WhenToBird

Nucifraga columbiana · Corvidae

When Do Clark's Nutcrackers Arrive in Wyoming?

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

Clark's Nutcrackers are in Wyoming all year, but most are here in fall: numbers build from the second week of July, peak in late August (13% of checklists), and fall back by mid October. In the quietest week (mid April) they are still on about 2.1% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildJul 8-14the second week of July
PeakAug 22-31late August
Fall back byOct 15-21mid October
FewestApr 15-21mid April

Best: late August. Here all year; numbers build from the second week of July and fall back by mid October. Peak: on about 13% of Wyoming checklists.

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

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 3.0% of 2543 checklistsJan 8-14: 3.6% of 2114 checklistsJan 15-21: 3.7% of 1984 checklistsJan 22-31: 3.6% of 2605 checklistsFeb 1-7: 3.9% of 1940 checklistsFeb 8-14: 3.5% of 1954 checklistsFeb 15-21: 4.1% of 2575 checklistsFeb 22-28: 4.0% of 1932 checklistsMar 1-7: 3.2% of 2486 checklistsMar 8-14: 3.4% of 2535 checklistsMar 15-21: 3.9% of 2726 checklistsMar 22-31: 2.9% of 4349 checklistsApr 1-7: 2.2% of 3300 checklistsApr 8-14: 2.4% of 3500 checklistsApr 15-21: 1.9% of 3701 checklistsApr 22-30: 2.2% of 5887 checklistsMay 1-7: 2.7% of 5341 checklistsMay 8-14: 2.5% of 6910 checklistsMay 15-21: 3.0% of 6884 checklistsMay 22-31: 3.0% of 10652 checklistsJun 1-7: 3.1% of 6807 checklistsJun 8-14: 4.1% of 6714 checklistsJun 15-21: 5.2% of 6708 checklistsJun 22-30: 6.0% of 8160 checklistsJul 1-7: 7.1% of 5755 checklistsJul 8-14: 7.8% of 5379 checklistsJul 15-21: 8.1% of 5299 checklistsJul 22-31: 8.9% of 6830 checklistsAug 1-7: 11% of 4581 checklistsAug 8-14: 12% of 4625 checklistsAug 15-21: 12% of 4466 checklistsAug 22-31: 13% of 6562 checklistsSep 1-7: 12% of 4543 checklistsSep 8-14: 12% of 4652 checklistsSep 15-21: 12% of 4186 checklistsSep 22-30: 12% of 5301 checklistsOct 1-7: 11% of 3248 checklistsOct 8-14: 8.5% of 3010 checklistsOct 15-21: 8.8% of 2624 checklistsOct 22-31: 5.3% of 3170 checklistsNov 1-7: 4.2% of 2110 checklistsNov 8-14: 3.9% of 2153 checklistsNov 15-21: 3.9% of 1971 checklistsNov 22-30: 3.9% of 2136 checklistsDec 1-7: 3.8% of 1646 checklistsDec 8-14: 3.5% of 1609 checklistsDec 15-21: 3.4% of 1954 checklistsDec 22-31: 4.6% of 2392 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 Wyoming 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 Wyoming

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Sublette CountyBest early September · 126 checklists that week, 6,738 in all29%
  2. Park CountyBest late September · 1037 checklists that week, 27,277 in all24%
  3. Fremont CountyBest the second week of August · 523 checklists that week, 27,707 in all22%
  4. Teton CountyBest late August · 1534 checklists that week, 34,686 in all16%
  5. Lincoln CountyBest the second week of October · 37 checklists that week, 3,169 in all16%
  6. Big Horn CountyBest late August · 62 checklists that week, 2,023 in all12%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Artist PointPark County, best mid June · 20 checklists that week, 232 in all56%
  2. Louis LakeFremont County, best early August · 23 checklists that week, 329 in all55%
  3. Yellowstone National ParkPark County, best early September · 38 checklists that week, 1,028 in all50%
  4. The SinksFremont County, best late August · 21 checklists that week, 338 in all42%
  5. Bridge BayTeton County, best late September · 23 checklists that week, 297 in all36%
  6. Wyoming Range Withdrawal Area Special Designated AreaSublette County, best late October · 22 checklists that week, 300 in all33%

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

Best time of day

In Wyoming, the Clark's Nutcracker is most often listed on checklists started between 11 am and 1 pm (7.5% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%8%12 am: too few checklists (59) to judge1 am: too few checklists (76) to judge2 am: too few checklists (86) to judge3 am: too few checklists (79) to judge4 am: too few checklists (326) to judge5 am: too few checklists (2271) to judge6 am: 6.6% of 8808 checklists7 am: 5.9% of 18458 checklists8 am: 7.2% of 22143 checklists9 am: 7.0% of 21499 checklists10 am: 6.9% of 19425 checklists11 am: 7.9% of 16017 checklists12 pm: 7.1% of 13868 checklists1 pm: 6.1% of 12984 checklists2 pm: 5.5% of 12605 checklists3 pm: 3.9% of 11821 checklists4 pm: 3.9% of 10571 checklists5 pm: 3.4% of 8746 checklists6 pm: 3.2% of 6707 checklists7 pm: 2.5% of 4890 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (2323) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (554) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (134) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (59) 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
January3.0%3.6%3.7%3.6%
February3.9%3.5%4.1%4.0%
March3.2%3.4%3.9%2.9%
April2.2%2.4%1.9%2.2%
May2.7%2.5%3.0%3.0%
June3.1%4.1%5.2%6.0%
July7.1%7.8%8.1%8.9%
August11%12%12%13%
September12%12%12%12%
October11%8.5%8.8%5.3%
November4.2%3.9%3.9%3.9%
December3.8%3.5%3.4%4.6%

Neighboring states

  • Colorado: arrives mid May, 7 weeks earlier than Wyoming
  • Utah: arrives the second week of May, 8 weeks earlier than Wyoming
  • Montana: arrives the second week of August, 4 weeks later than Wyoming
  • Idaho: arrives the second week of May, 8 weeks earlier than Wyoming

Common questions

When do Clark's Nutcrackers arrive in Wyoming?
Clark's Nutcrackers are in Wyoming all year, but most are here in fall: numbers build from the second week of July, peak in late August (13% of checklists), and fall back by mid October. In the quietest week (mid April) they are still on about 2.1% of checklists.
When do Clark's Nutcrackers leave Wyoming?
Clark's Nutcrackers never fully leave Wyoming: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by mid October, but some are still reported in every week, about 2.1% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Clark's Nutcracker in Wyoming?
The Clark's Nutcracker is reported most often in late August, on about 13% of Wyoming checklists.
Where in Wyoming are Clark's Nutcrackers seen most often?
By county, Sublette County, Park County, and Fremont County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Clark's Nutcracker (counties with at least 200 checklists).