WhenToBird

Falco columbarius · Falconidae

When Do Merlins Arrive in Oregon?

Adult female Merlin
Photo: Cricket Raspet, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Merlins are winter birds in Oregon: they arrive in mid September, peak in the second week of October (2.1% of checklists), and most are gone by late March.

When to look

First arrivalsSep 15-21mid September
Common bySep 15-21mid September
PeakOct 8-14the second week of October
Most gone byMar 22-31late March

Best: the second week of October. First arrivals mid September; most are gone by late March. Peak: on about 2.1% of Oregon checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augrare
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%1%2%3%Jan 1-7: 1.8% of 34973 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.6% of 26807 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.6% of 26567 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.5% of 36019 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.7% of 24020 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.3% of 25765 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.1% of 31019 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.0% of 24582 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.0% of 24834 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.1% of 24642 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.9% of 27420 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.8% of 39913 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.9% of 28817 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.7% of 31221 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.7% of 34402 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.5% of 47144 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.3% of 37716 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.1% of 39651 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 37496 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 56967 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 35893 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 31880 checklistsJun 15-21: 0% of 30942 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.1% of 38478 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 27409 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 25161 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.1% of 25473 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.1% of 33920 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.1% of 24310 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.1% of 23675 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.1% of 23623 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.2% of 33762 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.4% of 25120 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.7% of 24458 checklistsSep 15-21: 1.3% of 25528 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.7% of 31631 checklistsOct 1-7: 2.1% of 25498 checklistsOct 8-14: 2.1% of 25161 checklistsOct 15-21: 2.1% of 23701 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.9% of 30996 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.7% of 21089 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.9% of 21880 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.9% of 21501 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.7% of 28930 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.9% of 19807 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.9% of 21022 checklistsDec 15-21: 2.2% of 24817 checklistsDec 22-31: 2.0% 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. Hood River CountyBest late September · 347 checklists that week, 9,695 in all9.2%
  2. Crook CountyBest the second week of December · 55 checklists that week, 9,466 in all6.3%
  3. Columbia CountyBest the second week of December · 443 checklists that week, 27,750 in all6.3%
  4. Morrow CountyBest the second week of January · 37 checklists that week, 3,484 in all6.3%
  5. Jefferson CountyBest the second week of October · 155 checklists that week, 11,014 in all5.9%
  6. Malheur CountyBest late January · 41 checklists that week, 4,699 in all5.6%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Deschutes National Forest (north)Jefferson County, best early October · 38 checklists that week, 107 in all40%
  2. Willamette Park and Natural Area (Stahlbusch Island)Benton County, best the second week of October · 21 checklists that week, 1,275 in all31%
  3. Port of Siuslaw Campground and MarinaLane County, best late October · 35 checklists that week, 579 in all31%
  4. White River Segment BHood River County, best the second week of October · 64 checklists that week, 411 in all30%
  5. Rose City Golf CourseMultnomah County, best the second week of October · 37 checklists that week, 437 in all28%
  6. JosephWallowa County, best late December · 24 checklists that week, 214 in all27%

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

Best time of day

In Oregon, the Merlin is most often listed on checklists started between 8 and 10 am (1.2% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%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: 0.4% of 50677 checklists7 am: 1.0% of 125347 checklists8 am: 1.2% of 163668 checklists9 am: 1.2% of 160351 checklists10 am: 1.1% of 148940 checklists11 am: 1.0% of 124743 checklists12 pm: 0.9% of 112537 checklists1 pm: 0.9% of 98999 checklists2 pm: 1.0% of 94690 checklists3 pm: 1.0% of 87923 checklists4 pm: 0.7% of 75235 checklists5 pm: 0.5% of 54504 checklists6 pm: 0.3% of 40469 checklists7 pm: 0.1% 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
January1.8%1.6%1.6%1.5%
February1.7%1.3%1.1%1.0%
March1.0%1.1%0.9%0.8%
April0.9%0.7%0.7%0.5%
May0.3%0.1%0.1%0.1%
June0.1%0.1%0%0.1%
July0%0%0.1%0.1%
August0.1%0.1%0.1%0.2%
September0.4%0.7%1.3%1.7%
October2.1%2.1%2.1%1.9%
November1.7%1.9%1.9%1.7%
December1.9%1.9%2.2%2.0%

Neighboring states

  • Washington: arrives mid July, 8 weeks earlier than Oregon
  • Idaho: arrives the second week of September, 1 week earlier than Oregon
  • Nevada: arrives late September, 1 week later than Oregon
  • California: arrives late September, 1 week later than Oregon

Common questions

When do Merlins arrive in Oregon?
Merlins are winter birds in Oregon: they arrive in mid September, peak in the second week of October (2.1% of checklists), and most are gone by late March.
When do Merlins leave Oregon?
Most Merlins have left Oregon by late March, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Merlin in Oregon?
The Merlin is reported most often in the second week of October, on about 2.1% of Oregon checklists.
Where in Oregon are Merlins seen most often?
By county, Hood River County, Crook County, and Columbia County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Merlin (counties with at least 200 checklists).