WhenToBird

Calidris alpina · Scolopacidae

When Do Dunlins Arrive in Oregon?

Adult Dunlin
Photo: Paulo Martins, CC BY-SA 4.0 via iNaturalist

Dunlins arrive in Oregon in the second week of October, peak in late April (3.9% of checklists), and most are gone by mid May.

When to look

First arrivalsOct 8-14the second week of October
Common byOct 8-14the second week of October
PeakApr 22-30late April
Most gone byMay 15-21mid May

Best: late April. First arrivals the second week of October; most are gone by mid May. Peak: on about 3.9% of Oregon checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Seprare
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%2%4%6%Jan 1-7: 1.4% of 34973 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.5% of 26807 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.4% of 26567 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.8% of 36019 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.4% of 24020 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.2% of 25765 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.1% of 31019 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.4% of 24582 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.3% of 24834 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.4% of 24642 checklistsMar 15-21: 1.6% of 27420 checklistsMar 22-31: 1.9% of 39913 checklistsApr 1-7: 2.5% of 28817 checklistsApr 8-14: 3.2% of 31221 checklistsApr 15-21: 3.1% of 34402 checklistsApr 22-30: 4.2% of 47144 checklistsMay 1-7: 4.4% of 37716 checklistsMay 8-14: 2.0% of 39651 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.8% of 37496 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 56967 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 35893 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 31880 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.1% of 30942 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.1% of 38478 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.1% of 27409 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.1% of 25161 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.1% of 25473 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.1% of 33920 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.1% of 24310 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.1% of 23675 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.1% of 23623 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.1% of 33762 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.1% of 25120 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.2% of 24458 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.3% of 25528 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.6% of 31631 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.7% of 25498 checklistsOct 8-14: 1.2% of 25161 checklistsOct 15-21: 2.3% of 23701 checklistsOct 22-31: 3.3% of 30996 checklistsNov 1-7: 2.9% of 21089 checklistsNov 8-14: 2.4% of 21880 checklistsNov 15-21: 2.2% of 21501 checklistsNov 22-30: 2.0% of 28930 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.4% of 19807 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.4% of 21022 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.4% of 24817 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.5% of 37592 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 Oregon 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.

Embed this map on your site

Where in Oregon

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Lincoln CountyBest late April · 1941 checklists that week, 66,994 in all16%
  2. Clatsop CountyBest late April · 1385 checklists that week, 44,300 in all16%
  3. Tillamook CountyBest late April · 1561 checklists that week, 45,809 in all14%
  4. Coos CountyBest early May · 505 checklists that week, 24,368 in all11%
  5. Klamath CountyBest mid April · 615 checklists that week, 26,875 in all8.6%
  6. Polk CountyBest the second week of April · 775 checklists that week, 29,096 in all8.0%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Heceta Beach County ParkLane County, best early May · 52 checklists that week, 462 in all83%
  2. Fort Stevens State ParkClatsop County, best early May · 63 checklists that week, 1,818 in all77%
  3. Harbor Vista County ParkLane County, best late April · 44 checklists that week, 785 in all67%
  4. Wickiup ReservoirDeschutes County, best late October · 31 checklists that week, 143 in all61%
  5. Clear Lake (south)Lane County, best late January · 65 checklists that week, 359 in all61%

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

Best time of day

In Oregon, the Dunlin is most often listed on checklists started between 1 and 3 pm (1.5% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%2%12 am: too few checklists (1505) to judge1 am: too few checklists (675) to judge2 am: too few checklists (626) to judge3 am: too few checklists (1641) to judge4 am: too few checklists (3696) to judge5 am: too few checklists (14524) to judge6 am: 0.8% of 50677 checklists7 am: 1.2% of 125347 checklists8 am: 1.4% of 163668 checklists9 am: 1.5% of 160351 checklists10 am: 1.5% of 148940 checklists11 am: 1.5% of 124743 checklists12 pm: 1.5% of 112537 checklists1 pm: 1.5% of 98999 checklists2 pm: 1.6% of 94690 checklists3 pm: 1.5% of 87923 checklists4 pm: 1.3% of 75235 checklists5 pm: 1.1% of 54504 checklists6 pm: 0.9% of 40469 checklists7 pm: 0.5% of 33675 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (18715) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (5839) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (2704) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (1549) 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%1.5%1.4%1.8%
February1.4%1.2%1.1%1.4%
March1.3%1.4%1.6%1.9%
April2.5%3.2%3.1%4.2%
May4.4%2.0%0.8%0.1%
June0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
July0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
August0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
September0.1%0.2%0.3%0.6%
October0.7%1.2%2.3%3.3%
November2.9%2.4%2.2%2.0%
December1.4%1.4%1.4%1.5%

Neighboring states

  • Washington: arrives early October, 1 week earlier than Oregon
  • Idaho: arrives the second week of October, in the same week than Oregon
  • California: arrives early October, 1 week earlier than Oregon
  • South Dakota: arrives mid April, 23 weeks earlier than Oregon

Common questions

When do Dunlins arrive in Oregon?
Dunlins arrive in Oregon in the second week of October, peak in late April (3.9% of checklists), and most are gone by mid May.
When do Dunlins leave Oregon?
Most Dunlins have left Oregon by mid May, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Dunlin in Oregon?
The Dunlin is reported most often in late April, on about 3.9% of Oregon checklists.
Where in Oregon are Dunlins seen most often?
By county, Lincoln County, Clatsop County, and Tillamook County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Dunlin (counties with at least 200 checklists).