WhenToBird

Parkesia noveboracensis · Parulidae

When Do Northern Waterthrushes Arrive in Wyoming?

Adult Northern Waterthrush
Photo: Luis G Restrepo, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Northern Waterthrushes mostly pass through Wyoming: they arrive in early May, peak in mid May (1.1% of checklists), and most are gone by early July.

When to look

First arrivalsMay 1-7early May
Common byMay 1-7early May
PeakMay 15-21mid May
Most gone byJul 1-7early July

Best: mid May. First arrivals early May; most are gone by early July. Peak: on about 1.1% of Wyoming checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marnot usually seen
  4. Aprrare
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Jununcommon
  7. Julrare
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octnot usually seen
  11. Novnot usually seen
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%0.5%1%1.5%2%Jan 1-7: 0% of 2543 checklistsJan 8-14: 0% of 2114 checklistsJan 15-21: 0% of 1984 checklistsJan 22-31: 0% of 2605 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0% of 1940 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0% of 1954 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0% of 2575 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0% of 1932 checklistsMar 1-7: 0% of 2486 checklistsMar 8-14: 0% of 2535 checklistsMar 15-21: 0% of 2726 checklistsMar 22-31: 0% of 4349 checklistsApr 1-7: 0% of 3300 checklistsApr 8-14: 0% of 3500 checklistsApr 15-21: 0% of 3701 checklistsApr 22-30: 0% of 5887 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.1% of 5341 checklistsMay 8-14: 1.4% of 6910 checklistsMay 15-21: 1.6% of 6884 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.6% of 10652 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.3% of 6807 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.3% of 6714 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.2% of 6708 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.2% of 8160 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.2% of 5755 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.1% of 5379 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.1% of 5299 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.1% of 6830 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.1% of 4581 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.3% of 4625 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.5% of 4466 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.7% of 6562 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.6% of 4543 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.3% of 4652 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.1% of 4186 checklistsSep 22-30: 0% of 5301 checklistsOct 1-7: 0% of 3248 checklistsOct 8-14: 0% of 3010 checklistsOct 15-21: 0% of 2624 checklistsOct 22-31: 0% of 3170 checklistsNov 1-7: 0% of 2110 checklistsNov 8-14: 0% of 2153 checklistsNov 15-21: 0% of 1971 checklistsNov 22-30: 0% of 2136 checklistsDec 1-7: 0% of 1646 checklistsDec 8-14: 0% of 1609 checklistsDec 15-21: 0% of 1954 checklistsDec 22-31: 0% of 2392 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 Wyoming 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 Wyoming

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Campbell CountyBest mid May · 123 checklists that week, 2,801 in all8.4%
  2. Laramie CountyBest mid May · 802 checklists that week, 15,593 in all2.8%
  3. Albany CountyBest mid May · 725 checklists that week, 21,857 in all2.1%
  4. Johnson CountyBest mid May · 216 checklists that week, 5,977 in all1.8%
  5. Goshen CountyBest early September · 56 checklists that week, 1,920 in all1.7%
  6. Weston CountyBest late August · 55 checklists that week, 2,297 in all1.5%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Mcmanamen ParkCampbell County, best mid May · 25 checklists that week, 626 in all25%
  2. Town of Lander ParkFremont County, best the second week of May · 48 checklists that week, 894 in all11%
  3. Grand Teton National Park (Spring Creek)Teton County, best early June · 32 checklists that week, 724 in all8.1%
  4. Camplex ParkCampbell County, best the second week of September · 29 checklists that week, 659 in all7.9%
  5. LaBonte ParkAlbany County, best mid May · 95 checklists that week, 1,107 in all7.2%

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

Best time of day

In Wyoming, the Northern Waterthrush is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (0.5% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%12 am: too few checklists (59) to judge1 am: too few checklists (76) to judge2 am: too few checklists (86) to judge3 am: too few checklists (79) to judge4 am: too few checklists (326) to judge5 am: too few checklists (2271) to judge6 am: 0.7% of 8808 checklists7 am: 0.5% of 18458 checklists8 am: 0.4% of 22143 checklists9 am: 0.3% of 21499 checklists10 am: 0.2% of 19425 checklists11 am: 0.1% of 16017 checklists12 pm: 0.1% of 13868 checklists1 pm: 0.1% of 12984 checklists2 pm: 0.2% of 12605 checklists3 pm: 0.1% of 11821 checklists4 pm: 0.1% of 10571 checklists5 pm: 0.2% of 8746 checklists6 pm: 0.2% of 6707 checklists7 pm: 0.1% of 4890 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (2323) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (554) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (134) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (59) 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%0%0%0%
February0%0%0%0%
March0%0%0%0%
April0%0%0%0%
May0.1%1.4%1.6%0.6%
June0.3%0.3%0.2%0.2%
July0.2%0.1%0.1%0.1%
August0.1%0.3%0.5%0.7%
September0.6%0.3%0.1%0%
October0%0%0%0%
November0%0%0%0%
December0%0%0%0%

Neighboring states

  • Colorado: arrives late April, 1 week earlier than Wyoming
  • Montana: arrives the second week of May, 1 week later than Wyoming
  • South Dakota: arrives late April, 1 week earlier than Wyoming
  • North Dakota: arrives late April, 1 week earlier than Wyoming

Common questions

When do Northern Waterthrushes arrive in Wyoming?
Northern Waterthrushes mostly pass through Wyoming: they arrive in early May, peak in mid May (1.1% of checklists), and most are gone by early July.
When do Northern Waterthrushes leave Wyoming?
Most Northern Waterthrushes have left Wyoming by early July, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Northern Waterthrush in Wyoming?
The Northern Waterthrush is reported most often in mid May, on about 1.1% of Wyoming checklists.
Where in Wyoming are Northern Waterthrushes seen most often?
By county, Campbell County, Laramie County, and Albany County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Northern Waterthrush (counties with at least 200 checklists).