WhenToBird

Pandion haliaetus · Pandionidae

When Do Ospreys Arrive in Washington?

Adult female Osprey
Photo: Bill Levine, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Ospreys reach Washington in late March, are common by the second week of April, peak in mid August (17% of checklists), and most are gone by mid September.

When to look

First arrivalsMar 22-31late March
Common byApr 8-14the second week of April
PeakAug 15-21mid August
Most gone bySep 15-21mid September

Best: mid August. First arrivals late March; most are gone by mid September. Peak: on about 17% of Washington checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marrare
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novnot usually seen
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%5%10%15%20%Jan 1-7: 0.1% of 41928 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.1% of 31152 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.1% of 31753 checklistsJan 22-31: 0% of 42530 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.1% of 29739 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0% of 32746 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.1% of 40328 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.1% of 28432 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.1% of 30758 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.1% of 29368 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.1% of 32580 checklistsMar 22-31: 1.3% of 45614 checklistsApr 1-7: 4.8% of 33997 checklistsApr 8-14: 9.2% of 34729 checklistsApr 15-21: 12% of 38474 checklistsApr 22-30: 13% of 52185 checklistsMay 1-7: 12% of 44236 checklistsMay 8-14: 12% of 48708 checklistsMay 15-21: 12% of 41742 checklistsMay 22-31: 12% of 57082 checklistsJun 1-7: 12% of 39193 checklistsJun 8-14: 12% of 36042 checklistsJun 15-21: 13% of 34003 checklistsJun 22-30: 13% of 39711 checklistsJul 1-7: 14% of 31949 checklistsJul 8-14: 15% of 29086 checklistsJul 15-21: 15% of 28045 checklistsJul 22-31: 15% of 38275 checklistsAug 1-7: 16% of 28846 checklistsAug 8-14: 16% of 28036 checklistsAug 15-21: 17% of 27614 checklistsAug 22-31: 17% of 40356 checklistsSep 1-7: 16% of 31214 checklistsSep 8-14: 14% of 27795 checklistsSep 15-21: 9.7% of 29677 checklistsSep 22-30: 5.5% of 35241 checklistsOct 1-7: 2.9% of 28605 checklistsOct 8-14: 1.5% of 28655 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.8% of 24643 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.5% of 34874 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.3% of 25658 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.2% of 25700 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.1% of 24331 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.1% of 32784 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.1% of 24099 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.1% of 23339 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.1% of 27666 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.1% of 42130 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 Washington 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 Washington

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Wahkiakum CountyBest the second week of August · 88 checklists that week, 5,618 in all56%
  2. Asotin CountyBest early September · 54 checklists that week, 4,316 in all47%
  3. Cowlitz CountyBest the second week of August · 279 checklists that week, 15,273 in all36%
  4. Skamania CountyBest mid April · 200 checklists that week, 10,140 in all35%
  5. Franklin CountyBest early September · 179 checklists that week, 7,970 in all31%
  6. Chelan CountyBest the second week of August · 761 checklists that week, 45,099 in all30%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Nelson (Kalama River)Cowlitz County, best late July · 20 checklists that week, 660 in all100%
  2. Frenchman's Bar Regional ParkClark County, best early May · 40 checklists that week, 982 in all100%
  3. Hamilton IslandSkamania County, best mid August · 20 checklists that week, 794 in all100%
  4. North / South View ParkSnohomish County, best late July · 20 checklists that week, 649 in all100%
  5. Jetty Island Nature PreserveSnohomish County, best the second week of August · 49 checklists that week, 356 in all97%

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

Best time of day

In Washington, the Osprey is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (11% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%12 am: too few checklists (796) to judge1 am: too few checklists (776) to judge2 am: too few checklists (709) to judge3 am: too few checklists (901) to judge4 am: too few checklists (3221) to judge5 am: too few checklists (16576) to judge6 am: 15% of 56744 checklists7 am: 9.2% of 133294 checklists8 am: 7.4% of 184196 checklists9 am: 7.0% of 186303 checklists10 am: 6.7% of 177063 checklists11 am: 6.0% of 154936 checklists12 pm: 5.4% of 138061 checklists1 pm: 5.4% of 127449 checklists2 pm: 5.2% of 121511 checklists3 pm: 5.5% of 107793 checklists4 pm: 6.5% of 82862 checklists5 pm: 7.7% of 57183 checklists6 pm: 8.1% of 39886 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (26969) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (12427) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (3658) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1500) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (834) 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%
February0.1%0%0.1%0.1%
March0.1%0.1%0.1%1.3%
April4.8%9.2%12%13%
May12%12%12%12%
June12%12%13%13%
July14%15%15%15%
August16%16%17%17%
September16%14%9.7%5.5%
October2.9%1.5%0.8%0.5%
November0.3%0.2%0.1%0.1%
December0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%

Neighboring states

  • Oregon: arrives mid March, 1 week earlier than Washington
  • Idaho: arrives mid March, 1 week earlier than Washington
  • Montana: arrives late March, in the same week than Washington
  • Nevada: arrives the second week of July, 14 weeks later than Washington

Common questions

When do Ospreys arrive in Washington?
Ospreys reach Washington in late March, are common by the second week of April, peak in mid August (17% of checklists), and most are gone by mid September.
When do Ospreys leave Washington?
Most Ospreys have left Washington by mid September, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until the second week of October.
When is the best time to see a Osprey in Washington?
The Osprey is reported most often in mid August, on about 17% of Washington checklists.
Where in Washington are Ospreys seen most often?
By county, Wahkiakum County, Asotin County, and Cowlitz County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Osprey (counties with at least 200 checklists).