WhenToBird

Numenius hudsonicus · Scolopacidae

When Do Hudsonian Whimbrels Arrive in California?

Adult Hudsonian Whimbrel
Photo: sprcrkwild, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Hudsonian Whimbrels reach California in late June, are common by early July, peak in early August (6.2% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of May.

When to look

First arrivalsJun 22-30late June
Common byJul 1-7early July
PeakAug 1-7early August
Most gone byMay 8-14the second week of May

Best: early August. First arrivals late June; most are gone by the second week of May. Peak: on about 6.2% of California checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maycommon
  6. Jununcommon
  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: 3.9% of 112336 checklistsJan 8-14: 3.9% of 85518 checklistsJan 15-21: 3.9% of 86488 checklistsJan 22-31: 3.5% of 116174 checklistsFeb 1-7: 3.1% of 75171 checklistsFeb 8-14: 3.0% of 84467 checklistsFeb 15-21: 2.8% of 105683 checklistsFeb 22-28: 3.3% of 83396 checklistsMar 1-7: 3.3% of 77470 checklistsMar 8-14: 3.4% of 75180 checklistsMar 15-21: 3.7% of 80770 checklistsMar 22-31: 4.0% of 114116 checklistsApr 1-7: 4.5% of 84057 checklistsApr 8-14: 5.0% of 83692 checklistsApr 15-21: 5.2% of 89242 checklistsApr 22-30: 5.3% of 114289 checklistsMay 1-7: 4.8% of 85728 checklistsMay 8-14: 3.2% of 91984 checklistsMay 15-21: 2.1% of 75478 checklistsMay 22-31: 1.4% of 106250 checklistsJun 1-7: 1.2% of 70051 checklistsJun 8-14: 1.1% of 67485 checklistsJun 15-21: 1.2% of 66269 checklistsJun 22-30: 1.7% of 79172 checklistsJul 1-7: 2.8% of 62877 checklistsJul 8-14: 4.2% of 60328 checklistsJul 15-21: 5.4% of 59705 checklistsJul 22-31: 6.2% of 83796 checklistsAug 1-7: 6.0% of 60215 checklistsAug 8-14: 6.2% of 60172 checklistsAug 15-21: 5.9% of 59877 checklistsAug 22-31: 5.6% of 89107 checklistsSep 1-7: 5.4% of 72000 checklistsSep 8-14: 4.9% of 71228 checklistsSep 15-21: 4.0% of 76808 checklistsSep 22-30: 3.5% of 100204 checklistsOct 1-7: 3.4% of 76571 checklistsOct 8-14: 3.5% of 80874 checklistsOct 15-21: 3.5% of 74581 checklistsOct 22-31: 3.7% of 97498 checklistsNov 1-7: 4.1% of 70851 checklistsNov 8-14: 4.2% of 72431 checklistsNov 15-21: 4.1% of 66767 checklistsNov 22-30: 4.3% of 94737 checklistsDec 1-7: 4.1% of 65393 checklistsDec 8-14: 3.8% of 67449 checklistsDec 15-21: 2.8% of 83421 checklistsDec 22-31: 3.9% 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. Kings CountyBest late April · 134 checklists that week, 3,688 in all28%
  2. San Luis Obispo CountyBest the second week of August · 2076 checklists that week, 124,667 in all19%
  3. Del Norte CountyBest late April · 576 checklists that week, 16,363 in all19%
  4. Monterey CountyBest mid November · 2987 checklists that week, 132,505 in all18%
  5. San Mateo CountyBest early August · 2227 checklists that week, 148,781 in all14%
  6. Santa Barbara CountyBest late July · 2615 checklists that week, 120,616 in all13%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. San Francisco ZooSan Francisco County, best mid April · 20 checklists that week, 883 in all97%
  2. Ocean BeachSan Francisco County, best late April · 55 checklists that week, 1,391 in all97%
  3. Pomponio State BeachSan Mateo County, best late April · 41 checklists that week, 429 in all95%
  4. North Moss BeachMonterey County, best late April · 23 checklists that week, 1,248 in all95%
  5. MacKerricher State ParkMendocino County, best early May · 30 checklists that week, 1,252 in all94%
  6. Morro Strand State BeachSan Luis Obispo County, best late April · 25 checklists that week, 2,064 in all94%

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

Best time of day

In California, the Hudsonian Whimbrel is most often listed on checklists started between 1 and 3 pm (4.2% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%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: 3.9% of 186053 checklists7 am: 3.8% of 444086 checklists8 am: 3.7% of 535846 checklists9 am: 3.8% of 486061 checklists10 am: 3.9% of 411130 checklists11 am: 3.9% of 325798 checklists12 pm: 3.9% of 269132 checklists1 pm: 4.2% of 244762 checklists2 pm: 4.2% of 235420 checklists3 pm: 4.1% of 232365 checklists4 pm: 3.9% of 208688 checklists5 pm: 3.7% of 146104 checklists6 pm: 3.5% 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
January3.9%3.9%3.9%3.5%
February3.1%3.0%2.8%3.3%
March3.3%3.4%3.7%4.0%
April4.5%5.0%5.2%5.3%
May4.8%3.2%2.1%1.4%
June1.2%1.1%1.2%1.7%
July2.8%4.2%5.4%6.2%
August6.0%6.2%5.9%5.6%
September5.4%4.9%4.0%3.5%
October3.4%3.5%3.5%3.7%
November4.1%4.2%4.1%4.3%
December4.1%3.8%2.8%3.9%

Neighboring states

  • Oregon: arrives the second week of April, 10 weeks earlier than California
  • Washington: arrives the second week of April, 10 weeks earlier than California
  • Texas: arrives early April, 11 weeks earlier than California
  • Louisiana: arrives early April, 11 weeks earlier than California

Common questions

When do Hudsonian Whimbrels arrive in California?
Hudsonian Whimbrels reach California in late June, are common by early July, peak in early August (6.2% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of May.
When do Hudsonian Whimbrels leave California?
Most Hudsonian Whimbrels have left California by the second week of May, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until late May.
When is the best time to see a Hudsonian Whimbrel in California?
The Hudsonian Whimbrel is reported most often in early August, on about 6.2% of California checklists.
Where in California are Hudsonian Whimbrels seen most often?
By county, Kings County, San Luis Obispo County, and Del Norte County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Hudsonian Whimbrel (counties with at least 200 checklists).