WhenToBird

Haemorhous mexicanus · Fringillidae

When Do House Finches Arrive in Washington?

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

The House Finch is in Washington all year. It turns up on about 33% of checklists at its peak (mid April) and on 24% in its quietest week (late January).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekApr 15-21mid April
Quietest weekJan 22-31late January

Best: mid April. Here all year. Peak: on about 33% of Washington checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  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: 24% of 41928 checklistsJan 8-14: 25% of 31152 checklistsJan 15-21: 24% of 31753 checklistsJan 22-31: 24% of 42530 checklistsFeb 1-7: 25% of 29739 checklistsFeb 8-14: 25% of 32746 checklistsFeb 15-21: 26% of 40328 checklistsFeb 22-28: 27% of 28432 checklistsMar 1-7: 27% of 30758 checklistsMar 8-14: 28% of 29368 checklistsMar 15-21: 30% of 32580 checklistsMar 22-31: 31% of 45614 checklistsApr 1-7: 33% of 33997 checklistsApr 8-14: 33% of 34729 checklistsApr 15-21: 34% of 38474 checklistsApr 22-30: 33% of 52185 checklistsMay 1-7: 33% of 44236 checklistsMay 8-14: 32% of 48708 checklistsMay 15-21: 31% of 41742 checklistsMay 22-31: 31% of 57082 checklistsJun 1-7: 31% of 39193 checklistsJun 8-14: 30% of 36042 checklistsJun 15-21: 30% of 34003 checklistsJun 22-30: 31% of 39711 checklistsJul 1-7: 32% of 31949 checklistsJul 8-14: 31% of 29086 checklistsJul 15-21: 31% of 28045 checklistsJul 22-31: 32% of 38275 checklistsAug 1-7: 30% of 28846 checklistsAug 8-14: 30% of 28036 checklistsAug 15-21: 29% of 27614 checklistsAug 22-31: 30% of 40356 checklistsSep 1-7: 28% of 31214 checklistsSep 8-14: 28% of 27795 checklistsSep 15-21: 28% of 29677 checklistsSep 22-30: 31% of 35241 checklistsOct 1-7: 31% of 28605 checklistsOct 8-14: 32% of 28655 checklistsOct 15-21: 31% of 24643 checklistsOct 22-31: 31% of 34874 checklistsNov 1-7: 29% of 25658 checklistsNov 8-14: 29% of 25700 checklistsNov 15-21: 30% of 24331 checklistsNov 22-30: 29% of 32784 checklistsDec 1-7: 28% of 24099 checklistsDec 8-14: 30% of 23339 checklistsDec 15-21: 28% of 27666 checklistsDec 22-31: 28% of 42130 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 Washington 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 Washington

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Benton CountyBest early September · 360 checklists that week, 23,565 in all68%
  2. Walla Walla CountyBest early August · 567 checklists that week, 35,829 in all58%
  3. Franklin CountyBest late June · 123 checklists that week, 7,970 in all54%
  4. Whitman CountyBest the second week of December · 330 checklists that week, 18,652 in all51%
  5. Yakima CountyBest mid December · 289 checklists that week, 28,504 in all50%
  6. Clark CountyBest late April · 1778 checklists that week, 53,250 in all47%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. W E Johnson ParkBenton County, best late August · 35 checklists that week, 1,031 in all99%
  2. San Juan Islands National MonumentSan Juan County, best the second week of August · 47 checklists that week, 2,639 in all98%
  3. North Seattle College Woods and WetlandKing County, best the second week of July · 28 checklists that week, 1,795 in all95%
  4. Jefferson ParkKing County, best late May · 23 checklists that week, 888 in all94%
  5. Middle CanyonKittitas County, best the second week of June · 93 checklists that week, 943 in all94%
  6. Oasis ParkGrant County, best the second week of June · 25 checklists that week, 159 in all93%

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

Best time of day

In Washington, the House Finch is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (42% of those checklists).

0%20%40%60%12 am: too few checklists (796) to judge1 am: too few checklists (776) to judge2 am: too few checklists (709) to judge3 am: too few checklists (901) to judge4 am: too few checklists (3221) to judge5 am: too few checklists (16576) to judge6 am: 44% of 56744 checklists7 am: 42% of 133294 checklists8 am: 38% of 184196 checklists9 am: 34% of 186303 checklists10 am: 29% of 177063 checklists11 am: 26% of 154936 checklists12 pm: 25% of 138061 checklists1 pm: 23% of 127449 checklists2 pm: 23% of 121511 checklists3 pm: 23% of 107793 checklists4 pm: 24% of 82862 checklists5 pm: 26% of 57183 checklists6 pm: 27% of 39886 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (26969) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (12427) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (3658) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1500) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (834) 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
January24%25%24%24%
February25%25%26%27%
March27%28%30%31%
April33%33%34%33%
May33%32%31%31%
June31%30%30%31%
July32%31%31%32%
August30%30%29%30%
September28%28%28%31%
October31%32%31%31%
November29%29%30%29%
December28%30%28%28%

Neighboring states

  • Oregon: year-round, peaks the second week of April
  • Idaho: year-round, peaks early December
  • Montana: year-round, peaks the second week of December
  • Nevada: year-round, peaks the second week of May

Common questions

When do House Finches arrive in Washington?
The House Finch is in Washington all year. It turns up on about 33% of checklists at its peak (mid April) and on 24% in its quietest week (late January).
When do House Finches leave Washington?
The House Finch does not leave Washington: it is reported all year, from 24% of checklists in late January to 33% in mid April.
When is the best time to see a House Finch in Washington?
The House Finch is reported most often in mid April, on about 33% of Washington checklists.
Where in Washington are House Finches seen most often?
By county, Benton County, Walla Walla County, and Franklin County have the highest peak reporting rates for the House Finch (counties with at least 200 checklists).