WhenToBird

Haemorhous mexicanus · Fringillidae

When Do House Finches Arrive in Oregon?

Adult male House Finch
Photo: Daughter Dad, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

The House Finch is in Oregon all year. It turns up on about 30% of checklists at its peak (the second week of April) and on 21% in its quietest week (mid January).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekApr 8-14the second week of April
Quietest weekJan 15-21mid January

Best: the second week of April. Here all year. Peak: on about 30% of Oregon checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%10%20%30%40%Jan 1-7: 23% of 34973 checklistsJan 8-14: 21% of 26807 checklistsJan 15-21: 21% of 26567 checklistsJan 22-31: 21% of 36019 checklistsFeb 1-7: 22% of 24020 checklistsFeb 8-14: 24% of 25765 checklistsFeb 15-21: 25% of 31019 checklistsFeb 22-28: 25% of 24582 checklistsMar 1-7: 26% of 24834 checklistsMar 8-14: 26% of 24642 checklistsMar 15-21: 26% of 27420 checklistsMar 22-31: 29% of 39913 checklistsApr 1-7: 30% of 28817 checklistsApr 8-14: 30% of 31221 checklistsApr 15-21: 30% of 34402 checklistsApr 22-30: 29% of 47144 checklistsMay 1-7: 29% of 37716 checklistsMay 8-14: 27% of 39651 checklistsMay 15-21: 25% of 37496 checklistsMay 22-31: 22% of 56967 checklistsJun 1-7: 22% of 35893 checklistsJun 8-14: 22% of 31880 checklistsJun 15-21: 22% of 30942 checklistsJun 22-30: 21% of 38478 checklistsJul 1-7: 23% of 27409 checklistsJul 8-14: 24% of 25161 checklistsJul 15-21: 24% of 25473 checklistsJul 22-31: 24% of 33920 checklistsAug 1-7: 24% of 24310 checklistsAug 8-14: 24% of 23675 checklistsAug 15-21: 24% of 23623 checklistsAug 22-31: 22% of 33762 checklistsSep 1-7: 22% of 25120 checklistsSep 8-14: 22% of 24458 checklistsSep 15-21: 23% of 25528 checklistsSep 22-30: 24% of 31631 checklistsOct 1-7: 26% of 25498 checklistsOct 8-14: 27% of 25161 checklistsOct 15-21: 24% of 23701 checklistsOct 22-31: 24% of 30996 checklistsNov 1-7: 25% of 21089 checklistsNov 8-14: 24% of 21880 checklistsNov 15-21: 24% of 21501 checklistsNov 22-30: 24% of 28930 checklistsDec 1-7: 25% of 19807 checklistsDec 8-14: 25% of 21022 checklistsDec 15-21: 23% of 24817 checklistsDec 22-31: 23% 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. Washington CountyBest late July · 2230 checklists that week, 110,376 in all55%
  2. Multnomah CountyBest early May · 5184 checklists that week, 182,088 in all54%
  3. Deschutes CountyBest the second week of December · 1095 checklists that week, 86,260 in all49%
  4. Union CountyBest early December · 493 checklists that week, 33,301 in all43%
  5. Sherman CountyBest the second week of July · 51 checklists that week, 4,629 in all41%
  6. Clackamas CountyBest early April · 998 checklists that week, 50,929 in all40%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Colonel Summers ParkMultnomah County, best early January · 40 checklists that week, 157 in all96%
  2. Downing Bike PathWashington County, best late April · 99 checklists that week, 2,451 in all95%
  3. Teloh Calapooia ParkLinn County, best late April · 23 checklists that week, 395 in all95%
  4. Riverview CemeteryMultnomah County, best mid April · 43 checklists that week, 485 in all94%
  5. Bluff above Swan IslandMultnomah County, best late May · 25 checklists that week, 899 in all93%
  6. Council Crest ParkMultnomah County, best late April · 20 checklists that week, 147 in all93%

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

Best time of day

In Oregon, the House Finch is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (35% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%40%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: 32% of 50677 checklists7 am: 36% of 125347 checklists8 am: 34% of 163668 checklists9 am: 29% of 160351 checklists10 am: 24% of 148940 checklists11 am: 21% of 124743 checklists12 pm: 20% of 112537 checklists1 pm: 19% of 98999 checklists2 pm: 19% of 94690 checklists3 pm: 20% of 87923 checklists4 pm: 19% of 75235 checklists5 pm: 21% of 54504 checklists6 pm: 24% of 40469 checklists7 pm: 23% 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
January23%21%21%21%
February22%24%25%25%
March26%26%26%29%
April30%30%30%29%
May29%27%25%22%
June22%22%22%21%
July23%24%24%24%
August24%24%24%22%
September22%22%23%24%
October26%27%24%24%
November25%24%24%24%
December25%25%23%23%

Neighboring states

  • Washington: year-round, peaks mid April
  • Idaho: year-round, peaks early December
  • Nevada: year-round, peaks the second week of May
  • California: year-round, peaks the second week of May

Common questions

When do House Finches arrive in Oregon?
The House Finch is in Oregon all year. It turns up on about 30% of checklists at its peak (the second week of April) and on 21% in its quietest week (mid January).
When do House Finches leave Oregon?
The House Finch does not leave Oregon: it is reported all year, from 21% of checklists in mid January to 30% in the second week of April.
When is the best time to see a House Finch in Oregon?
The House Finch is reported most often in the second week of April, on about 30% of Oregon checklists.
Where in Oregon are House Finches seen most often?
By county, Washington County, Multnomah County, and Deschutes County have the highest peak reporting rates for the House Finch (counties with at least 200 checklists).