WhenToBird

Circus hudsonius · Accipitridae

When Do Northern Harriers Arrive in Virginia?

Northern Harriers are winter birds in Virginia: the first arrive in the second week of September, they are common by mid September, peak in mid November (4.3% of checklists), and most are gone by early April.

When to look

First arrivalsSep 8-14the second week of September
Common bySep 15-21mid September
PeakNov 15-21mid November
Most gone byApr 1-7early April

Best: mid November. First arrivals the second week of September; most are gone by early April. Peak: on about 4.3% of Virginia checklists.

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

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

0%2%4%6%Jan 1-7: 3.5% of 32817 checklistsJan 8-14: 3.8% of 25111 checklistsJan 15-21: 3.3% of 25510 checklistsJan 22-31: 3.0% of 34492 checklistsFeb 1-7: 3.2% of 24950 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.9% of 28224 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.8% of 43578 checklistsFeb 22-28: 2.2% of 26467 checklistsMar 1-7: 2.1% of 25851 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.8% of 25901 checklistsMar 15-21: 1.9% of 26747 checklistsMar 22-31: 1.7% of 40819 checklistsApr 1-7: 1.5% of 31351 checklistsApr 8-14: 1.2% of 33239 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.7% of 37284 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.6% of 54364 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.4% of 47698 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.3% of 46174 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.2% of 36444 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 43203 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 28503 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 25485 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.1% of 23728 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.1% of 28785 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.1% of 22294 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.1% of 20481 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.1% of 18914 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.1% of 26976 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.1% of 19555 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.1% of 18744 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.2% of 18721 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.4% of 28763 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.7% of 23594 checklistsSep 8-14: 1.1% of 22581 checklistsSep 15-21: 1.7% of 23036 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.9% of 29687 checklistsOct 1-7: 2.5% of 24321 checklistsOct 8-14: 2.3% of 23946 checklistsOct 15-21: 3.2% of 22191 checklistsOct 22-31: 3.6% of 30161 checklistsNov 1-7: 3.4% of 21431 checklistsNov 8-14: 5.4% of 22758 checklistsNov 15-21: 3.8% of 19988 checklistsNov 22-30: 3.8% of 27665 checklistsDec 1-7: 3.5% of 19324 checklistsDec 8-14: 3.5% of 20316 checklistsDec 15-21: 3.4% of 25675 checklistsDec 22-31: 3.4% 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. Poquoson CountyBest mid January · 59 checklists that week, 2,669 in all46%
  2. Staunton CountyBest late November · 93 checklists that week, 4,717 in all38%
  3. Charles CityBest early November · 28 checklists that week, 2,357 in all24%
  4. King William CountyBest the second week of November · 20 checklists that week, 2,070 in all23%
  5. Louisa CountyBest the second week of January · 91 checklists that week, 5,590 in all22%
  6. Northampton CountyBest late October · 1005 checklists that week, 27,227 in all19%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Back CovePoquoson County, best mid January · 31 checklists that week, 1,001 in all71%
  2. Belvoir Farm LakeFauquier County, best mid November · 33 checklists that week, 709 in all65%

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

Best time of day

In Virginia, the Northern Harrier is most often listed on checklists started between 3 and 5 pm (2.1% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%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: 1.1% of 64788 checklists7 am: 1.5% of 169128 checklists8 am: 1.6% of 180748 checklists9 am: 1.8% of 153462 checklists10 am: 1.9% of 128966 checklists11 am: 1.8% of 104204 checklists12 pm: 1.8% of 91604 checklists1 pm: 2.0% of 85547 checklists2 pm: 1.9% of 82355 checklists3 pm: 2.1% of 82265 checklists4 pm: 2.1% of 76714 checklists5 pm: 1.4% of 56782 checklists6 pm: 0.6% 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
January3.5%3.8%3.3%3.0%
February3.2%1.9%1.8%2.2%
March2.1%1.8%1.9%1.7%
April1.5%1.2%0.7%0.6%
May0.4%0.3%0.2%0.1%
June0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
July0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
August0.1%0.1%0.2%0.4%
September0.7%1.1%1.7%1.9%
October2.5%2.3%3.2%3.6%
November3.4%5.4%3.8%3.8%
December3.5%3.5%3.4%3.4%

Neighboring states

  • Maryland: arrives the second week of September, in the same week than Virginia
  • West Virginia: arrives mid September, 1 week later than Virginia
  • Delaware: arrives mid August, 3 weeks earlier than Virginia
  • North Carolina: arrives late September, 2 weeks later than Virginia

Common questions

When do Northern Harriers arrive in Virginia?
Northern Harriers are winter birds in Virginia: the first arrive in the second week of September, they are common by mid September, peak in mid November (4.3% of checklists), and most are gone by early April.
When do Northern Harriers leave Virginia?
Most Northern Harriers have left Virginia by early April, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until the second week of April.
When is the best time to see a Northern Harrier in Virginia?
The Northern Harrier is reported most often in mid November, on about 4.3% of Virginia checklists.
Where in Virginia are Northern Harriers seen most often?
By county, Poquoson County, Staunton County, and Charles City have the highest peak reporting rates for the Northern Harrier (counties with at least 200 checklists).