WhenToBird

Colaptes auratus · Picidae

When Do Northern Flickers Arrive in Vermont?

Adult male Northern Flicker
Photo: Ben, CC0 1.0 via iNaturalist

Northern Flickers reach Vermont in early March, are common by early April, peak in late April (25% of checklists), and most are gone by mid October.

When to look

First arrivalsMar 1-7early March
Common byApr 1-7early April
PeakApr 22-30late April
Most gone byOct 15-21mid October

Best: late April. First arrivals early March; most are gone by mid October. Peak: on about 25% of Vermont checklists.

  1. Janrare
  2. Febrare
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novrare
  12. Decrare

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

0%10%20%30%Jan 1-7: 1.2% of 12234 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.6% of 8293 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.4% of 7885 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.7% of 10534 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.3% of 7212 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.5% of 8144 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.9% of 10480 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.5% of 7932 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.5% of 8192 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.7% of 9383 checklistsMar 15-21: 2.2% of 10620 checklistsMar 22-31: 3.3% of 16257 checklistsApr 1-7: 5.9% of 12568 checklistsApr 8-14: 14% of 14677 checklistsApr 15-21: 22% of 14106 checklistsApr 22-30: 26% of 19617 checklistsMay 1-7: 26% of 18143 checklistsMay 8-14: 20% of 19626 checklistsMay 15-21: 17% of 17779 checklistsMay 22-31: 13% of 20310 checklistsJun 1-7: 12% of 11493 checklistsJun 8-14: 12% of 10215 checklistsJun 15-21: 12% of 9951 checklistsJun 22-30: 13% of 11050 checklistsJul 1-7: 12% of 8690 checklistsJul 8-14: 13% of 7679 checklistsJul 15-21: 13% of 7687 checklistsJul 22-31: 13% of 10712 checklistsAug 1-7: 13% of 7703 checklistsAug 8-14: 12% of 7743 checklistsAug 15-21: 11% of 8314 checklistsAug 22-31: 12% of 12428 checklistsSep 1-7: 16% of 9526 checklistsSep 8-14: 21% of 8493 checklistsSep 15-21: 25% of 8283 checklistsSep 22-30: 24% of 10352 checklistsOct 1-7: 17% of 8802 checklistsOct 8-14: 11% of 9088 checklistsOct 15-21: 7.2% of 7739 checklistsOct 22-31: 4.8% of 10907 checklistsNov 1-7: 3.0% of 7868 checklistsNov 8-14: 2.9% of 7223 checklistsNov 15-21: 2.0% of 7224 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.9% of 8375 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.8% of 6580 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.9% of 6800 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.6% of 8334 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.4% of 10579 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 Vermont 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 Vermont

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Essex CountyBest the second week of September · 197 checklists that week, 9,416 in all40%
  2. Rutland CountyBest mid September · 651 checklists that week, 46,909 in all33%
  3. Bennington CountyBest mid September · 342 checklists that week, 21,621 in all31%
  4. Franklin CountyBest late April · 1001 checklists that week, 25,284 in all30%
  5. Windham CountyBest late April · 1728 checklists that week, 39,105 in all29%
  6. Orange CountyBest late September · 319 checklists that week, 16,964 in all28%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Herricks CoveWindham County, best late April · 194 checklists that week, 2,108 in all73%
  2. Bomoseen State ParkRutland County, best late September · 26 checklists that week, 685 in all71%
  3. Roundys CoveWindham County, best early May · 20 checklists that week, 331 in all71%
  4. Camels Hump State ForestChittenden County, best the second week of May · 22 checklists that week, 299 in all65%
  5. Little Otter Creek Wildlife Management AreaAddison County, best early May · 35 checklists that week, 640 in all65%
  6. Otter Creek SwampsAddison County, best late April · 35 checklists that week, 254 in all63%

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

Best time of day

In Vermont, the Northern Flicker is most often listed on checklists started between 5 and 7 am (19% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%20%12 am: too few checklists (384) to judge1 am: too few checklists (418) to judge2 am: too few checklists (568) to judge3 am: too few checklists (1183) to judge4 am: too few checklists (3460) to judge5 am: 15% of 10340 checklists6 am: 20% of 30951 checklists7 am: 16% of 64150 checklists8 am: 13% of 70252 checklists9 am: 12% of 55280 checklists10 am: 9.6% of 47111 checklists11 am: 7.8% of 37615 checklists12 pm: 6.9% of 32195 checklists1 pm: 7.1% of 30185 checklists2 pm: 6.7% of 29679 checklists3 pm: 7.1% of 26483 checklists4 pm: 8.6% of 20110 checklists5 pm: 9.6% of 15993 checklists6 pm: 8.6% of 12110 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (8203) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (4425) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1829) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (597) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (309) 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
January1.2%1.6%1.4%1.7%
February1.3%1.5%0.9%1.5%
March1.5%1.7%2.2%3.3%
April5.9%14%22%26%
May26%20%17%13%
June12%12%12%13%
July12%13%13%13%
August13%12%11%12%
September16%21%25%24%
October17%11%7.2%4.8%
November3.0%2.9%2.0%1.9%
December1.8%1.9%1.6%1.4%

Neighboring states

  • New Hampshire: arrives mid March, 2 weeks later than Vermont
  • Massachusetts: arrives early April, 4 weeks later than Vermont
  • Connecticut: arrives early September, 24 weeks earlier than Vermont
  • Rhode Island: arrives mid September, 22 weeks earlier than Vermont

Common questions

When do Northern Flickers arrive in Vermont?
Northern Flickers reach Vermont in early March, are common by early April, peak in late April (25% of checklists), and most are gone by mid October.
When do Northern Flickers leave Vermont?
Most Northern Flickers have left Vermont by mid October, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until early February.
When is the best time to see a Northern Flicker in Vermont?
The Northern Flicker is reported most often in late April, on about 25% of Vermont checklists.
Where in Vermont are Northern Flickers seen most often?
By county, Essex County, Rutland County, and Bennington County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Northern Flicker (counties with at least 200 checklists).