WhenToBird

Chordeiles minor · Caprimulgidae

When Do Common Nighthawks Arrive in West Virginia?

Adult Common Nighthawk
Photo: Donald Davesne, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Common Nighthawks mostly pass through West Virginia: they arrive in mid August, peak in early September (7.2% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of September.

When to look

First arrivalsAug 15-21mid August
Common byAug 15-21mid August
PeakSep 1-7early September
Most gone bySep 8-14the second week of September

Best: early September. First arrivals mid August; most are gone by the second week of September. Peak: on about 7.2% of West Virginia checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marnot usually seen
  4. Aprnot usually seen
  5. Mayrare
  6. Junrare
  7. Julrare
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octnot usually seen
  11. Novnot usually seen
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%5%10%Jan 1-7: 0% of 4227 checklistsJan 8-14: 0% of 3147 checklistsJan 15-21: 0% of 3410 checklistsJan 22-31: 0% of 4248 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0% of 3150 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0% of 3653 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0% of 5140 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0% of 3846 checklistsMar 1-7: 0% of 3901 checklistsMar 8-14: 0% of 3820 checklistsMar 15-21: 0% of 3781 checklistsMar 22-31: 0% of 5705 checklistsApr 1-7: 0% of 4529 checklistsApr 8-14: 0% of 4935 checklistsApr 15-21: 0% of 5429 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.1% of 8015 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.2% of 7421 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.7% of 6910 checklistsMay 15-21: 1.0% of 5596 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.4% of 6884 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.5% of 4123 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.4% of 3957 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.4% of 3863 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.3% of 4217 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.6% of 3491 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.6% of 3044 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.5% of 3095 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.3% of 4120 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.2% of 3009 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.7% of 3007 checklistsAug 15-21: 1.6% of 2905 checklistsAug 22-31: 9.0% of 4312 checklistsSep 1-7: 7.8% of 3429 checklistsSep 8-14: 4.1% of 3217 checklistsSep 15-21: 1.7% of 3285 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.5% of 4067 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.1% of 3380 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.1% of 3460 checklistsOct 15-21: 0% of 3129 checklistsOct 22-31: 0% of 3881 checklistsNov 1-7: 0% of 3084 checklistsNov 8-14: 0% of 2869 checklistsNov 15-21: 0% of 2484 checklistsNov 22-30: 0% of 3663 checklistsDec 1-7: 0% of 2574 checklistsDec 8-14: 0% of 2680 checklistsDec 15-21: 0% of 3792 checklistsDec 22-31: 0% of 4236 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 West 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 West Virginia

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Putnam CountyBest early September · 98 checklists that week, 2,400 in all44%
  2. Summers CountyBest late August · 145 checklists that week, 5,370 in all15%
  3. Mercer CountyBest early September · 96 checklists that week, 4,709 in all14%
  4. Wood CountyBest early September · 179 checklists that week, 8,802 in all13%
  5. Greenbrier CountyBest early September · 35 checklists that week, 2,681 in all12%
  6. Preston CountyBest early September · 236 checklists that week, 16,305 in all12%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. New HillMonongalia County, best late August · 26 checklists that week, 666 in all21%
  2. Johnson T. Janes Nature Preserve and Conservation ParkWood County, best early September · 29 checklists that week, 339 in all17%
  3. Dorseys Knob ParkMonongalia County, best late August · 40 checklists that week, 288 in all13%
  4. McDonough Wildlife RefugeWood County, best early September · 22 checklists that week, 542 in all11%
  5. Dolly Sods Scenic AreaGrant County, best late August · 30 checklists that week, 194 in all11%
  6. Potts Creek Wildlife Management AreaMonroe County, best early September · 21 checklists that week, 217 in all7.1%

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

Best time of day

In West Virginia, the Common Nighthawk is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 pm (6.3% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%8%12 am: too few checklists (65) to judge1 am: too few checklists (47) to judge2 am: too few checklists (46) to judge3 am: too few checklists (49) to judge4 am: too few checklists (140) to judge5 am: too few checklists (952) to judge6 am: 0.4% of 5860 checklists7 am: 0.1% of 18233 checklists8 am: 0.1% of 24468 checklists9 am: 0.1% of 22542 checklists10 am: 0.1% of 19537 checklists11 am: 0.1% of 16362 checklists12 pm: 0.1% of 14819 checklists1 pm: 0.1% of 12772 checklists2 pm: 0.1% of 11765 checklists3 pm: 0.1% of 12579 checklists4 pm: 0.4% of 11463 checklists5 pm: 2.0% of 9409 checklists6 pm: 5.8% of 6557 checklists7 pm: 7.1% of 4256 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (1589) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (377) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (147) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (86) 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%0%0%0%
February0%0%0%0%
March0%0%0%0%
April0%0%0%0.1%
May0.2%0.7%1.0%0.4%
June0.5%0.4%0.4%0.3%
July0.6%0.6%0.5%0.3%
August0.2%0.7%1.6%9.0%
September7.8%4.1%1.7%0.5%
October0.1%0.1%0%0%
November0%0%0%0%
December0%0%0%0%

Neighboring states

  • Virginia: arrives the second week of August, 1 week earlier than West Virginia
  • District of Columbia: arrives mid August, in the same week than West Virginia
  • Maryland: arrives the second week of August, 1 week earlier than West Virginia
  • Ohio: arrives early May, 14 weeks earlier than West Virginia

Common questions

When do Common Nighthawks arrive in West Virginia?
Common Nighthawks mostly pass through West Virginia: they arrive in mid August, peak in early September (7.2% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of September.
When do Common Nighthawks leave West Virginia?
Most Common Nighthawks have left West Virginia by the second week of September, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until mid September.
When is the best time to see a Common Nighthawk in West Virginia?
The Common Nighthawk is reported most often in early September, on about 7.2% of West Virginia checklists.
Where in West Virginia are Common Nighthawks seen most often?
By county, Putnam County, Summers County, and Mercer County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Common Nighthawk (counties with at least 200 checklists).