WhenToBird

Poecile gambeli · Paridae

When Do Mountain Chickadees Arrive in California?

Adult Mountain Chickadee
Photo: Wendy McCrady, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Mountain Chickadees reach California in the second week of March, are common by mid April, peak in late June (8.4% of checklists), and most are gone by early November.

When to look

First arrivalsMar 8-14the second week of March
Common byApr 15-21mid April
PeakJun 22-30late June
Most gone byNov 1-7early November

Best: late June. First arrivals the second week of March; most are gone by early November. Peak: on about 8.4% of California checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%5%10%Jan 1-7: 1.8% of 112336 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.8% of 85518 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.9% of 86488 checklistsJan 22-31: 2.0% of 116174 checklistsFeb 1-7: 2.0% of 75171 checklistsFeb 8-14: 2.0% of 84467 checklistsFeb 15-21: 2.0% of 105683 checklistsFeb 22-28: 2.0% of 83396 checklistsMar 1-7: 2.0% of 77470 checklistsMar 8-14: 2.0% of 75180 checklistsMar 15-21: 2.2% of 80770 checklistsMar 22-31: 2.3% of 114116 checklistsApr 1-7: 2.6% of 84057 checklistsApr 8-14: 2.8% of 83692 checklistsApr 15-21: 2.8% of 89242 checklistsApr 22-30: 3.3% of 114289 checklistsMay 1-7: 3.4% of 85728 checklistsMay 8-14: 3.8% of 91984 checklistsMay 15-21: 4.4% of 75478 checklistsMay 22-31: 5.6% of 106250 checklistsJun 1-7: 6.7% of 70051 checklistsJun 8-14: 7.5% of 67485 checklistsJun 15-21: 8.8% of 66269 checklistsJun 22-30: 8.6% of 79172 checklistsJul 1-7: 7.9% of 62877 checklistsJul 8-14: 7.2% of 60328 checklistsJul 15-21: 7.0% of 59705 checklistsJul 22-31: 6.6% of 83796 checklistsAug 1-7: 6.3% of 60215 checklistsAug 8-14: 6.3% of 60172 checklistsAug 15-21: 5.6% of 59877 checklistsAug 22-31: 5.0% of 89107 checklistsSep 1-7: 4.4% of 72000 checklistsSep 8-14: 4.4% of 71228 checklistsSep 15-21: 4.2% of 76808 checklistsSep 22-30: 4.2% of 100204 checklistsOct 1-7: 3.9% of 76571 checklistsOct 8-14: 3.9% of 80874 checklistsOct 15-21: 3.8% of 74581 checklistsOct 22-31: 3.5% of 97498 checklistsNov 1-7: 3.1% of 70851 checklistsNov 8-14: 3.0% of 72431 checklistsNov 15-21: 2.5% of 66767 checklistsNov 22-30: 2.5% of 94737 checklistsDec 1-7: 2.4% of 65393 checklistsDec 8-14: 2.5% of 67449 checklistsDec 15-21: 2.6% of 83421 checklistsDec 22-31: 2.1% 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. Sierra CountyBest the second week of September · 90 checklists that week, 8,945 in all59%
  2. Alpine CountyBest late July · 415 checklists that week, 6,013 in all58%
  3. El Dorado CountyBest the second week of August · 508 checklists that week, 25,075 in all53%
  4. Nevada CountyBest mid July · 704 checklists that week, 25,896 in all44%
  5. Plumas CountyBest mid September · 275 checklists that week, 24,629 in all44%
  6. Amador CountyBest late July · 124 checklists that week, 4,733 in all39%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Idyllwild ParkRiverside County, best mid January · 21 checklists that week, 1,081 in all100%
  2. Laguna Recreation AreaSan Diego County, best the second week of September · 21 checklists that week, 832 in all98%
  3. San Gabriel Mountains National Monument (Grassy Hollow)Los Angeles County, best late April · 23 checklists that week, 723 in all98%
  4. AspendellInyo County, best the second week of January · 24 checklists that week, 540 in all97%
  5. Inyo Crater LakesMono County, best late July · 33 checklists that week, 387 in all96%
  6. Bluff Lake ReserveSan Bernardino County, best late July · 38 checklists that week, 405 in all96%

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

Best time of day

In California, the Mountain Chickadee is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (4.3% 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: 4.8% of 186053 checklists7 am: 4.1% of 444086 checklists8 am: 3.9% of 535846 checklists9 am: 3.8% of 486061 checklists10 am: 3.9% of 411130 checklists11 am: 3.8% of 325798 checklists12 pm: 3.8% of 269132 checklists1 pm: 3.7% of 244762 checklists2 pm: 3.4% of 235420 checklists3 pm: 3.1% of 232365 checklists4 pm: 2.7% of 208688 checklists5 pm: 3.0% of 146104 checklists6 pm: 3.1% 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
January1.8%1.8%1.9%2.0%
February2.0%2.0%2.0%2.0%
March2.0%2.0%2.2%2.3%
April2.6%2.8%2.8%3.3%
May3.4%3.8%4.4%5.6%
June6.7%7.5%8.8%8.6%
July7.9%7.2%7.0%6.6%
August6.3%6.3%5.6%5.0%
September4.4%4.4%4.2%4.2%
October3.9%3.9%3.8%3.5%
November3.1%3.0%2.5%2.5%
December2.4%2.5%2.6%2.1%

Neighboring states

  • Nevada: year-round, peaks early July
  • Utah: arrives mid June, 13 weeks later than California
  • Arizona: arrives the second week of February, 4 weeks earlier than California
  • Oregon: year-round, peaks late June

Common questions

When do Mountain Chickadees arrive in California?
Mountain Chickadees reach California in the second week of March, are common by mid April, peak in late June (8.4% of checklists), and most are gone by early November.
When do Mountain Chickadees leave California?
Most Mountain Chickadees have left California by early November, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until late December.
When is the best time to see a Mountain Chickadee in California?
The Mountain Chickadee is reported most often in late June, on about 8.4% of California checklists.
Where in California are Mountain Chickadees seen most often?
By county, Sierra County, Alpine County, and El Dorado County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Mountain Chickadee (counties with at least 200 checklists).