WhenToBird

Leuconotopicus villosus · Picidae

When Do Hairy Woodpeckers Arrive in California?

Adult male Hairy Woodpecker
Photo: yongestation, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Hairy Woodpeckers are in California all year, but most are here in summer: numbers build from early May, peak in late June (7.1% of checklists), and fall back by the second week of October. In the quietest week (the second week of February) they are still on about 2.7% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildMay 1-7early May
PeakJun 22-30late June
Fall back byOct 8-14the second week of October
FewestFeb 8-14the second week of February

Best: late June. Here all year; numbers build from early May and fall back by the second week of October. Peak: on about 7.1% of California checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%2%4%6%8%Jan 1-7: 3.1% of 112336 checklistsJan 8-14: 2.9% of 85518 checklistsJan 15-21: 3.0% of 86488 checklistsJan 22-31: 3.1% of 116174 checklistsFeb 1-7: 2.6% of 75171 checklistsFeb 8-14: 2.9% of 84467 checklistsFeb 15-21: 2.5% of 105683 checklistsFeb 22-28: 2.8% of 83396 checklistsMar 1-7: 2.8% of 77470 checklistsMar 8-14: 3.1% of 75180 checklistsMar 15-21: 3.5% of 80770 checklistsMar 22-31: 3.9% of 114116 checklistsApr 1-7: 4.0% of 84057 checklistsApr 8-14: 4.5% of 83692 checklistsApr 15-21: 4.7% of 89242 checklistsApr 22-30: 4.8% of 114289 checklistsMay 1-7: 4.9% of 85728 checklistsMay 8-14: 5.3% of 91984 checklistsMay 15-21: 6.0% of 75478 checklistsMay 22-31: 6.5% of 106250 checklistsJun 1-7: 7.0% of 70051 checklistsJun 8-14: 6.9% of 67485 checklistsJun 15-21: 7.3% of 66269 checklistsJun 22-30: 7.2% of 79172 checklistsJul 1-7: 6.9% of 62877 checklistsJul 8-14: 6.6% of 60328 checklistsJul 15-21: 6.0% of 59705 checklistsJul 22-31: 5.7% of 83796 checklistsAug 1-7: 5.1% of 60215 checklistsAug 8-14: 5.6% of 60172 checklistsAug 15-21: 5.4% of 59877 checklistsAug 22-31: 5.5% of 89107 checklistsSep 1-7: 5.8% of 72000 checklistsSep 8-14: 6.0% of 71228 checklistsSep 15-21: 5.6% of 76808 checklistsSep 22-30: 5.6% of 100204 checklistsOct 1-7: 5.3% of 76571 checklistsOct 8-14: 4.9% of 80874 checklistsOct 15-21: 4.8% of 74581 checklistsOct 22-31: 4.6% of 97498 checklistsNov 1-7: 4.1% of 70851 checklistsNov 8-14: 4.1% of 72431 checklistsNov 15-21: 3.8% of 66767 checklistsNov 22-30: 3.7% of 94737 checklistsDec 1-7: 3.6% of 65393 checklistsDec 8-14: 3.8% of 67449 checklistsDec 15-21: 4.6% of 83421 checklistsDec 22-31: 3.8% 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. Nevada CountyBest mid August · 441 checklists that week, 25,896 in all27%
  2. Alpine CountyBest mid December · 46 checklists that week, 6,013 in all26%
  3. Sierra CountyBest late June · 833 checklists that week, 8,945 in all22%
  4. El Dorado CountyBest mid June · 759 checklists that week, 25,075 in all21%
  5. Calaveras CountyBest mid June · 130 checklists that week, 6,843 in all20%
  6. Mariposa CountyBest mid July · 380 checklists that week, 17,385 in all19%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Rattlesnake CanyonVentura County, best late August · 54 checklists that week, 802 in all76%
  2. Jacks Peak ParkMonterey County, best late October · 25 checklists that week, 573 in all74%
  3. Pleasant View Ridge WildernessLos Angeles County, best late July · 20 checklists that week, 152 in all74%
  4. Big Basin Redwoods State ParkSanta Cruz County, best late September · 42 checklists that week, 642 in all72%
  5. Sanborn County Park (Lake Ranch Reservoir)Santa Clara County, best early February · 20 checklists that week, 585 in all70%

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

Best time of day

In California, the Hairy Woodpecker is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (5.7% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%8%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: 6.0% of 186053 checklists7 am: 5.5% of 444086 checklists8 am: 5.4% of 535846 checklists9 am: 5.2% of 486061 checklists10 am: 4.6% of 411130 checklists11 am: 4.2% of 325798 checklists12 pm: 3.9% of 269132 checklists1 pm: 3.8% of 244762 checklists2 pm: 3.8% of 235420 checklists3 pm: 3.6% of 232365 checklists4 pm: 3.5% of 208688 checklists5 pm: 3.9% of 146104 checklists6 pm: 3.7% 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
January3.1%2.9%3.0%3.1%
February2.6%2.9%2.5%2.8%
March2.8%3.1%3.5%3.9%
April4.0%4.5%4.7%4.8%
May4.9%5.3%6.0%6.5%
June7.0%6.9%7.3%7.2%
July6.9%6.6%6.0%5.7%
August5.1%5.6%5.4%5.5%
September5.8%6.0%5.6%5.6%
October5.3%4.9%4.8%4.6%
November4.1%4.1%3.8%3.7%
December3.6%3.8%4.6%3.8%

Neighboring states

  • Nevada: arrives mid March, 6 weeks earlier than California
  • Utah: arrives mid January, 14 weeks earlier than California
  • Arizona: arrives mid February, 10 weeks earlier than California
  • Oregon: year-round, peaks mid June

Common questions

When do Hairy Woodpeckers arrive in California?
Hairy Woodpeckers are in California all year, but most are here in summer: numbers build from early May, peak in late June (7.1% of checklists), and fall back by the second week of October. In the quietest week (the second week of February) they are still on about 2.7% of checklists.
When do Hairy Woodpeckers leave California?
Hairy Woodpeckers never fully leave California: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by the second week of October, but some are still reported in every week, about 2.7% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Hairy Woodpecker in California?
The Hairy Woodpecker is reported most often in late June, on about 7.1% of California checklists.
Where in California are Hairy Woodpeckers seen most often?
By county, Nevada County, Alpine County, and Sierra County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Hairy Woodpecker (counties with at least 200 checklists).