WhenToBird

Haemorhous purpureus · Fringillidae

When Do Purple Finches Arrive in Vermont?

Adult Purple Finch
Photo: Dani Alba, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Purple Finches are in Vermont all year, but most are here in summer: numbers build from the second week of April, peak in late April (12% of checklists), and fall back by the second week of August. In the quietest week (late November) they are still on about 2.1% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildApr 8-14the second week of April
PeakApr 22-30late April
Fall back byAug 8-14the second week of August
FewestNov 22-30late November

Best: late April. Here all year; numbers build from the second week of April and fall back by the second week of August. Peak: on about 12% of Vermont checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 2.9% of 12234 checklistsJan 8-14: 3.1% of 8293 checklistsJan 15-21: 4.2% of 7885 checklistsJan 22-31: 5.1% of 10534 checklistsFeb 1-7: 5.2% of 7212 checklistsFeb 8-14: 5.6% of 8144 checklistsFeb 15-21: 6.8% of 10480 checklistsFeb 22-28: 6.0% of 7932 checklistsMar 1-7: 6.1% of 8192 checklistsMar 8-14: 5.7% of 9383 checklistsMar 15-21: 5.0% of 10620 checklistsMar 22-31: 6.0% of 16257 checklistsApr 1-7: 6.0% of 12568 checklistsApr 8-14: 7.7% of 14677 checklistsApr 15-21: 12% of 14106 checklistsApr 22-30: 12% of 19617 checklistsMay 1-7: 12% of 18143 checklistsMay 8-14: 11% of 19626 checklistsMay 15-21: 10% of 17779 checklistsMay 22-31: 9.1% of 20310 checklistsJun 1-7: 9.4% of 11493 checklistsJun 8-14: 10% of 10215 checklistsJun 15-21: 12% of 9951 checklistsJun 22-30: 12% of 11050 checklistsJul 1-7: 10% of 8690 checklistsJul 8-14: 9.7% of 7679 checklistsJul 15-21: 8.6% of 7687 checklistsJul 22-31: 7.9% of 10712 checklistsAug 1-7: 8.1% of 7703 checklistsAug 8-14: 7.0% of 7743 checklistsAug 15-21: 7.0% of 8314 checklistsAug 22-31: 5.4% of 12428 checklistsSep 1-7: 4.7% of 9526 checklistsSep 8-14: 4.7% of 8493 checklistsSep 15-21: 4.7% of 8283 checklistsSep 22-30: 6.1% of 10352 checklistsOct 1-7: 7.8% of 8802 checklistsOct 8-14: 7.4% of 9088 checklistsOct 15-21: 7.7% of 7739 checklistsOct 22-31: 5.8% of 10907 checklistsNov 1-7: 3.2% of 7868 checklistsNov 8-14: 2.6% of 7223 checklistsNov 15-21: 2.0% of 7224 checklistsNov 22-30: 2.2% of 8375 checklistsDec 1-7: 2.1% of 6580 checklistsDec 8-14: 2.4% of 6800 checklistsDec 15-21: 2.1% of 8334 checklistsDec 22-31: 2.8% 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. Orleans CountyBest mid June · 284 checklists that week, 11,785 in all29%
  2. Caledonia CountyBest early May · 343 checklists that week, 10,534 in all28%
  3. Essex CountyBest the second week of May · 244 checklists that week, 9,416 in all28%
  4. Washington CountyBest early May · 1289 checklists that week, 37,036 in all19%
  5. Windsor CountyBest late June · 1516 checklists that week, 73,702 in all19%
  6. Orange CountyBest late April · 662 checklists that week, 16,964 in all19%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Lefferts PondRutland County, best late June · 21 checklists that week, 371 in all70%
  2. Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife RefugeEssex County, best late May · 48 checklists that week, 462 in all42%
  3. Barre City ForestOrange County, best late May · 26 checklists that week, 585 in all42%
  4. Hinesburg Town ForestChittenden County, best late April · 23 checklists that week, 482 in all39%
  5. Wenlock Wildlife Management AreaEssex County, best early May · 72 checklists that week, 3,032 in all39%

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

Best time of day

In Vermont, the Purple Finch is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (12% 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: 9.3% of 10340 checklists6 am: 12% of 30951 checklists7 am: 12% of 64150 checklists8 am: 11% of 70252 checklists9 am: 7.5% of 55280 checklists10 am: 5.2% of 47111 checklists11 am: 4.6% of 37615 checklists12 pm: 4.1% of 32195 checklists1 pm: 4.0% of 30185 checklists2 pm: 3.6% of 29679 checklists3 pm: 3.4% of 26483 checklists4 pm: 4.1% of 20110 checklists5 pm: 4.2% of 15993 checklists6 pm: 4.5% 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
January2.9%3.1%4.2%5.1%
February5.2%5.6%6.8%6.0%
March6.1%5.7%5.0%6.0%
April6.0%7.7%12%12%
May12%11%10%9.1%
June9.4%10%12%12%
July10%9.7%8.6%7.9%
August8.1%7.0%7.0%5.4%
September4.7%4.7%4.7%6.1%
October7.8%7.4%7.7%5.8%
November3.2%2.6%2.0%2.2%
December2.1%2.4%2.1%2.8%

Neighboring states

  • New Hampshire: arrives mid January, 11 weeks earlier than Vermont
  • Massachusetts: arrives early September, 19 weeks later than Vermont
  • Connecticut: arrives late March, 2 weeks earlier than Vermont
  • Rhode Island: arrives the second week of September, 20 weeks later than Vermont

Common questions

When do Purple Finches arrive in Vermont?
Purple Finches are in Vermont all year, but most are here in summer: numbers build from the second week of April, peak in late April (12% of checklists), and fall back by the second week of August. In the quietest week (late November) they are still on about 2.1% of checklists.
When do Purple Finches leave Vermont?
Purple Finches never fully leave Vermont: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by the second week of August, but some are still reported in every week, about 2.1% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Purple Finch in Vermont?
The Purple Finch is reported most often in late April, on about 12% of Vermont checklists.
Where in Vermont are Purple Finches seen most often?
By county, Orleans County, Caledonia County, and Essex County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Purple Finch (counties with at least 200 checklists).