WhenToBird

Colinus virginianus · Odontophoridae

When Do Northern Bobwhites Arrive in Virginia?

Adult male Northern Bobwhite
Photo: Chrissy McClarren and Andy Reago, CC0 1.0 via iNaturalist

Northern Bobwhites arrive in Virginia in the second week of May, peak in mid June (2.8% of checklists), and most are gone by mid August.

When to look

First arrivalsMay 8-14the second week of May
Common byMay 8-14the second week of May
PeakJun 15-21mid June
Most gone byAug 15-21mid August

Best: mid June. First arrivals the second week of May; most are gone by mid August. Peak: on about 2.8% of Virginia checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marnot usually seen
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octrare
  11. Novnot usually seen
  12. Decnot usually seen

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: 0.2% of 33239 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.5% of 37284 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.6% of 54364 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.9% of 47698 checklistsMay 8-14: 1.1% of 46174 checklistsMay 15-21: 1.6% of 36444 checklistsMay 22-31: 2.1% of 43203 checklistsJun 1-7: 2.4% of 28503 checklistsJun 8-14: 2.7% of 25485 checklistsJun 15-21: 2.7% of 23728 checklistsJun 22-30: 2.9% of 28785 checklistsJul 1-7: 2.7% of 22294 checklistsJul 8-14: 2.4% of 20481 checklistsJul 15-21: 1.9% of 18914 checklistsJul 22-31: 1.6% of 26976 checklistsAug 1-7: 1.5% of 19555 checklistsAug 8-14: 1.2% of 18744 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.9% of 18721 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.9% of 28763 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.5% of 23594 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.2% of 22581 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.2% of 23036 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.2% of 29687 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.1% of 24321 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.1% of 23946 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.1% of 22191 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.1% of 30161 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.1% of 21431 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.1% 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. Sussex CountyBest late June · 97 checklists that week, 2,371 in all46%
  2. Surry CountyBest the second week of July · 71 checklists that week, 2,669 in all41%
  3. Essex CountyBest late May · 87 checklists that week, 2,973 in all38%
  4. King and Queen CountyBest the second week of July · 46 checklists that week, 1,759 in all27%
  5. King William CountyBest early August · 28 checklists that week, 2,070 in all26%
  6. Westmoreland CountyBest the second week of June · 88 checklists that week, 4,451 in all26%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Machicomoco State ParkGloucester County, best early July · 27 checklists that week, 1,272 in all84%
  2. Rappahannock River Valley National Wildlife RefugeEssex County, best late May · 22 checklists that week, 470 in all83%
  3. Hog Island Wildlife Management AreaSurry County, best late June · 26 checklists that week, 849 in all74%
  4. Magothy Bay State Natural Area PreserveNorthampton County, best mid May · 21 checklists that week, 855 in all67%
  5. Rappahannock River Valley National Wildlife Refuge (north)Richmond County, best late May · 26 checklists that week, 451 in all64%
  6. Powhatan State ParkPowhatan County, best the second week of August · 24 checklists that week, 1,115 in all63%

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

Best time of day

In Virginia, the Northern Bobwhite is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (1.1% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%2%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: 1.7% of 64788 checklists7 am: 0.8% of 169128 checklists8 am: 0.7% of 180748 checklists9 am: 0.6% of 153462 checklists10 am: 0.6% of 128966 checklists11 am: 0.5% of 104204 checklists12 pm: 0.4% of 91604 checklists1 pm: 0.4% of 85547 checklists2 pm: 0.4% of 82355 checklists3 pm: 0.5% of 82265 checklists4 pm: 0.4% of 76714 checklists5 pm: 0.6% of 56782 checklists6 pm: 1.0% 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%0.2%0.5%0.6%
May0.9%1.1%1.6%2.1%
June2.4%2.7%2.7%2.9%
July2.7%2.4%1.9%1.6%
August1.5%1.2%0.9%0.9%
September0.5%0.2%0.2%0.2%
October0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
November0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
December0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%

Neighboring states

  • Delaware: arrives mid May, 1 week later than Virginia
  • North Carolina: arrives early May, 1 week earlier than Virginia
  • South Carolina: arrives late April, 2 weeks earlier than Virginia
  • Kentucky: arrives mid April, 3 weeks earlier than Virginia

Common questions

When do Northern Bobwhites arrive in Virginia?
Northern Bobwhites arrive in Virginia in the second week of May, peak in mid June (2.8% of checklists), and most are gone by mid August.
When do Northern Bobwhites leave Virginia?
Most Northern Bobwhites have left Virginia by mid August, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Northern Bobwhite in Virginia?
The Northern Bobwhite is reported most often in mid June, on about 2.8% of Virginia checklists.
Where in Virginia are Northern Bobwhites seen most often?
By county, Sussex County, Surry County, and Essex County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Northern Bobwhite (counties with at least 200 checklists).