WhenToBird

Leuconotopicus villosus · Picidae

When Do Hairy Woodpeckers Arrive in Utah?

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

Hairy Woodpeckers reach Utah in mid January, are common by mid March, peak in early July (4.9% of checklists), and most are gone by mid December.

When to look

First arrivalsJan 15-21mid January
Common byMar 15-21mid March
PeakJul 1-7early July
Most gone byDec 15-21mid December

Best: early July. First arrivals mid January; most are gone by mid December. Peak: on about 4.9% of Utah checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%2%4%6%Jan 1-7: 1.2% of 10857 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.4% of 8333 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.5% of 8360 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.7% of 10516 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.5% of 7416 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.5% of 8082 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.5% of 9643 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.9% of 7960 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.5% of 7998 checklistsMar 8-14: 2.0% of 8581 checklistsMar 15-21: 1.7% of 8637 checklistsMar 22-31: 2.1% of 13006 checklistsApr 1-7: 1.5% of 10562 checklistsApr 8-14: 1.7% of 11694 checklistsApr 15-21: 2.0% of 11382 checklistsApr 22-30: 2.2% of 16626 checklistsMay 1-7: 2.1% of 13523 checklistsMay 8-14: 2.1% of 14714 checklistsMay 15-21: 2.0% of 13711 checklistsMay 22-31: 2.4% of 16546 checklistsJun 1-7: 3.2% of 10284 checklistsJun 8-14: 3.4% of 9530 checklistsJun 15-21: 4.0% of 8854 checklistsJun 22-30: 4.9% of 10566 checklistsJul 1-7: 5.0% of 7987 checklistsJul 8-14: 5.0% of 7471 checklistsJul 15-21: 4.8% of 7240 checklistsJul 22-31: 4.4% of 9329 checklistsAug 1-7: 4.2% of 6521 checklistsAug 8-14: 4.2% of 6423 checklistsAug 15-21: 4.4% of 6208 checklistsAug 22-31: 4.0% of 9089 checklistsSep 1-7: 3.2% of 7081 checklistsSep 8-14: 3.1% of 7306 checklistsSep 15-21: 3.2% of 7208 checklistsSep 22-30: 3.0% of 8876 checklistsOct 1-7: 2.8% of 7265 checklistsOct 8-14: 3.0% of 7226 checklistsOct 15-21: 2.7% of 7007 checklistsOct 22-31: 2.5% of 8443 checklistsNov 1-7: 2.1% of 6711 checklistsNov 8-14: 2.5% of 6290 checklistsNov 15-21: 2.2% of 6169 checklistsNov 22-30: 2.4% of 8228 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.6% of 6011 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.9% of 6044 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.9% of 6721 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.7% of 9982 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 Utah 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 Utah

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Daggett CountyBest mid November · 19 checklists that week, 1,885 in all22%
  2. Beaver CountyBest mid August · 103 checklists that week, 6,956 in all17%
  3. Kane CountyBest late August · 161 checklists that week, 6,105 in all17%
  4. Garfield CountyBest the second week of November · 95 checklists that week, 10,367 in all14%
  5. Duchesne CountyBest the second week of October · 24 checklists that week, 2,692 in all13%
  6. Piute CountyBest late July · 13 checklists that week, 1,035 in all12%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Hidden LakeWeber County, best mid March · 20 checklists that week, 466 in all73%
  2. Lake SolitudeSalt Lake County, best the second week of July · 27 checklists that week, 171 in all62%
  3. Mount Nebo WildernessUtah County, best late June · 20 checklists that week, 125 in all60%
  4. Collins GulchSalt Lake County, best mid November · 41 checklists that week, 1,774 in all56%
  5. Silver Lake (Giles Flat)Salt Lake County, best mid September · 30 checklists that week, 278 in all44%
  6. Dry LakeSalt Lake County, best late June · 24 checklists that week, 177 in all42%

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

Best time of day

In Utah, the Hairy Woodpecker is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (3.4% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%4%12 am: too few checklists (242) to judge1 am: too few checklists (178) to judge2 am: too few checklists (169) to judge3 am: too few checklists (162) to judge4 am: too few checklists (284) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1984) to judge6 am: 3.9% of 11714 checklists7 am: 3.2% of 33209 checklists8 am: 3.2% of 46944 checklists9 am: 3.1% of 46290 checklists10 am: 2.8% of 43144 checklists11 am: 2.7% of 36893 checklists12 pm: 2.3% of 32758 checklists1 pm: 2.4% of 30142 checklists2 pm: 2.4% of 29414 checklists3 pm: 2.2% of 29491 checklists4 pm: 1.7% of 29154 checklists5 pm: 2.0% of 22256 checklists6 pm: 2.1% of 17383 checklists7 pm: 1.5% of 13099 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (6647) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1753) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (599) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (307) 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
January1.2%1.4%1.5%1.7%
February1.5%1.5%1.5%1.9%
March1.5%2.0%1.7%2.1%
April1.5%1.7%2.0%2.2%
May2.1%2.1%2.0%2.4%
June3.2%3.4%4.0%4.9%
July5.0%5.0%4.8%4.4%
August4.2%4.2%4.4%4.0%
September3.2%3.1%3.2%3.0%
October2.8%3.0%2.7%2.5%
November2.1%2.5%2.2%2.4%
December1.6%1.9%1.9%1.7%

Neighboring states

  • Wyoming: year-round, peaks mid December
  • Nevada: arrives mid March, 8 weeks later than Utah
  • Colorado: year-round, peaks mid July
  • Idaho: year-round, peaks mid July

Common questions

When do Hairy Woodpeckers arrive in Utah?
Hairy Woodpeckers reach Utah in mid January, are common by mid March, peak in early July (4.9% of checklists), and most are gone by mid December.
When do Hairy Woodpeckers leave Utah?
Most Hairy Woodpeckers have left Utah by mid December, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until late December.
When is the best time to see a Hairy Woodpecker in Utah?
The Hairy Woodpecker is reported most often in early July, on about 4.9% of Utah checklists.
Where in Utah are Hairy Woodpeckers seen most often?
By county, Daggett County, Beaver County, and Kane County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Hairy Woodpecker (counties with at least 200 checklists).