WhenToBird

Empidonax wrightii · Tyrannidae

When Do Gray Flycatchers Arrive in California?

Adult Gray Flycatcher
Photo: Wendy McCrady, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Gray Flycatchers arrive in California in the second week of April, peak in late April (1.0% of checklists), and most are gone by late June.

When to look

First arrivalsApr 8-14the second week of April
Common byApr 8-14the second week of April
PeakApr 22-30late April
Most gone byJun 22-30late June

Best: late April. First arrivals the second week of April; most are gone by late June. Peak: on about 1.0% of California checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marrare
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Jununcommon
  7. Juluncommon
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octrare
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%0.5%1%1.5%Jan 1-7: 0.3% of 112336 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.2% of 85518 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.2% of 86488 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.2% of 116174 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.2% of 75171 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.1% of 84467 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.1% of 105683 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.1% of 83396 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.1% of 77470 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.1% of 75180 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.1% of 80770 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.1% of 114116 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.1% of 84057 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.3% of 83692 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.8% of 89242 checklistsApr 22-30: 1.1% of 114289 checklistsMay 1-7: 1.1% of 85728 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.7% of 91984 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.6% of 75478 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.5% of 106250 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.3% of 70051 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.3% of 67485 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.4% of 66269 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.3% of 79172 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.2% of 62877 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.2% of 60328 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.2% of 59705 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.2% of 83796 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.2% of 60215 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.2% of 60172 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.2% of 59877 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.2% of 89107 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.1% of 72000 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.2% of 71228 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.2% of 76808 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.1% of 100204 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.1% of 76571 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.1% of 80874 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.1% of 74581 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.1% of 97498 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.1% of 70851 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.1% of 72431 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.1% of 66767 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.2% of 94737 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.2% of 65393 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.2% of 67449 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.2% of 83421 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.2% of 124993 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 California 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 California

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Inyo CountyBest early May · 1026 checklists that week, 35,713 in all16%
  2. Lassen CountyBest the second week of May · 214 checklists that week, 8,378 in all14%
  3. Mono CountyBest the second week of May · 821 checklists that week, 38,666 in all11%
  4. Modoc CountyBest mid May · 124 checklists that week, 6,138 in all9.0%
  5. Kern CountyBest late April · 1769 checklists that week, 47,774 in all7.9%
  6. Sierra CountyBest late May · 549 checklists that week, 8,945 in all5.0%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (Pine Creek)Inyo County, best late April · 50 checklists that week, 648 in all57%
  2. Butterbredt SpringKern County, best late April · 119 checklists that week, 711 in all42%
  3. Horsethief Canyon ParkLos Angeles County, best late January · 37 checklists that week, 634 in all42%
  4. Deep SpringsInyo County, best late May · 20 checklists that week, 106 in all41%
  5. Schulman GroveInyo County, best late July · 37 checklists that week, 519 in all40%

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

Best time of day

In California, the Gray Flycatcher is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (0.4% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%12 am: too few checklists (1688) to judge1 am: too few checklists (1451) to judge2 am: too few checklists (1402) to judge3 am: too few checklists (1743) to judge4 am: too few checklists (4647) to judge5 am: too few checklists (32158) to judge6 am: 0.5% of 186053 checklists7 am: 0.3% of 444086 checklists8 am: 0.3% of 535846 checklists9 am: 0.3% of 486061 checklists10 am: 0.2% of 411130 checklists11 am: 0.2% of 325798 checklists12 pm: 0.2% of 269132 checklists1 pm: 0.2% of 244762 checklists2 pm: 0.2% of 235420 checklists3 pm: 0.2% of 232365 checklists4 pm: 0.2% of 208688 checklists5 pm: 0.2% of 146104 checklists6 pm: 0.1% of 96867 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (50942) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (14803) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (5561) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (3546) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (2092) 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
January0.3%0.2%0.2%0.2%
February0.2%0.1%0.1%0.1%
March0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
April0.1%0.3%0.8%1.1%
May1.1%0.7%0.6%0.5%
June0.3%0.3%0.4%0.3%
July0.2%0.2%0.2%0.2%
August0.2%0.2%0.2%0.2%
September0.1%0.2%0.2%0.1%
October0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
November0.1%0.1%0.1%0.2%
December0.2%0.2%0.2%0.2%

Neighboring states

  • Nevada: arrives the second week of April, in the same week than California
  • Utah: arrives mid July, 13 weeks later than California
  • Arizona: arrives the second week of August, 16 weeks later than California
  • Oregon: arrives late April, 2 weeks later than California

Common questions

When do Gray Flycatchers arrive in California?
Gray Flycatchers arrive in California in the second week of April, peak in late April (1.0% of checklists), and most are gone by late June.
When do Gray Flycatchers leave California?
Most Gray Flycatchers have left California by late June, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Gray Flycatcher in California?
The Gray Flycatcher is reported most often in late April, on about 1.0% of California checklists.
Where in California are Gray Flycatchers seen most often?
By county, Inyo County, Lassen County, and Mono County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Gray Flycatcher (counties with at least 200 checklists).