WhenToBird

Hesperiphona vespertina · Fringillidae

When Do Evening Grosbeaks Arrive in Montana?

Adult female evening grosbeak
Photo: Some Donkus, CC0 1.0 via iNaturalist

Evening Grosbeaks are in Montana all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from early May, peak in late May (14% of checklists), and fall back by the second week of June. In the quietest week (the second week of March) they are still on about 2.1% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildMay 1-7early May
PeakMay 22-31late May
Fall back byJun 8-14the second week of June
FewestMar 8-14the second week of March

Best: late May. Here all year; numbers build from early May and fall back by the second week of June. Peak: on about 14% of Montana checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Juluncommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 1.9% of 7987 checklistsJan 8-14: 2.8% of 5561 checklistsJan 15-21: 2.4% of 5613 checklistsJan 22-31: 2.5% of 7881 checklistsFeb 1-7: 2.8% of 5018 checklistsFeb 8-14: 2.4% of 5598 checklistsFeb 15-21: 2.4% of 7247 checklistsFeb 22-28: 2.8% of 5531 checklistsMar 1-7: 2.1% of 6110 checklistsMar 8-14: 2.2% of 6623 checklistsMar 15-21: 2.0% of 7687 checklistsMar 22-31: 2.3% of 11095 checklistsApr 1-7: 2.9% of 7774 checklistsApr 8-14: 3.0% of 8785 checklistsApr 15-21: 3.3% of 9684 checklistsApr 22-30: 4.4% of 13805 checklistsMay 1-7: 8.5% of 11847 checklistsMay 8-14: 12% of 13547 checklistsMay 15-21: 15% of 13019 checklistsMay 22-31: 14% of 20456 checklistsJun 1-7: 12% of 12993 checklistsJun 8-14: 9.7% of 11594 checklistsJun 15-21: 7.5% of 11159 checklistsJun 22-30: 5.3% of 13786 checklistsJul 1-7: 4.7% of 9584 checklistsJul 8-14: 3.8% of 9078 checklistsJul 15-21: 3.6% of 7905 checklistsJul 22-31: 4.2% of 10906 checklistsAug 1-7: 6.7% of 7335 checklistsAug 8-14: 9.1% of 6868 checklistsAug 15-21: 10% of 6866 checklistsAug 22-31: 11% of 10076 checklistsSep 1-7: 8.5% of 7670 checklistsSep 8-14: 7.8% of 7490 checklistsSep 15-21: 8.2% of 6804 checklistsSep 22-30: 7.8% of 8016 checklistsOct 1-7: 7.2% of 5996 checklistsOct 8-14: 5.8% of 6156 checklistsOct 15-21: 4.8% of 5742 checklistsOct 22-31: 4.5% of 7790 checklistsNov 1-7: 3.8% of 5353 checklistsNov 8-14: 3.5% of 5475 checklistsNov 15-21: 3.4% of 4603 checklistsNov 22-30: 3.1% of 6067 checklistsDec 1-7: 2.6% of 4362 checklistsDec 8-14: 2.4% of 4467 checklistsDec 15-21: 2.6% of 5328 checklistsDec 22-31: 2.5% of 6672 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 Montana 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 Montana

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Missoula CountyBest late May · 2707 checklists that week, 64,368 in all41%
  2. Jefferson CountyBest early June · 398 checklists that week, 14,859 in all36%
  3. Lewis and Clark CountyBest early June · 768 checklists that week, 28,806 in all21%
  4. Gallatin CountyBest late August · 1560 checklists that week, 66,365 in all20%
  5. Ravalli CountyBest late May · 781 checklists that week, 16,671 in all19%
  6. Granite CountyBest mid May · 31 checklists that week, 1,737 in all18%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Pattee Canyon Ski Tour National Recreation TrailMissoula County, best early June · 21 checklists that week, 550 in all70%
  2. Story Mill ParkGallatin County, best mid August · 22 checklists that week, 1,670 in all61%

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

Best time of day

In Montana, the Evening Grosbeak is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (13% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%12 am: too few checklists (183) to judge1 am: too few checklists (169) to judge2 am: too few checklists (163) to judge3 am: too few checklists (212) to judge4 am: too few checklists (503) to judge5 am: too few checklists (4022) to judge6 am: 13% of 12719 checklists7 am: 14% of 31202 checklists8 am: 10% of 47646 checklists9 am: 7.2% of 44624 checklists10 am: 5.6% of 40704 checklists11 am: 4.2% of 33825 checklists12 pm: 3.8% of 29407 checklists1 pm: 3.3% of 27959 checklists2 pm: 3.3% of 26928 checklists3 pm: 3.3% of 25313 checklists4 pm: 3.8% of 22151 checklists5 pm: 4.8% of 16884 checklists6 pm: 5.1% of 13780 checklists7 pm: 4.3% of 9926 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (5765) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2099) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (595) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (230) 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
January1.9%2.8%2.4%2.5%
February2.8%2.4%2.4%2.8%
March2.1%2.2%2.0%2.3%
April2.9%3.0%3.3%4.4%
May8.5%12%15%14%
June12%9.7%7.5%5.3%
July4.7%3.8%3.6%4.2%
August6.7%9.1%10%11%
September8.5%7.8%8.2%7.8%
October7.2%5.8%4.8%4.5%
November3.8%3.5%3.4%3.1%
December2.6%2.4%2.6%2.5%

Neighboring states

  • Idaho: arrives early January, 16 weeks earlier than Montana
  • Wyoming: arrives early October, 20 weeks later than Montana
  • Utah: arrives early October, 20 weeks later than Montana
  • Washington: arrives late March, 5 weeks earlier than Montana

Common questions

When do Evening Grosbeaks arrive in Montana?
Evening Grosbeaks are in Montana all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from early May, peak in late May (14% of checklists), and fall back by the second week of June. In the quietest week (the second week of March) they are still on about 2.1% of checklists.
When do Evening Grosbeaks leave Montana?
Evening Grosbeaks never fully leave Montana: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by the second week of June, but some are still reported in every week, about 2.1% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Evening Grosbeak in Montana?
The Evening Grosbeak is reported most often in late May, on about 14% of Montana checklists.
Where in Montana are Evening Grosbeaks seen most often?
By county, Missoula County, Jefferson County, and Lewis and Clark County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Evening Grosbeak (counties with at least 200 checklists).