WhenToBird

Dryobates pubescens · Picidae

When Do Downy Woodpeckers Arrive in Washington?

Adult female Downy Woodpecker
Photo: joy4birds, CC0 1.0 via iNaturalist

The Downy Woodpecker is in Washington all year. It turns up on about 13% of checklists at its peak (mid December) and on 9.3% in its quietest week (late May).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekDec 15-21mid December
Quietest weekMay 22-31late May

Best: mid December. Here all year. Peak: on about 13% of Washington checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 11% of 41928 checklistsJan 8-14: 11% of 31152 checklistsJan 15-21: 12% of 31753 checklistsJan 22-31: 11% of 42530 checklistsFeb 1-7: 10% of 29739 checklistsFeb 8-14: 11% of 32746 checklistsFeb 15-21: 10% of 40328 checklistsFeb 22-28: 11% of 28432 checklistsMar 1-7: 11% of 30758 checklistsMar 8-14: 11% of 29368 checklistsMar 15-21: 12% of 32580 checklistsMar 22-31: 12% of 45614 checklistsApr 1-7: 12% of 33997 checklistsApr 8-14: 12% of 34729 checklistsApr 15-21: 12% of 38474 checklistsApr 22-30: 13% of 52185 checklistsMay 1-7: 11% of 44236 checklistsMay 8-14: 10% of 48708 checklistsMay 15-21: 9.3% of 41742 checklistsMay 22-31: 9.3% of 57082 checklistsJun 1-7: 9.5% of 39193 checklistsJun 8-14: 9.4% of 36042 checklistsJun 15-21: 10% of 34003 checklistsJun 22-30: 10% of 39711 checklistsJul 1-7: 11% of 31949 checklistsJul 8-14: 11% of 29086 checklistsJul 15-21: 11% of 28045 checklistsJul 22-31: 11% of 38275 checklistsAug 1-7: 11% of 28846 checklistsAug 8-14: 11% of 28036 checklistsAug 15-21: 11% of 27614 checklistsAug 22-31: 12% of 40356 checklistsSep 1-7: 13% of 31214 checklistsSep 8-14: 13% of 27795 checklistsSep 15-21: 13% of 29677 checklistsSep 22-30: 13% of 35241 checklistsOct 1-7: 12% of 28605 checklistsOct 8-14: 11% of 28655 checklistsOct 15-21: 10% of 24643 checklistsOct 22-31: 11% of 34874 checklistsNov 1-7: 9.9% of 25658 checklistsNov 8-14: 11% of 25700 checklistsNov 15-21: 11% of 24331 checklistsNov 22-30: 13% of 32784 checklistsDec 1-7: 12% of 24099 checklistsDec 8-14: 13% of 23339 checklistsDec 15-21: 13% of 27666 checklistsDec 22-31: 13% of 42130 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 Washington 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 Washington

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Benton CountyBest early September · 360 checklists that week, 23,565 in all38%
  2. Walla Walla CountyBest early September · 629 checklists that week, 35,829 in all31%
  3. Clark CountyBest mid September · 879 checklists that week, 53,250 in all29%
  4. Ferry CountyBest mid December · 66 checklists that week, 5,106 in all28%
  5. Franklin CountyBest early September · 179 checklists that week, 7,970 in all25%
  6. Klickitat CountyBest early September · 328 checklists that week, 19,718 in all24%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. San Juan Islands National MonumentSan Juan County, best late August · 68 checklists that week, 2,639 in all93%
  2. Mill Creek LakeWalla Walla County, best mid July · 31 checklists that week, 1,725 in all79%
  3. Bateman IslandBenton County, best late August · 76 checklists that week, 1,967 in all78%
  4. W E Johnson ParkBenton County, best early September · 30 checklists that week, 1,031 in all78%
  5. Whitman Mission National Historic SiteWalla Walla County, best early September · 56 checklists that week, 1,992 in all76%

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

Best time of day

In Washington, the Downy Woodpecker is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (18% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%20%12 am: too few checklists (796) to judge1 am: too few checklists (776) to judge2 am: too few checklists (709) to judge3 am: too few checklists (901) to judge4 am: too few checklists (3221) to judge5 am: too few checklists (16576) to judge6 am: 19% of 56744 checklists7 am: 17% of 133294 checklists8 am: 16% of 184196 checklists9 am: 13% of 186303 checklists10 am: 12% of 177063 checklists11 am: 9.9% of 154936 checklists12 pm: 8.9% of 138061 checklists1 pm: 8.7% of 127449 checklists2 pm: 8.0% of 121511 checklists3 pm: 7.6% of 107793 checklists4 pm: 6.9% of 82862 checklists5 pm: 7.2% of 57183 checklists6 pm: 6.7% of 39886 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (26969) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (12427) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (3658) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1500) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (834) 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
January11%11%12%11%
February10%11%10%11%
March11%11%12%12%
April12%12%12%13%
May11%10%9.3%9.3%
June9.5%9.4%10%10%
July11%11%11%11%
August11%11%11%12%
September13%13%13%13%
October12%11%10%11%
November9.9%11%11%13%
December12%13%13%13%

Neighboring states

  • Oregon: year-round, peaks mid April
  • Idaho: all year, most in winter, peaks the second week of December
  • Montana: all year, most in winter, peaks early December
  • Nevada: year-round, peaks late April

Common questions

When do Downy Woodpeckers arrive in Washington?
The Downy Woodpecker is in Washington all year. It turns up on about 13% of checklists at its peak (mid December) and on 9.3% in its quietest week (late May).
When do Downy Woodpeckers leave Washington?
The Downy Woodpecker does not leave Washington: it is reported all year, from 9.3% of checklists in late May to 13% in mid December.
When is the best time to see a Downy Woodpecker in Washington?
The Downy Woodpecker is reported most often in mid December, on about 13% of Washington checklists.
Where in Washington are Downy Woodpeckers seen most often?
By county, Benton County, Walla Walla County, and Clark County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Downy Woodpecker (counties with at least 200 checklists).