WhenToBird

Sialia currucoides · Turdidae

When Do Mountain Bluebirds Arrive in Washington?

Adult male Mountain Bluebird
Photo: Josiah Londerée, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Mountain Bluebirds arrive in Washington in the second week of March, peak in early April (1.4% of checklists), and most are gone by early August.

When to look

First arrivalsMar 8-14the second week of March
Common byMar 8-14the second week of March
PeakApr 1-7early April
Most gone byAug 1-7early August

Best: early April. First arrivals the second week of March; most are gone by early August. Peak: on about 1.4% of Washington checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febrare
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maycommon
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julcommon
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novrare
  12. Decrare

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

0%0.5%1%1.5%2%Jan 1-7: 0.1% of 41928 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.1% of 31152 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.1% of 31753 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.1% of 42530 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.1% of 29739 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.1% of 32746 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.1% of 40328 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.1% of 28432 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.4% of 30758 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.6% of 29368 checklistsMar 15-21: 1.0% of 32580 checklistsMar 22-31: 1.4% of 45614 checklistsApr 1-7: 1.2% of 33997 checklistsApr 8-14: 1.7% of 34729 checklistsApr 15-21: 1.4% of 38474 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.8% of 52185 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.7% of 44236 checklistsMay 8-14: 1.0% of 48708 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.9% of 41742 checklistsMay 22-31: 1.1% of 57082 checklistsJun 1-7: 1.2% of 39193 checklistsJun 8-14: 1.1% of 36042 checklistsJun 15-21: 1.2% of 34003 checklistsJun 22-30: 1.0% of 39711 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.7% of 31949 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.7% of 29086 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.7% of 28045 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.5% of 38275 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.4% of 28846 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.4% of 28036 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.3% of 27614 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.3% of 40356 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.3% of 31214 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.4% of 27795 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.6% of 29677 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.5% of 35241 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.4% of 28605 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.3% of 28655 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.2% of 24643 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.1% of 34874 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.1% of 25658 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.1% of 25700 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.1% of 24331 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.1% of 32784 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.2% of 24099 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.1% of 23339 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.1% of 27666 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.1% 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. Garfield CountyBest early July · 29 checklists that week, 1,130 in all27%
  2. Kittitas CountyBest early April · 690 checklists that week, 26,338 in all19%
  3. Okanogan CountyBest the second week of April · 256 checklists that week, 23,048 in all17%
  4. Columbia CountyBest early July · 49 checklists that week, 1,894 in all15%
  5. Stevens CountyBest early April · 157 checklists that week, 7,596 in all10%
  6. Douglas CountyBest mid May · 404 checklists that week, 9,418 in all9.7%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Whiskey DickKittitas County, best late March · 40 checklists that week, 375 in all81%
  2. Washington State Department of Natural Resources (WADNR) State Resource Management Area (Ellensburg Pass)Yakima County, best late May · 22 checklists that week, 177 in all57%

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

Best time of day

In Washington, the Mountain Bluebird is most often listed on checklists started between 10 am and 12 pm (0.6% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%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: 0.7% of 56744 checklists7 am: 0.5% of 133294 checklists8 am: 0.5% of 184196 checklists9 am: 0.6% of 186303 checklists10 am: 0.6% of 177063 checklists11 am: 0.6% of 154936 checklists12 pm: 0.5% of 138061 checklists1 pm: 0.5% of 127449 checklists2 pm: 0.5% of 121511 checklists3 pm: 0.5% of 107793 checklists4 pm: 0.5% of 82862 checklists5 pm: 0.6% of 57183 checklists6 pm: 0.5% 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
January0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
February0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
March0.4%0.6%1.0%1.4%
April1.2%1.7%1.4%0.8%
May0.7%1.0%0.9%1.1%
June1.2%1.1%1.2%1.0%
July0.7%0.7%0.7%0.5%
August0.4%0.4%0.3%0.3%
September0.3%0.4%0.6%0.5%
October0.4%0.3%0.2%0.1%
November0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
December0.2%0.1%0.1%0.1%

Neighboring states

  • Oregon: arrives early March, 1 week earlier than Washington
  • Idaho: arrives the second week of March, in the same week than Washington
  • Montana: arrives early March, 1 week earlier than Washington
  • Nevada: arrives the second week of May, 8 weeks later than Washington

Common questions

When do Mountain Bluebirds arrive in Washington?
Mountain Bluebirds arrive in Washington in the second week of March, peak in early April (1.4% of checklists), and most are gone by early August.
When do Mountain Bluebirds leave Washington?
Most Mountain Bluebirds have left Washington by early August, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Mountain Bluebird in Washington?
The Mountain Bluebird is reported most often in early April, on about 1.4% of Washington checklists.
Where in Washington are Mountain Bluebirds seen most often?
By county, Garfield County, Kittitas County, and Okanogan County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Mountain Bluebird (counties with at least 200 checklists).