 6208 checklistsAug 22-31: 5.1% of 9089 checklistsSep 1-7: 5.0% of 7081 checklistsSep 8-14: 4.1% of 7306 checklistsSep 15-21: 3.9% of 7208 checklistsSep 22-30: 4.3% of 8876 checklistsOct 1-7: 3.3% of 7265 checklistsOct 8-14: 3.5% of 7226 checklistsOct 15-21: 3.4% of 7007 checklistsOct 22-31: 2.0% of 8443 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.8% of 6711 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.9% of 6290 checklistsNov 15-21: 2.0% of 6169 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.8% of 8228 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.2% of 6011 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.6% of 6044 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.3% of 6721 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.4% of 9982 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 Utah 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 Utah

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Duchesne CountyBest late August · 136 checklists that week, 2,692 in all33%
  2. Piute CountyBest late March · 14 checklists that week, 1,035 in all29%
  3. Daggett CountyBest early October · 17 checklists that week, 1,885 in all27%
  4. Sanpete CountyBest mid August · 126 checklists that week, 6,190 in all26%
  5. Garfield CountyBest late October · 178 checklists that week, 10,367 in all21%
  6. Kane CountyBest late August · 161 checklists that week, 6,105 in all21%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Collins GulchSalt Lake County, best late December · 65 checklists that week, 1,774 in all82%
  2. Hidden LakeWeber County, best the second week of February · 20 checklists that week, 466 in all79%
  3. Emerald LakeDuchesne County, best late August · 29 checklists that week, 373 in all78%
  4. Lake SolitudeSalt Lake County, best the second week of July · 27 checklists that week, 171 in all62%
  5. Bryce Canyon National Park (Yovimpa Point)Kane County, best late June · 23 checklists that week, 416 in all43%
  6. Trial LakeSummit County, best late July · 24 checklists that week, 138 in all32%

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

Best time of day

In Utah, the Clark's Nutcracker is most often listed on checklists started between 9 and 11 am (3.0% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%12 am: too few checklists (242) to judge1 am: too few checklists (178) to judge2 am: too few checklists (169) to judge3 am: too few checklists (162) to judge4 am: too few checklists (284) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1984) to judge6 am: 2.9% of 11714 checklists7 am: 2.3% of 33209 checklists8 am: 2.4% of 46944 checklists9 am: 3.0% of 46290 checklists10 am: 3.0% of 43144 checklists11 am: 2.8% of 36893 checklists12 pm: 2.3% of 32758 checklists1 pm: 2.4% of 30142 checklists2 pm: 2.1% of 29414 checklists3 pm: 1.7% of 29491 checklists4 pm: 1.3% of 29154 checklists5 pm: 1.4% of 22256 checklists6 pm: 1.4% of 17383 checklists7 pm: 0.9% of 13099 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (6647) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1753) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (599) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (307) 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
January1.0%1.4%1.2%1.5%
February1.3%1.5%1.3%1.6%
March1.3%1.6%1.7%1.5%
April1.0%0.9%1.0%0.9%
May1.0%0.8%1.2%1.4%
June1.7%2.1%2.6%3.5%
July3.6%4.4%5.2%5.1%
August5.0%5.2%5.5%5.1%
September5.0%4.1%3.9%4.3%
October3.3%3.5%3.4%2.0%
November1.8%1.9%2.0%1.8%
December1.2%1.6%1.3%1.4%

Neighboring states

  • Wyoming: arrives the second week of July, 8 weeks later than Utah
  • Nevada: arrives early May, 1 week earlier than Utah
  • Colorado: arrives mid May, 1 week later than Utah
  • Idaho: arrives the second week of May, in the same week than Utah

Common questions

When do Clark's Nutcrackers arrive in Utah?
Clark's Nutcrackers arrive in Utah in the second week of May, peak in mid August (5.2% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of April.
When do Clark's Nutcrackers leave Utah?
Most Clark's Nutcrackers have left Utah 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 Utah?
The Clark's Nutcracker is reported most often in mid August, on about 5.2% of Utah checklists.
Where in Utah are Clark's Nutcrackers seen most often?
By county, Duchesne County, Piute County, and Daggett County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Clark's Nutcracker (counties with at least 200 checklists).