WhenToBird

Megascops asio · Strigidae

When Do Eastern Screech-Owls Arrive in Virginia?

Adult Eastern Screech-Owl
Photo: Justin Bull, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Eastern Screech-Owls reach Virginia in mid June, are common by early July, peak in the second week of September (1.3% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of January.

When to look

First arrivalsJun 15-21mid June
Common byJul 1-7early July
PeakSep 8-14the second week of September
Most gone byJan 8-14the second week of January

Best: the second week of September. First arrivals mid June; most are gone by the second week of January. Peak: on about 1.3% of Virginia checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Jununcommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Deccommon

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

0%0.5%1%1.5%Jan 1-7: 0.8% of 32817 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.5% of 25111 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.4% of 25510 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.5% of 34492 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.5% of 24950 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.4% of 28224 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.4% of 43578 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.6% of 26467 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.7% of 25851 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.7% of 25901 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.7% of 26747 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.4% of 40819 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.4% of 31351 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.4% of 33239 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.4% of 37284 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.4% of 54364 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.5% of 47698 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.5% of 46174 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.5% of 36444 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.4% of 43203 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.4% of 28503 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.4% of 25485 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.4% of 23728 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.5% of 28785 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.5% of 22294 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.6% of 20481 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.6% of 18914 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.8% of 26976 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.8% of 19555 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.9% of 18744 checklistsAug 15-21: 1.0% of 18721 checklistsAug 22-31: 1.2% of 28763 checklistsSep 1-7: 1.3% of 23594 checklistsSep 8-14: 1.3% of 22581 checklistsSep 15-21: 1.2% of 23036 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.2% of 29687 checklistsOct 1-7: 1.2% of 24321 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.9% of 23946 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.9% of 22191 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.9% of 30161 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.8% of 21431 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.3% of 22758 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.7% of 19988 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.6% of 27665 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.6% of 19324 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.8% of 20316 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.2% of 25675 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.9% 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. Highland CountyBest early April · 33 checklists that week, 4,762 in all15%
  2. Russell CountyBest early August · 13 checklists that week, 770 in all14%
  3. Craig CountyBest mid August · 25 checklists that week, 1,834 in all11%
  4. Scott CountyBest early October · 21 checklists that week, 963 in all10%
  5. Campbell CountyBest mid September · 40 checklists that week, 3,060 in all10%
  6. Harrisonburg CountyBest the second week of December · 105 checklists that week, 8,395 in all9.3%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Warrenton ReservoirFauquier County, best mid April · 25 checklists that week, 545 in all45%
  2. Wildwood Park (Bridgewater)Rockingham County, best early January · 23 checklists that week, 376 in all34%
  3. Beaverdam Park (northwest)Gloucester County, best late December · 20 checklists that week, 520 in all33%
  4. Back Bay National Wildlife RefugeVirginia Beach County, best early January · 23 checklists that week, 283 in all29%
  5. Brownsville FarmNorthampton County, best the second week of November · 49 checklists that week, 690 in all27%

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

Best time of day

In Virginia, the Eastern Screech-Owl is most often listed on checklists started between 5 and 7 pm (0.9% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%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: 1.5% of 64788 checklists7 am: 0.7% of 169128 checklists8 am: 0.4% of 180748 checklists9 am: 0.3% of 153462 checklists10 am: 0.3% of 128966 checklists11 am: 0.3% of 104204 checklists12 pm: 0.3% of 91604 checklists1 pm: 0.3% of 85547 checklists2 pm: 0.3% of 82355 checklists3 pm: 0.4% of 82265 checklists4 pm: 0.5% of 76714 checklists5 pm: 0.8% of 56782 checklists6 pm: 1.1% 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
January0.8%0.5%0.4%0.5%
February0.5%0.4%0.4%0.6%
March0.7%0.7%0.7%0.4%
April0.4%0.4%0.4%0.4%
May0.5%0.5%0.5%0.4%
June0.4%0.4%0.4%0.5%
July0.5%0.6%0.6%0.8%
August0.8%0.9%1.0%1.2%
September1.3%1.3%1.2%1.2%
October1.2%0.9%0.9%0.9%
November0.8%1.3%0.7%0.6%
December0.6%0.8%1.2%0.9%

Neighboring states

  • Maryland: arrives the second week of April, 9 weeks earlier than Virginia
  • West Virginia: arrives mid July, 4 weeks later than Virginia
  • Delaware: arrives mid July, 4 weeks later than Virginia
  • Pennsylvania: arrives the second week of July, 3 weeks later than Virginia

Common questions

When do Eastern Screech-Owls arrive in Virginia?
Eastern Screech-Owls reach Virginia in mid June, are common by early July, peak in the second week of September (1.3% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of January.
When do Eastern Screech-Owls leave Virginia?
Most Eastern Screech-Owls have left Virginia by the second week of January, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until early February.
When is the best time to see a Eastern Screech-Owl in Virginia?
The Eastern Screech-Owl is reported most often in the second week of September, on about 1.3% of Virginia checklists.
Where in Virginia are Eastern Screech-Owls seen most often?
By county, Highland County, Russell County, and Craig County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Eastern Screech-Owl (counties with at least 200 checklists).