WhenToBird

Spizella pusilla · Passerellidae

When Do Field Sparrows Arrive in Virginia?

Adult Field Sparrow
Photo: walkingfern, CC0 1.0 via iNaturalist

Field Sparrows are in Virginia all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from mid March, peak in the second week of April (13% of checklists), and fall back by early August. In the quietest week (mid September) they are still on about 2.7% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildMar 15-21mid March
PeakApr 8-14the second week of April
Fall back byAug 1-7early August
FewestSep 15-21mid September

Best: the second week of April. Here all year; numbers build from mid March and fall back by early August. Peak: on about 13% of Virginia checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 5.2% of 32817 checklistsJan 8-14: 4.7% of 25111 checklistsJan 15-21: 4.3% of 25510 checklistsJan 22-31: 4.2% of 34492 checklistsFeb 1-7: 3.9% of 24950 checklistsFeb 8-14: 3.6% of 28224 checklistsFeb 15-21: 3.1% of 43578 checklistsFeb 22-28: 4.6% of 26467 checklistsMar 1-7: 5.4% of 25851 checklistsMar 8-14: 7.0% of 25901 checklistsMar 15-21: 8.7% of 26747 checklistsMar 22-31: 12% of 40819 checklistsApr 1-7: 13% of 31351 checklistsApr 8-14: 14% of 33239 checklistsApr 15-21: 13% of 37284 checklistsApr 22-30: 12% of 54364 checklistsMay 1-7: 10% of 47698 checklistsMay 8-14: 9.7% of 46174 checklistsMay 15-21: 10% of 36444 checklistsMay 22-31: 12% of 43203 checklistsJun 1-7: 13% of 28503 checklistsJun 8-14: 12% of 25485 checklistsJun 15-21: 13% of 23728 checklistsJun 22-30: 13% of 28785 checklistsJul 1-7: 12% of 22294 checklistsJul 8-14: 12% of 20481 checklistsJul 15-21: 11% of 18914 checklistsJul 22-31: 10% of 26976 checklistsAug 1-7: 8.7% of 19555 checklistsAug 8-14: 8.4% of 18744 checklistsAug 15-21: 6.6% of 18721 checklistsAug 22-31: 5.1% of 28763 checklistsSep 1-7: 3.5% of 23594 checklistsSep 8-14: 2.6% of 22581 checklistsSep 15-21: 2.7% of 23036 checklistsSep 22-30: 2.8% of 29687 checklistsOct 1-7: 3.6% of 24321 checklistsOct 8-14: 5.2% of 23946 checklistsOct 15-21: 8.0% of 22191 checklistsOct 22-31: 9.7% of 30161 checklistsNov 1-7: 8.6% of 21431 checklistsNov 8-14: 6.9% of 22758 checklistsNov 15-21: 6.3% of 19988 checklistsNov 22-30: 6.4% of 27665 checklistsDec 1-7: 5.8% of 19324 checklistsDec 8-14: 5.5% of 20316 checklistsDec 15-21: 6.8% of 25675 checklistsDec 22-31: 5.5% 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. Clarke CountyBest the second week of August · 65 checklists that week, 8,388 in all65%
  2. Staunton CountyBest mid July · 40 checklists that week, 4,717 in all61%
  3. Grayson CountyBest early August · 94 checklists that week, 5,247 in all50%
  4. Lee CountyBest mid June · 80 checklists that week, 1,994 in all44%
  5. Wise CountyBest late January · 13 checklists that week, 1,190 in all43%
  6. Highland CountyBest early July · 95 checklists that week, 4,762 in all42%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Cowbane Prairie State Natural Area PreserveAugusta County, best late April · 20 checklists that week, 294 in all100%
  2. Gilberts Corner Regional ParkLoudoun County, best late May · 31 checklists that week, 362 in all98%
  3. Blue Ridge Center for Env StewardshipLoudoun County, best late June · 29 checklists that week, 651 in all96%
  4. Bristoe Station Battlefield Heritage ParkPrince William County, best the second week of May · 28 checklists that week, 677 in all93%
  5. Elklick PreserveFairfax County, best late May · 36 checklists that week, 2,324 in all93%

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

Best time of day

In Virginia, the Field Sparrow is most often listed on checklists started between 7 and 9 am (11% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%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: 11% of 64788 checklists7 am: 11% of 169128 checklists8 am: 11% of 180748 checklists9 am: 9.5% of 153462 checklists10 am: 8.4% of 128966 checklists11 am: 7.4% of 104204 checklists12 pm: 6.4% of 91604 checklists1 pm: 5.9% of 85547 checklists2 pm: 5.7% of 82355 checklists3 pm: 5.2% of 82265 checklists4 pm: 4.7% of 76714 checklists5 pm: 4.9% of 56782 checklists6 pm: 4.8% 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
January5.2%4.7%4.3%4.2%
February3.9%3.6%3.1%4.6%
March5.4%7.0%8.7%12%
April13%14%13%12%
May10%9.7%10%12%
June13%12%13%13%
July12%12%11%10%
August8.7%8.4%6.6%5.1%
September3.5%2.6%2.7%2.8%
October3.6%5.2%8.0%9.7%
November8.6%6.9%6.3%6.4%
December5.8%5.5%6.8%5.5%

Neighboring states

  • District of Columbia: arrives early October, 22 weeks earlier than Virginia
  • Maryland: arrives mid October, 20 weeks earlier than Virginia
  • West Virginia: arrives late March, 1 week later than Virginia
  • Delaware: arrives late March, 1 week later than Virginia

Common questions

When do Field Sparrows arrive in Virginia?
Field Sparrows are in Virginia all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from mid March, peak in the second week of April (13% of checklists), and fall back by early August. In the quietest week (mid September) they are still on about 2.7% of checklists.
When do Field Sparrows leave Virginia?
Field Sparrows never fully leave Virginia: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by early August, but some are still reported in every week, about 2.7% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Field Sparrow in Virginia?
The Field Sparrow is reported most often in the second week of April, on about 13% of Virginia checklists.
Where in Virginia are Field Sparrows seen most often?
By county, Clarke County, Staunton County, and Grayson County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Field Sparrow (counties with at least 200 checklists).