WhenToBird

Melospiza lincolnii · Passerellidae

When Do Lincoln's Sparrows Arrive in Virginia?

Adult Lincoln's Sparrow
Photo: Elijah Jaeger, CC0 1.0 via iNaturalist

Lincoln's Sparrows mostly pass through Virginia: they arrive in late September, peak in the second week of October (2.0% of checklists), and most are gone by early November.

When to look

First arrivalsSep 22-30late September
Common bySep 22-30late September
PeakOct 8-14the second week of October
Most gone byNov 1-7early November

Best: the second week of October. First arrivals late September; most are gone by early November. Peak: on about 2.0% of Virginia checklists.

  1. Janrare
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marnot usually seen
  4. Aprrare
  5. Mayrare
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Decrare

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

0%1%2%3%Jan 1-7: 0.1% of 32817 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.1% of 25111 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.1% of 25510 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.1% of 34492 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.1% of 24950 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.1% of 28224 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.1% of 43578 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.1% of 26467 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.1% of 25851 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.1% of 25901 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.1% of 26747 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.1% of 40819 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.1% of 31351 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.1% of 33239 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.1% of 37284 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.1% of 54364 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.2% of 47698 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.3% of 46174 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 36444 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 43203 checklistsJun 1-7: 0% of 28503 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 25485 checklistsJun 15-21: 0% of 23728 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 28785 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 22294 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 20481 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 18914 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 26976 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 19555 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 18744 checklistsAug 15-21: 0% of 18721 checklistsAug 22-31: 0% of 28763 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.1% of 23594 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.1% of 22581 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.4% of 23036 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.8% of 29687 checklistsOct 1-7: 1.6% of 24321 checklistsOct 8-14: 2.1% of 23946 checklistsOct 15-21: 2.3% of 22191 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.4% of 30161 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.6% of 21431 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.2% of 22758 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.1% of 19988 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.1% of 27665 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.1% of 19324 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.1% of 20316 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.1% of 25675 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.1% of 38677 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 Virginia 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 Virginia

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Manassas Park CountyBest late September · 11 checklists that week, 343 in all20%
  2. Clarke CountyBest the second week of October · 139 checklists that week, 8,388 in all13%
  3. Buchanan CountyBest mid October · 32 checklists that week, 1,612 in all12%
  4. Nelson CountyBest the second week of October · 186 checklists that week, 7,436 in all9.5%
  5. Grayson CountyBest mid October · 73 checklists that week, 5,247 in all8.6%
  6. Fauquier CountyBest mid October · 344 checklists that week, 23,175 in all8.0%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Elklick PreserveFairfax County, best early October · 32 checklists that week, 2,324 in all45%
  2. Waples MillFairfax County, best late September · 58 checklists that week, 1,647 in all32%
  3. Sky Meadows State ParkFauquier County, best mid October · 26 checklists that week, 710 in all20%

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

Best time of day

In Virginia, the Lincoln's Sparrow is most often listed on checklists started between 7 and 9 am (0.4% of those checklists).

0%0.5%12 am: too few checklists (485) to judge1 am: too few checklists (488) to judge2 am: too few checklists (423) to judge3 am: too few checklists (565) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1410) to judge5 am: too few checklists (10265) to judge6 am: 0.2% of 64788 checklists7 am: 0.4% of 169128 checklists8 am: 0.4% of 180748 checklists9 am: 0.2% of 153462 checklists10 am: 0.2% of 128966 checklists11 am: 0.1% of 104204 checklists12 pm: 0.1% of 91604 checklists1 pm: 0.1% of 85547 checklists2 pm: 0.1% of 82355 checklists3 pm: 0.1% of 82265 checklists4 pm: 0.1% of 76714 checklists5 pm: 0.1% of 56782 checklists6 pm: 0.1% of 40131 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (24290) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (7744) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2383) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1122) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (651) 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
January0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
February0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
March0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
April0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
May0.2%0.3%0.1%0.1%
June0%0.1%0%0%
July0%0%0%0%
August0%0%0%0%
September0.1%0.1%0.4%0.8%
October1.6%2.1%2.3%1.4%
November0.6%0.2%0.1%0.1%
December0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%

Neighboring states

  • District of Columbia: arrives the second week of September, 2 weeks earlier than Virginia
  • Maryland: arrives mid September, 1 week earlier than Virginia
  • West Virginia: arrives mid September, 1 week earlier than Virginia
  • Delaware: arrives mid September, 1 week earlier than Virginia

Common questions

When do Lincoln's Sparrows arrive in Virginia?
Lincoln's Sparrows mostly pass through Virginia: they arrive in late September, peak in the second week of October (2.0% of checklists), and most are gone by early November.
When do Lincoln's Sparrows leave Virginia?
Most Lincoln's Sparrows have left Virginia by early November, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Lincoln's Sparrow in Virginia?
The Lincoln's Sparrow is reported most often in the second week of October, on about 2.0% of Virginia checklists.
Where in Virginia are Lincoln's Sparrows seen most often?
By county, Manassas Park County, Clarke County, and Buchanan County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Lincoln's Sparrow (counties with at least 200 checklists).