WhenToBird

Progne subis · Hirundinidae

When Do Purple Martins Arrive in Washington?

Adult female Purple Martin
Photo: Ron Bondy, CC BY-SA 4.0 via iNaturalist

Purple Martins reach Washington in mid April, are common by late April, peak in the second week of August (9.7% of checklists), and most are gone by early September.

When to look

First arrivalsApr 15-21mid April
Common byApr 22-30late April
PeakAug 8-14the second week of August
Most gone bySep 1-7early September

Best: the second week of August. First arrivals mid April; most are gone by early September. Peak: on about 9.7% of Washington checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marnot usually seen
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octnot usually seen
  11. Novnot usually seen
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 0% of 41928 checklistsJan 8-14: 0% of 31152 checklistsJan 15-21: 0% of 31753 checklistsJan 22-31: 0% of 42530 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0% of 29739 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0% of 32746 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0% of 40328 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0% of 28432 checklistsMar 1-7: 0% of 30758 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.1% of 29368 checklistsMar 15-21: 0% of 32580 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.1% of 45614 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.1% of 33997 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.8% of 34729 checklistsApr 15-21: 1.9% of 38474 checklistsApr 22-30: 2.9% of 52185 checklistsMay 1-7: 3.8% of 44236 checklistsMay 8-14: 4.6% of 48708 checklistsMay 15-21: 4.0% of 41742 checklistsMay 22-31: 4.3% of 57082 checklistsJun 1-7: 4.6% of 39193 checklistsJun 8-14: 4.1% of 36042 checklistsJun 15-21: 4.5% of 34003 checklistsJun 22-30: 5.6% of 39711 checklistsJul 1-7: 5.6% of 31949 checklistsJul 8-14: 6.2% of 29086 checklistsJul 15-21: 6.2% of 28045 checklistsJul 22-31: 7.6% of 38275 checklistsAug 1-7: 9.0% of 28846 checklistsAug 8-14: 10% of 28036 checklistsAug 15-21: 10% of 27614 checklistsAug 22-31: 7.6% of 40356 checklistsSep 1-7: 3.2% of 31214 checklistsSep 8-14: 1.1% of 27795 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.2% of 29677 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.1% of 35241 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.1% of 28605 checklistsOct 8-14: 0% of 28655 checklistsOct 15-21: 0% of 24643 checklistsOct 22-31: 0% of 34874 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.1% of 25658 checklistsNov 8-14: 0% of 25700 checklistsNov 15-21: 0% of 24331 checklistsNov 22-30: 0% of 32784 checklistsDec 1-7: 0% of 24099 checklistsDec 8-14: 0% of 23339 checklistsDec 15-21: 0% of 27666 checklistsDec 22-31: 0% 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.

Embed this map on your site

Where in Washington

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Wahkiakum CountyBest early August · 77 checklists that week, 5,618 in all55%
  2. Clark CountyBest the second week of August · 757 checklists that week, 53,250 in all24%
  3. Thurston CountyBest the second week of August · 1061 checklists that week, 68,352 in all21%
  4. Jefferson CountyBest the second week of August · 1494 checklists that week, 59,663 in all18%
  5. Cowlitz CountyBest the second week of August · 279 checklists that week, 15,273 in all18%
  6. Pacific CountyBest mid August · 450 checklists that week, 19,516 in all17%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Haapoos Village Park and Shoreline HabitatKing County, best early August · 29 checklists that week, 750 in all100%
  2. Washington State Department of Natural Resources (WADNR) State Resource Management Area (Left Fork Skamokawa Creek)Wahkiakum County, best late July · 25 checklists that week, 1,179 in all98%
  3. Ship HarborSkagit County, best late July · 29 checklists that week, 863 in all96%
  4. Meadowbrook CreekClallam County, best early August · 101 checklists that week, 3,705 in all94%
  5. Nisqually HeadThurston County, best the second week of July · 22 checklists that week, 960 in all92%

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

Best time of day

In Washington, the Purple Martin is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (4.0% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%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: 5.3% of 56744 checklists7 am: 3.5% of 133294 checklists8 am: 2.7% of 184196 checklists9 am: 2.6% of 186303 checklists10 am: 2.4% of 177063 checklists11 am: 2.0% of 154936 checklists12 pm: 1.6% of 138061 checklists1 pm: 1.5% of 127449 checklists2 pm: 1.4% of 121511 checklists3 pm: 1.4% of 107793 checklists4 pm: 1.6% of 82862 checklists5 pm: 2.3% of 57183 checklists6 pm: 3.3% 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
January0%0%0%0%
February0%0%0%0%
March0%0.1%0%0.1%
April0.1%0.8%1.9%2.9%
May3.8%4.6%4.0%4.3%
June4.6%4.1%4.5%5.6%
July5.6%6.2%6.2%7.6%
August9.0%10%10%7.6%
September3.2%1.1%0.2%0.1%
October0.1%0%0%0%
November0.1%0%0%0%
December0%0%0%0%

Neighboring states

  • Oregon: arrives the second week of April, 1 week earlier than Washington
  • Arizona: arrives early May, 2 weeks later than Washington
  • North Dakota: arrives mid April, in the same week than Washington
  • New Mexico: arrives early May, 2 weeks later than Washington

Common questions

When do Purple Martins arrive in Washington?
Purple Martins reach Washington in mid April, are common by late April, peak in the second week of August (9.7% of checklists), and most are gone by early September.
When do Purple Martins leave Washington?
Most Purple Martins have left Washington by early September, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until the second week of September.
When is the best time to see a Purple Martin in Washington?
The Purple Martin is reported most often in the second week of August, on about 9.7% of Washington checklists.
Where in Washington are Purple Martins seen most often?
By county, Wahkiakum County, Clark County, and Thurston County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Purple Martin (counties with at least 200 checklists).