WhenToBird

Sayornis phoebe · Tyrannidae

When Do Eastern Phoebes Arrive in Virginia?

Adult Eastern Phoebe
Photo: Thomas Koffel, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Eastern Phoebes are in Virginia all year, but most are here in fall: numbers build from mid September, peak in the second week of October (26% of checklists), and fall back by late October. In the quietest week (the second week of February) they are still on about 3.8% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildSep 15-21mid September
PeakOct 8-14the second week of October
Fall back byOct 22-31late October
FewestFeb 8-14the second week of February

Best: the second week of October. Here all year; numbers build from mid September and fall back by late October. Peak: on about 26% of Virginia checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%10%20%30%Jan 1-7: 5.7% of 32817 checklistsJan 8-14: 4.9% of 25111 checklistsJan 15-21: 4.7% of 25510 checklistsJan 22-31: 5.1% of 34492 checklistsFeb 1-7: 4.4% of 24950 checklistsFeb 8-14: 3.6% of 28224 checklistsFeb 15-21: 3.5% of 43578 checklistsFeb 22-28: 6.7% of 26467 checklistsMar 1-7: 11% of 25851 checklistsMar 8-14: 16% of 25901 checklistsMar 15-21: 23% of 26747 checklistsMar 22-31: 27% of 40819 checklistsApr 1-7: 24% of 31351 checklistsApr 8-14: 20% of 33239 checklistsApr 15-21: 18% of 37284 checklistsApr 22-30: 19% of 54364 checklistsMay 1-7: 18% of 47698 checklistsMay 8-14: 17% of 46174 checklistsMay 15-21: 17% of 36444 checklistsMay 22-31: 16% of 43203 checklistsJun 1-7: 17% of 28503 checklistsJun 8-14: 17% of 25485 checklistsJun 15-21: 17% of 23728 checklistsJun 22-30: 16% of 28785 checklistsJul 1-7: 13% of 22294 checklistsJul 8-14: 12% of 20481 checklistsJul 15-21: 11% of 18914 checklistsJul 22-31: 9.7% of 26976 checklistsAug 1-7: 8.9% of 19555 checklistsAug 8-14: 9.4% of 18744 checklistsAug 15-21: 10% of 18721 checklistsAug 22-31: 11% of 28763 checklistsSep 1-7: 11% of 23594 checklistsSep 8-14: 13% of 22581 checklistsSep 15-21: 17% of 23036 checklistsSep 22-30: 22% of 29687 checklistsOct 1-7: 28% of 24321 checklistsOct 8-14: 26% of 23946 checklistsOct 15-21: 23% of 22191 checklistsOct 22-31: 16% of 30161 checklistsNov 1-7: 12% of 21431 checklistsNov 8-14: 9.4% of 22758 checklistsNov 15-21: 8.3% of 19988 checklistsNov 22-30: 7.5% of 27665 checklistsDec 1-7: 6.3% of 19324 checklistsDec 8-14: 6.5% of 20316 checklistsDec 15-21: 6.8% of 25675 checklistsDec 22-31: 6.3% of 38677 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 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 Virginia

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Patrick CountyBest the second week of October · 51 checklists that week, 3,252 in all67%
  2. Grayson CountyBest mid September · 130 checklists that week, 5,247 in all59%
  3. Highland CountyBest late September · 51 checklists that week, 4,762 in all58%
  4. Nelson CountyBest early October · 195 checklists that week, 7,436 in all55%
  5. Tazewell CountyBest late September · 86 checklists that week, 4,405 in all54%
  6. Rappahannock CountyBest mid March · 82 checklists that week, 5,074 in all54%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Jefferson National ForestGiles County, best mid September · 20 checklists that week, 496 in all96%
  2. Tuckahoe Creek ParkHenrico County, best mid May · 74 checklists that week, 3,340 in all92%
  3. Pandapas PondMontgomery County, best early October · 111 checklists that week, 2,501 in all91%
  4. Frying Pan City ParkFairfax County, best early October · 62 checklists that week, 2,006 in all89%

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

Best time of day

In Virginia, the Eastern Phoebe 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 (485) to judge1 am: too few checklists (488) to judge2 am: too few checklists (423) to judge3 am: too few checklists (565) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1410) to judge5 am: too few checklists (10265) to judge6 am: 18% of 64788 checklists7 am: 18% of 169128 checklists8 am: 18% of 180748 checklists9 am: 16% of 153462 checklists10 am: 14% of 128966 checklists11 am: 12% of 104204 checklists12 pm: 11% of 91604 checklists1 pm: 10% of 85547 checklists2 pm: 9.9% of 82355 checklists3 pm: 9.7% of 82265 checklists4 pm: 9.9% of 76714 checklists5 pm: 11% of 56782 checklists6 pm: 9.7% of 40131 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (24290) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (7744) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2383) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1122) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (651) 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
January5.7%4.9%4.7%5.1%
February4.4%3.6%3.5%6.7%
March11%16%23%27%
April24%20%18%19%
May18%17%17%16%
June17%17%17%16%
July13%12%11%9.7%
August8.9%9.4%10%11%
September11%13%17%22%
October28%26%23%16%
November12%9.4%8.3%7.5%
December6.3%6.5%6.8%6.3%

Neighboring states

  • District of Columbia: arrives late February, 21 weeks later than Virginia
  • Maryland: arrives mid February, 20 weeks later than Virginia
  • West Virginia: arrives late February, 21 weeks later than Virginia
  • Delaware: arrives early March, 22 weeks later than Virginia

Common questions

When do Eastern Phoebes arrive in Virginia?
Eastern Phoebes are in Virginia all year, but most are here in fall: numbers build from mid September, peak in the second week of October (26% of checklists), and fall back by late October. In the quietest week (the second week of February) they are still on about 3.8% of checklists.
When do Eastern Phoebes leave Virginia?
Eastern Phoebes never fully leave Virginia: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by late October, but some are still reported in every week, about 3.8% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Eastern Phoebe in Virginia?
The Eastern Phoebe is reported most often in the second week of October, on about 26% of Virginia checklists.
Where in Virginia are Eastern Phoebes seen most often?
By county, Patrick County, Grayson County, and Highland County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Eastern Phoebe (counties with at least 200 checklists).