WhenToBird

Haemorhous purpureus · Fringillidae

When Do Purple Finches Arrive in Washington?

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

Purple Finches are in Washington all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from early April, peak in late April (18% of checklists), and fall back by the second week of July. In the quietest week (the second week of November) they are still on about 3.1% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildApr 1-7early April
PeakApr 22-30late April
Fall back byJul 8-14the second week of July
FewestNov 8-14the second week of November

Best: late April. Here all year; numbers build from early April and fall back by the second week of July. Peak: on about 18% of Washington checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%5%10%15%20%Jan 1-7: 3.1% of 41928 checklistsJan 8-14: 3.6% of 31152 checklistsJan 15-21: 3.2% of 31753 checklistsJan 22-31: 3.1% of 42530 checklistsFeb 1-7: 3.1% of 29739 checklistsFeb 8-14: 3.5% of 32746 checklistsFeb 15-21: 3.2% of 40328 checklistsFeb 22-28: 3.5% of 28432 checklistsMar 1-7: 4.1% of 30758 checklistsMar 8-14: 5.1% of 29368 checklistsMar 15-21: 7.2% of 32580 checklistsMar 22-31: 9.1% of 45614 checklistsApr 1-7: 12% of 33997 checklistsApr 8-14: 15% of 34729 checklistsApr 15-21: 17% of 38474 checklistsApr 22-30: 19% of 52185 checklistsMay 1-7: 18% of 44236 checklistsMay 8-14: 16% of 48708 checklistsMay 15-21: 16% of 41742 checklistsMay 22-31: 15% of 57082 checklistsJun 1-7: 14% of 39193 checklistsJun 8-14: 15% of 36042 checklistsJun 15-21: 16% of 34003 checklistsJun 22-30: 16% of 39711 checklistsJul 1-7: 15% of 31949 checklistsJul 8-14: 13% of 29086 checklistsJul 15-21: 11% of 28045 checklistsJul 22-31: 7.7% of 38275 checklistsAug 1-7: 6.0% of 28846 checklistsAug 8-14: 5.3% of 28036 checklistsAug 15-21: 4.8% of 27614 checklistsAug 22-31: 4.8% of 40356 checklistsSep 1-7: 4.9% of 31214 checklistsSep 8-14: 5.1% of 27795 checklistsSep 15-21: 5.9% of 29677 checklistsSep 22-30: 5.8% of 35241 checklistsOct 1-7: 5.0% of 28605 checklistsOct 8-14: 4.2% of 28655 checklistsOct 15-21: 3.5% of 24643 checklistsOct 22-31: 3.3% of 34874 checklistsNov 1-7: 3.0% of 25658 checklistsNov 8-14: 3.1% of 25700 checklistsNov 15-21: 3.3% of 24331 checklistsNov 22-30: 3.5% of 32784 checklistsDec 1-7: 3.5% of 24099 checklistsDec 8-14: 3.8% of 23339 checklistsDec 15-21: 3.9% of 27666 checklistsDec 22-31: 4.1% 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 mid June · 103 checklists that week, 5,618 in all43%
  2. Jefferson CountyBest the second week of May · 1433 checklists that week, 59,663 in all42%
  3. Mason CountyBest early May · 688 checklists that week, 27,853 in all42%
  4. Skamania CountyBest late April · 292 checklists that week, 10,140 in all40%
  5. San Juan CountyBest mid April · 785 checklists that week, 35,337 in all38%
  6. Kitsap CountyBest late April · 2317 checklists that week, 74,545 in all32%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. San Juan Islands National MonumentSan Juan County, best mid April · 52 checklists that week, 2,639 in all93%
  2. Upper Lynch CoveMason County, best the second week of May · 38 checklists that week, 915 in all85%
  3. Swan Creek County ParkPierce County, best the second week of April · 22 checklists that week, 461 in all84%

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

Best time of day

In Washington, the Purple Finch is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (14% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%20%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: 16% of 56744 checklists7 am: 13% of 133294 checklists8 am: 12% of 184196 checklists9 am: 9.7% of 186303 checklists10 am: 8.1% of 177063 checklists11 am: 6.9% of 154936 checklists12 pm: 6.0% of 138061 checklists1 pm: 5.8% of 127449 checklists2 pm: 5.3% of 121511 checklists3 pm: 5.2% of 107793 checklists4 pm: 5.9% of 82862 checklists5 pm: 7.3% of 57183 checklists6 pm: 8.3% 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
January3.1%3.6%3.2%3.1%
February3.1%3.5%3.2%3.5%
March4.1%5.1%7.2%9.1%
April12%15%17%19%
May18%16%16%15%
June14%15%16%16%
July15%13%11%7.7%
August6.0%5.3%4.8%4.8%
September4.9%5.1%5.9%5.8%
October5.0%4.2%3.5%3.3%
November3.0%3.1%3.3%3.5%
December3.5%3.8%3.9%4.1%

Neighboring states

  • Oregon: arrives the second week of February, 7 weeks earlier than Washington
  • California: arrives mid September, 22 weeks later than Washington
  • North Dakota: arrives mid August, 18 weeks later than Washington
  • South Dakota: arrives mid October, 22 weeks earlier than Washington

Common questions

When do Purple Finches arrive in Washington?
Purple Finches are in Washington all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from early April, peak in late April (18% of checklists), and fall back by the second week of July. In the quietest week (the second week of November) they are still on about 3.1% of checklists.
When do Purple Finches leave Washington?
Purple Finches never fully leave Washington: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by the second week of July, but some are still reported in every week, about 3.1% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Purple Finch in Washington?
The Purple Finch is reported most often in late April, on about 18% of Washington checklists.
Where in Washington are Purple Finches seen most often?
By county, Wahkiakum County, Jefferson County, and Mason County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Purple Finch (counties with at least 200 checklists).