WhenToBird

Passerella iliaca · Passerellidae

When Do Fox Sparrows Arrive in Washington?

Adult Fox Sparrow
Photo: Kevin Krebs, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Fox Sparrows are winter birds in Washington: the first arrive in the second week of September, they are common by late September, peak in mid December (13% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of April.

When to look

First arrivalsSep 8-14the second week of September
Common bySep 22-30late September
PeakDec 15-21mid December
Most gone byApr 8-14the second week of April

Best: mid December. First arrivals the second week of September; most are gone by the second week of April. Peak: on about 13% of Washington checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Mayrare
  6. Junrare
  7. Julrare
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 12% of 41928 checklistsJan 8-14: 12% of 31152 checklistsJan 15-21: 11% of 31753 checklistsJan 22-31: 9.1% of 42530 checklistsFeb 1-7: 8.8% of 29739 checklistsFeb 8-14: 9.8% of 32746 checklistsFeb 15-21: 8.3% of 40328 checklistsFeb 22-28: 9.2% of 28432 checklistsMar 1-7: 8.3% of 30758 checklistsMar 8-14: 8.6% of 29368 checklistsMar 15-21: 8.5% of 32580 checklistsMar 22-31: 7.9% of 45614 checklistsApr 1-7: 6.4% of 33997 checklistsApr 8-14: 5.0% of 34729 checklistsApr 15-21: 3.7% of 38474 checklistsApr 22-30: 1.7% of 52185 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.6% of 44236 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.3% of 48708 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.3% of 41742 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.3% of 57082 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.3% of 39193 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.4% of 36042 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.5% of 34003 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.6% of 39711 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.8% of 31949 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.7% of 29086 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.7% of 28045 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.4% of 38275 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.2% of 28846 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.2% of 28036 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.2% of 27614 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.2% of 40356 checklistsSep 1-7: 1.1% of 31214 checklistsSep 8-14: 1.9% of 27795 checklistsSep 15-21: 4.6% of 29677 checklistsSep 22-30: 7.1% of 35241 checklistsOct 1-7: 8.3% of 28605 checklistsOct 8-14: 9.7% of 28655 checklistsOct 15-21: 9.9% of 24643 checklistsOct 22-31: 11% of 34874 checklistsNov 1-7: 10% of 25658 checklistsNov 8-14: 11% of 25700 checklistsNov 15-21: 11% of 24331 checklistsNov 22-30: 12% of 32784 checklistsDec 1-7: 12% of 24099 checklistsDec 8-14: 13% of 23339 checklistsDec 15-21: 14% of 27666 checklistsDec 22-31: 14% of 42130 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 Washington 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 Washington

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Wahkiakum CountyBest mid December · 53 checklists that week, 5,618 in all42%
  2. Jefferson CountyBest early January · 1238 checklists that week, 59,663 in all27%
  3. Grays Harbor CountyBest late December · 633 checklists that week, 28,443 in all25%
  4. Pacific CountyBest late December · 375 checklists that week, 19,516 in all23%
  5. Skamania CountyBest the second week of January · 163 checklists that week, 10,140 in all23%
  6. Clallam CountyBest early November · 1414 checklists that week, 85,362 in all23%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Central Washington FairgroundsYakima County, best late December · 27 checklists that week, 469 in all80%
  2. Neah BayClallam County, best late October · 169 checklists that week, 1,786 in all73%
  3. Railroad Bridge ParkClallam County, best late November · 33 checklists that week, 1,941 in all70%
  4. Fort Steilacoom ParkPierce County, best late November · 28 checklists that week, 1,310 in all63%
  5. Waatch RiverClallam County, best mid April · 21 checklists that week, 290 in all61%
  6. Julia Butler Hansen Refuge For the Columbian White-Tailed DeerWahkiakum County, best late December · 22 checklists that week, 379 in all61%

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

Best time of day

In Washington, the Fox Sparrow is most often listed on checklists started between 7 and 9 am (8.4% of those checklists).

0%5%10%12 am: too few checklists (796) to judge1 am: too few checklists (776) to judge2 am: too few checklists (709) to judge3 am: too few checklists (901) to judge4 am: too few checklists (3221) to judge5 am: too few checklists (16576) to judge6 am: 4.0% of 56744 checklists7 am: 8.1% of 133294 checklists8 am: 8.6% of 184196 checklists9 am: 7.4% of 186303 checklists10 am: 6.4% of 177063 checklists11 am: 5.7% of 154936 checklists12 pm: 5.0% of 138061 checklists1 pm: 4.8% of 127449 checklists2 pm: 4.6% of 121511 checklists3 pm: 4.6% of 107793 checklists4 pm: 3.5% of 82862 checklists5 pm: 2.3% of 57183 checklists6 pm: 1.2% of 39886 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (26969) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (12427) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (3658) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1500) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (834) 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
January12%12%11%9.1%
February8.8%9.8%8.3%9.2%
March8.3%8.6%8.5%7.9%
April6.4%5.0%3.7%1.7%
May0.6%0.3%0.3%0.3%
June0.3%0.4%0.5%0.6%
July0.8%0.7%0.7%0.4%
August0.2%0.2%0.2%0.2%
September1.1%1.9%4.6%7.1%
October8.3%9.7%9.9%11%
November10%11%11%12%
December12%13%14%14%

Neighboring states

  • Oregon: arrives early September, 1 week earlier than Washington
  • Idaho: arrives the second week of April, 20 weeks earlier than Washington
  • Montana: arrives early June, 13 weeks earlier than Washington
  • Nevada: arrives the second week of April, 20 weeks earlier than Washington

Common questions

When do Fox Sparrows arrive in Washington?
Fox Sparrows are winter birds in Washington: the first arrive in the second week of September, they are common by late September, peak in mid December (13% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of April.
When do Fox Sparrows leave Washington?
Most Fox Sparrows have left Washington by the second week of April, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until late April.
When is the best time to see a Fox Sparrow in Washington?
The Fox Sparrow is reported most often in mid December, on about 13% of Washington checklists.
Where in Washington are Fox Sparrows seen most often?
By county, Wahkiakum County, Jefferson County, and Grays Harbor County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Fox Sparrow (counties with at least 200 checklists).