WhenToBird

Catharus guttatus · Turdidae

When Do Hermit Thrushes Arrive in Oregon?

Adult Hermit Thrush
Photo: Amber M. King, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Hermit Thrushes reach Oregon in the second week of September, are common by mid September, peak in mid April (5.2% of checklists), and most are gone by mid July.

When to look

First arrivalsSep 8-14the second week of September
Common bySep 15-21mid September
PeakApr 15-21mid April
Most gone byJul 15-21mid July

Best: mid April. First arrivals the second week of September; most are gone by mid July. Peak: on about 5.2% of Oregon checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maycommon
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augrare
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%2%4%6%8%Jan 1-7: 4.3% of 34973 checklistsJan 8-14: 3.7% of 26807 checklistsJan 15-21: 3.8% of 26567 checklistsJan 22-31: 3.7% of 36019 checklistsFeb 1-7: 3.1% of 24020 checklistsFeb 8-14: 3.0% of 25765 checklistsFeb 15-21: 2.5% of 31019 checklistsFeb 22-28: 3.1% of 24582 checklistsMar 1-7: 2.9% of 24834 checklistsMar 8-14: 2.8% of 24642 checklistsMar 15-21: 2.3% of 27420 checklistsMar 22-31: 2.4% of 39913 checklistsApr 1-7: 3.2% of 28817 checklistsApr 8-14: 4.4% of 31221 checklistsApr 15-21: 6.3% of 34402 checklistsApr 22-30: 4.9% of 47144 checklistsMay 1-7: 2.4% of 37716 checklistsMay 8-14: 1.5% of 39651 checklistsMay 15-21: 1.8% of 37496 checklistsMay 22-31: 2.8% of 56967 checklistsJun 1-7: 3.3% of 35893 checklistsJun 8-14: 3.3% of 31880 checklistsJun 15-21: 4.4% of 30942 checklistsJun 22-30: 5.3% of 38478 checklistsJul 1-7: 4.4% of 27409 checklistsJul 8-14: 3.5% of 25161 checklistsJul 15-21: 3.0% of 25473 checklistsJul 22-31: 1.0% of 33920 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.5% of 24310 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.4% of 23675 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.4% of 23623 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.5% of 33762 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.9% of 25120 checklistsSep 8-14: 1.2% of 24458 checklistsSep 15-21: 2.2% of 25528 checklistsSep 22-30: 2.7% of 31631 checklistsOct 1-7: 3.8% of 25498 checklistsOct 8-14: 5.2% of 25161 checklistsOct 15-21: 4.9% of 23701 checklistsOct 22-31: 4.8% of 30996 checklistsNov 1-7: 4.5% of 21089 checklistsNov 8-14: 4.8% of 21880 checklistsNov 15-21: 4.2% of 21501 checklistsNov 22-30: 5.0% of 28930 checklistsDec 1-7: 5.0% of 19807 checklistsDec 8-14: 5.1% of 21022 checklistsDec 15-21: 5.4% of 24817 checklistsDec 22-31: 4.8% of 37592 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 Oregon 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 Oregon

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Curry CountyBest the second week of December · 180 checklists that week, 12,513 in all23%
  2. Hood River CountyBest the second week of July · 236 checklists that week, 9,695 in all18%
  3. Jefferson CountyBest late October · 206 checklists that week, 11,014 in all17%
  4. Coos CountyBest early December · 447 checklists that week, 24,368 in all17%
  5. Wasco CountyBest early July · 315 checklists that week, 13,127 in all16%
  6. Wheeler CountyBest late June · 158 checklists that week, 3,129 in all16%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Larch MountainMultnomah County, best early July · 53 checklists that week, 434 in all91%
  2. Sherrard PointMultnomah County, best early July · 39 checklists that week, 1,135 in all89%
  3. Heceta Head Lighthouse State Scenic ViewpointLane County, best the second week of January · 34 checklists that week, 815 in all70%
  4. Malheur National ForestHarney County, best the second week of June · 47 checklists that week, 702 in all63%
  5. Mount Tabor ParkMultnomah County, best late September · 200 checklists that week, 8,576 in all58%

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

Best time of day

In Oregon, the Hermit Thrush is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (4.9% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%12 am: too few checklists (1505) to judge1 am: too few checklists (675) to judge2 am: too few checklists (626) to judge3 am: too few checklists (1641) to judge4 am: too few checklists (3696) to judge5 am: too few checklists (14524) to judge6 am: 4.8% of 50677 checklists7 am: 4.9% of 125347 checklists8 am: 4.5% of 163668 checklists9 am: 4.1% of 160351 checklists10 am: 3.6% of 148940 checklists11 am: 3.2% of 124743 checklists12 pm: 2.9% of 112537 checklists1 pm: 2.7% of 98999 checklists2 pm: 2.6% of 94690 checklists3 pm: 2.4% of 87923 checklists4 pm: 1.8% of 75235 checklists5 pm: 1.5% of 54504 checklists6 pm: 1.4% of 40469 checklists7 pm: 1.3% of 33675 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (18715) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (5839) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (2704) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (1549) 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
January4.3%3.7%3.8%3.7%
February3.1%3.0%2.5%3.1%
March2.9%2.8%2.3%2.4%
April3.2%4.4%6.3%4.9%
May2.4%1.5%1.8%2.8%
June3.3%3.3%4.4%5.3%
July4.4%3.5%3.0%1.0%
August0.5%0.4%0.4%0.5%
September0.9%1.2%2.2%2.7%
October3.8%5.2%4.9%4.8%
November4.5%4.8%4.2%5.0%
December5.0%5.1%5.4%4.8%

Neighboring states

  • Washington: arrives early March, 23 weeks later than Oregon
  • Idaho: arrives early May, 17 weeks earlier than Oregon
  • Nevada: arrives late September, 2 weeks later than Oregon
  • California: arrives mid September, 1 week later than Oregon

Common questions

When do Hermit Thrushes arrive in Oregon?
Hermit Thrushes reach Oregon in the second week of September, are common by mid September, peak in mid April (5.2% of checklists), and most are gone by mid July.
When do Hermit Thrushes leave Oregon?
Most Hermit Thrushes have left Oregon by mid July, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until late July.
When is the best time to see a Hermit Thrush in Oregon?
The Hermit Thrush is reported most often in mid April, on about 5.2% of Oregon checklists.
Where in Oregon are Hermit Thrushes seen most often?
By county, Curry County, Hood River County, and Jefferson County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Hermit Thrush (counties with at least 200 checklists).