WhenToBird

Dryocopus pileatus · Picidae

When Do Pileated Woodpeckers Arrive in Vermont?

Adult male Pileated Woodpecker
Photo: Marcel_Pepin, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Pileated Woodpeckers are in Vermont all year, but most are here in fall: numbers build from early September, peak in mid September (13% of checklists), and fall back by mid October. In the quietest week (mid July) they are still on about 4.8% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildSep 1-7early September
PeakSep 15-21mid September
Fall back byOct 15-21mid October
FewestJul 15-21mid July

Best: mid September. Here all year; numbers build from early September and fall back by mid October. Peak: on about 13% of Vermont checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 6.3% of 12234 checklistsJan 8-14: 5.9% of 8293 checklistsJan 15-21: 5.7% of 7885 checklistsJan 22-31: 6.4% of 10534 checklistsFeb 1-7: 5.9% of 7212 checklistsFeb 8-14: 5.8% of 8144 checklistsFeb 15-21: 5.5% of 10480 checklistsFeb 22-28: 6.0% of 7932 checklistsMar 1-7: 6.1% of 8192 checklistsMar 8-14: 6.5% of 9383 checklistsMar 15-21: 6.4% of 10620 checklistsMar 22-31: 6.7% of 16257 checklistsApr 1-7: 7.9% of 12568 checklistsApr 8-14: 9.4% of 14677 checklistsApr 15-21: 9.5% of 14106 checklistsApr 22-30: 11% of 19617 checklistsMay 1-7: 13% of 18143 checklistsMay 8-14: 12% of 19626 checklistsMay 15-21: 11% of 17779 checklistsMay 22-31: 9.6% of 20310 checklistsJun 1-7: 9.0% of 11493 checklistsJun 8-14: 8.4% of 10215 checklistsJun 15-21: 7.7% of 9951 checklistsJun 22-30: 6.9% of 11050 checklistsJul 1-7: 6.1% of 8690 checklistsJul 8-14: 5.0% of 7679 checklistsJul 15-21: 4.6% of 7687 checklistsJul 22-31: 4.7% of 10712 checklistsAug 1-7: 5.8% of 7703 checklistsAug 8-14: 5.8% of 7743 checklistsAug 15-21: 6.6% of 8314 checklistsAug 22-31: 8.6% of 12428 checklistsSep 1-7: 11% of 9526 checklistsSep 8-14: 13% of 8493 checklistsSep 15-21: 13% of 8283 checklistsSep 22-30: 14% of 10352 checklistsOct 1-7: 11% of 8802 checklistsOct 8-14: 10% of 9088 checklistsOct 15-21: 8.8% of 7739 checklistsOct 22-31: 8.5% of 10907 checklistsNov 1-7: 7.5% of 7868 checklistsNov 8-14: 7.9% of 7223 checklistsNov 15-21: 7.0% of 7224 checklistsNov 22-30: 8.1% of 8375 checklistsDec 1-7: 6.9% of 6580 checklistsDec 8-14: 7.3% of 6800 checklistsDec 15-21: 6.7% of 8334 checklistsDec 22-31: 6.8% 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 all20%
  2. Rutland CountyBest mid September · 651 checklists that week, 46,909 in all20%
  3. Chittenden CountyBest the second week of May · 4738 checklists that week, 109,477 in all16%
  4. Grand Isle CountyBest the second week of May · 246 checklists that week, 8,507 in all15%
  5. Windsor CountyBest mid September · 1167 checklists that week, 73,702 in all14%
  6. Washington CountyBest mid September · 528 checklists that week, 37,036 in all14%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Laplatte Headwaters Town ForestChittenden County, best late September · 26 checklists that week, 722 in all70%
  2. Red Rocks ParkChittenden County, best mid April · 46 checklists that week, 843 in all53%
  3. Bomoseen State ParkRutland County, best late September · 26 checklists that week, 685 in all52%
  4. Derway IslandChittenden County, best early April · 29 checklists that week, 278 in all51%
  5. Colchester PondChittenden County, best mid December · 34 checklists that week, 3,341 in all50%
  6. Camels Hump State ForestChittenden County, best the second week of May · 22 checklists that week, 299 in all50%

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

Best time of day

In Vermont, the Pileated Woodpecker is most often listed on checklists started between 5 and 7 am (14% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%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: 13% of 10340 checklists6 am: 14% of 30951 checklists7 am: 11% of 64150 checklists8 am: 10% of 70252 checklists9 am: 8.7% of 55280 checklists10 am: 7.6% of 47111 checklists11 am: 6.2% of 37615 checklists12 pm: 5.8% of 32195 checklists1 pm: 6.4% of 30185 checklists2 pm: 6.7% of 29679 checklists3 pm: 6.4% of 26483 checklists4 pm: 6.2% of 20110 checklists5 pm: 6.8% of 15993 checklists6 pm: 6.6% 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
January6.3%5.9%5.7%6.4%
February5.9%5.8%5.5%6.0%
March6.1%6.5%6.4%6.7%
April7.9%9.4%9.5%11%
May13%12%11%9.6%
June9.0%8.4%7.7%6.9%
July6.1%5.0%4.6%4.7%
August5.8%5.8%6.6%8.6%
September11%13%13%14%
October11%10%8.8%8.5%
November7.5%7.9%7.0%8.1%
December6.9%7.3%6.7%6.8%

Neighboring states

  • New Hampshire: year-round, peaks early May
  • Massachusetts: arrives late March, 21 weeks earlier than Vermont
  • Connecticut: arrives the second week of April, 19 weeks earlier than Vermont
  • Rhode Island: arrives late January, 19 weeks later than Vermont

Common questions

When do Pileated Woodpeckers arrive in Vermont?
Pileated Woodpeckers are in Vermont all year, but most are here in fall: numbers build from early September, peak in mid September (13% of checklists), and fall back by mid October. In the quietest week (mid July) they are still on about 4.8% of checklists.
When do Pileated Woodpeckers leave Vermont?
Pileated Woodpeckers never fully leave Vermont: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by mid October, but some are still reported in every week, about 4.8% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Pileated Woodpecker in Vermont?
The Pileated Woodpecker is reported most often in mid September, on about 13% of Vermont checklists.
Where in Vermont are Pileated Woodpeckers seen most often?
By county, Essex County, Rutland County, and Chittenden County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Pileated Woodpecker (counties with at least 200 checklists).