WhenToBird

Circus hudsonius · Accipitridae

When Do Northern Harriers Arrive in West Virginia?

Northern Harriers are winter birds in West Virginia: they arrive in mid September, peak in the second week of December (2.0% of checklists), and most are gone by late February.

When to look

First arrivalsSep 15-21mid September
Common bySep 15-21mid September
PeakDec 8-14the second week of December
Most gone byFeb 22-28late February

Best: the second week of December. First arrivals mid September; most are gone by late February. Peak: on about 2.0% of West Virginia checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Mayrare
  6. Junrare
  7. Julrare
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%1%2%3%Jan 1-7: 1.7% of 4227 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.9% of 3147 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.7% of 3410 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.8% of 4248 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.8% of 3150 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.3% of 3653 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.1% of 5140 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.6% of 3846 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.6% of 3901 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.8% of 3820 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.6% of 3781 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.4% of 5705 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.3% of 4529 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.5% of 4935 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.3% of 5429 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.3% of 8015 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.3% of 7421 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.2% of 6910 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 5596 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.3% of 6884 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.2% of 4123 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.3% of 3957 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.3% of 3863 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.1% of 4217 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.3% of 3491 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.3% of 3044 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.1% of 3095 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.2% of 4120 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.3% of 3009 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.2% of 3007 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.3% of 2905 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.4% of 4312 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.5% of 3429 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.5% of 3217 checklistsSep 15-21: 1.3% of 3285 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.3% of 4067 checklistsOct 1-7: 1.9% of 3380 checklistsOct 8-14: 1.7% of 3460 checklistsOct 15-21: 1.9% of 3129 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.8% of 3881 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.5% of 3084 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.3% of 2869 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.7% of 2484 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.4% of 3663 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.7% of 2574 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.5% of 2680 checklistsDec 15-21: 2.5% of 3792 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.5% of 4236 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 West 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 West Virginia

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Mason CountyBest mid January · 56 checklists that week, 2,835 in all24%
  2. Pocahontas CountyBest the second week of October · 125 checklists that week, 6,124 in all14%
  3. Monroe CountyBest mid October · 32 checklists that week, 1,298 in all13%
  4. Hancock CountyBest late November · 11 checklists that week, 283 in all12%
  5. Grant CountyBest early January · 40 checklists that week, 3,867 in all11%
  6. Brooke CountyBest late December · 18 checklists that week, 594 in all11%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge (Yoakum Run)Tucker County, best the second week of June · 22 checklists that week, 351 in all15%
  2. Dolly Sods Scenic AreaGrant County, best late September · 28 checklists that week, 194 in all12%
  3. New HillMonongalia County, best mid March · 20 checklists that week, 666 in all11%
  4. Dillan CreekPreston County, best late December · 36 checklists that week, 487 in all11%

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

Best time of day

In West Virginia, the Northern Harrier is most often listed on checklists started between 1 and 3 pm (1.1% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%12 am: too few checklists (65) to judge1 am: too few checklists (47) to judge2 am: too few checklists (46) to judge3 am: too few checklists (49) to judge4 am: too few checklists (140) to judge5 am: too few checklists (952) to judge6 am: 0.4% of 5860 checklists7 am: 0.5% of 18233 checklists8 am: 0.7% of 24468 checklists9 am: 0.9% of 22542 checklists10 am: 1.0% of 19537 checklists11 am: 1.1% of 16362 checklists12 pm: 1.0% of 14819 checklists1 pm: 1.1% of 12772 checklists2 pm: 1.0% of 11765 checklists3 pm: 0.9% of 12579 checklists4 pm: 1.0% of 11463 checklists5 pm: 0.7% of 9409 checklists6 pm: 0.5% of 6557 checklists7 pm: 0.1% of 4256 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (1589) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (377) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (147) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (86) 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
January1.7%1.9%1.7%1.8%
February1.8%1.3%1.1%0.6%
March0.6%0.8%0.6%0.4%
April0.3%0.5%0.3%0.3%
May0.3%0.2%0.1%0.3%
June0.2%0.3%0.3%0.1%
July0.3%0.3%0.1%0.2%
August0.3%0.2%0.3%0.4%
September0.5%0.5%1.3%1.3%
October1.9%1.7%1.9%1.8%
November1.5%1.3%1.7%1.4%
December1.7%1.5%2.5%1.5%

Neighboring states

  • Virginia: arrives the second week of September, 1 week earlier than West Virginia
  • Maryland: arrives the second week of September, 1 week earlier than West Virginia
  • Ohio: arrives mid September, in the same week than West Virginia
  • Pennsylvania: arrives the second week of September, 1 week earlier than West Virginia

Common questions

When do Northern Harriers arrive in West Virginia?
Northern Harriers are winter birds in West Virginia: they arrive in mid September, peak in the second week of December (2.0% of checklists), and most are gone by late February.
When do Northern Harriers leave West Virginia?
Most Northern Harriers have left West Virginia by late February, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Northern Harrier in West Virginia?
The Northern Harrier is reported most often in the second week of December, on about 2.0% of West Virginia checklists.
Where in West Virginia are Northern Harriers seen most often?
By county, Mason County, Pocahontas County, and Monroe County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Northern Harrier (counties with at least 200 checklists).