WhenToBird

Haemorhous purpureus · Fringillidae

When Do Purple Finches Arrive in Virginia?

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

Purple Finches are winter birds in Virginia: they arrive in the second week of October, peak in early November (7.3% of checklists), and most are gone by mid April.

When to look

First arrivalsOct 8-14the second week of October
Common byOct 8-14the second week of October
PeakNov 1-7early November
Most gone byApr 15-21mid April

Best: early November. First arrivals the second week of October; most are gone by mid April. Peak: on about 7.3% of Virginia checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Mayrare
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Seprare
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%5%10%Jan 1-7: 3.7% of 32817 checklistsJan 8-14: 4.2% of 25111 checklistsJan 15-21: 3.9% of 25510 checklistsJan 22-31: 3.7% of 34492 checklistsFeb 1-7: 3.1% of 24950 checklistsFeb 8-14: 4.7% of 28224 checklistsFeb 15-21: 4.2% of 43578 checklistsFeb 22-28: 3.1% of 26467 checklistsMar 1-7: 3.1% of 25851 checklistsMar 8-14: 2.8% of 25901 checklistsMar 15-21: 3.0% of 26747 checklistsMar 22-31: 3.3% of 40819 checklistsApr 1-7: 4.3% of 31351 checklistsApr 8-14: 4.7% of 33239 checklistsApr 15-21: 3.3% of 37284 checklistsApr 22-30: 2.0% of 54364 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.6% of 47698 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.3% of 46174 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 36444 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 43203 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 28503 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 25485 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.1% of 23728 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.1% of 28785 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.1% of 22294 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.1% of 20481 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 18914 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 26976 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 19555 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 18744 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.1% of 18721 checklistsAug 22-31: 0% of 28763 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.1% of 23594 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.1% of 22581 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.3% of 23036 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.5% of 29687 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.9% of 24321 checklistsOct 8-14: 1.7% of 23946 checklistsOct 15-21: 4.5% of 22191 checklistsOct 22-31: 7.2% of 30161 checklistsNov 1-7: 8.4% of 21431 checklistsNov 8-14: 6.5% of 22758 checklistsNov 15-21: 6.0% of 19988 checklistsNov 22-30: 5.9% of 27665 checklistsDec 1-7: 5.8% of 19324 checklistsDec 8-14: 5.1% of 20316 checklistsDec 15-21: 4.2% of 25675 checklistsDec 22-31: 4.0% of 38677 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 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 Virginia

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Patrick CountyBest mid January · 35 checklists that week, 3,252 in all51%
  2. Shenandoah CountyBest early December · 105 checklists that week, 9,361 in all45%
  3. Buchanan CountyBest mid November · 22 checklists that week, 1,612 in all39%
  4. Harrisonburg CountyBest early November · 140 checklists that week, 8,395 in all35%
  5. Buckingham CountyBest early February · 49 checklists that week, 3,816 in all28%
  6. Grayson CountyBest the second week of November · 76 checklists that week, 5,247 in all27%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Bomberger FieldHarrisonburg County, best early March · 25 checklists that week, 568 in all47%
  2. Frys SpringCharlottesville County, best the second week of April · 22 checklists that week, 637 in all45%
  3. Ellanor C. Lawrence ParkFairfax County, best the second week of November · 20 checklists that week, 749 in all43%
  4. Ralph H. Dean Recreation ParkPage County, best late October · 22 checklists that week, 128 in all40%
  5. Warrenton ReservoirFauquier County, best the second week of April · 30 checklists that week, 545 in all39%

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

Best time of day

In Virginia, the Purple Finch is most often listed on checklists started between 7 and 9 am (3.8% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%4%12 am: too few checklists (485) to judge1 am: too few checklists (488) to judge2 am: too few checklists (423) to judge3 am: too few checklists (565) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1410) to judge5 am: too few checklists (10265) to judge6 am: 1.9% of 64788 checklists7 am: 3.7% of 169128 checklists8 am: 3.9% of 180748 checklists9 am: 3.1% of 153462 checklists10 am: 2.5% of 128966 checklists11 am: 2.2% of 104204 checklists12 pm: 2.1% of 91604 checklists1 pm: 2.1% of 85547 checklists2 pm: 2.0% of 82355 checklists3 pm: 1.8% of 82265 checklists4 pm: 1.4% of 76714 checklists5 pm: 0.9% of 56782 checklists6 pm: 0.5% of 40131 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (24290) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (7744) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2383) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1122) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (651) 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
January3.7%4.2%3.9%3.7%
February3.1%4.7%4.2%3.1%
March3.1%2.8%3.0%3.3%
April4.3%4.7%3.3%2.0%
May0.6%0.3%0.1%0.1%
June0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
July0.1%0.1%0%0%
August0%0%0.1%0%
September0.1%0.1%0.3%0.5%
October0.9%1.7%4.5%7.2%
November8.4%6.5%6.0%5.9%
December5.8%5.1%4.2%4.0%

Neighboring states

  • District of Columbia: arrives early October, 1 week earlier than Virginia
  • Maryland: arrives late September, 2 weeks earlier than Virginia
  • West Virginia: arrives mid September, 3 weeks earlier than Virginia
  • Delaware: arrives early October, 1 week earlier than Virginia

Common questions

When do Purple Finches arrive in Virginia?
Purple Finches are winter birds in Virginia: they arrive in the second week of October, peak in early November (7.3% of checklists), and most are gone by mid April.
When do Purple Finches leave Virginia?
Most Purple Finches have left Virginia by mid April, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until early May.
When is the best time to see a Purple Finch in Virginia?
The Purple Finch is reported most often in early November, on about 7.3% of Virginia checklists.
Where in Virginia are Purple Finches seen most often?
By county, Patrick County, Shenandoah County, and Buchanan County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Purple Finch (counties with at least 200 checklists).