WhenToBird

Sitta pygmaea · Sittidae

When Do Pygmy Nuthatches Arrive in Oregon?

Adult Pygmy Nuthatch
Photo: Casey H. Richart, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

The Pygmy Nuthatch is in Oregon all year. It turns up on about 3.2% of checklists at its peak (early June) and on 2.0% in its quietest week (the second week of January).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekJun 1-7early June
Quietest weekJan 8-14the second week of January

Best: early June. Here all year. Peak: on about 3.2% of Oregon checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%1%2%3%4%Jan 1-7: 1.8% of 34973 checklistsJan 8-14: 2.1% of 26807 checklistsJan 15-21: 2.2% of 26567 checklistsJan 22-31: 2.3% of 36019 checklistsFeb 1-7: 2.3% of 24020 checklistsFeb 8-14: 2.4% of 25765 checklistsFeb 15-21: 2.3% of 31019 checklistsFeb 22-28: 2.3% of 24582 checklistsMar 1-7: 2.2% of 24834 checklistsMar 8-14: 2.3% of 24642 checklistsMar 15-21: 2.6% of 27420 checklistsMar 22-31: 2.9% of 39913 checklistsApr 1-7: 2.7% of 28817 checklistsApr 8-14: 2.6% of 31221 checklistsApr 15-21: 2.9% of 34402 checklistsApr 22-30: 2.9% of 47144 checklistsMay 1-7: 2.8% of 37716 checklistsMay 8-14: 2.8% of 39651 checklistsMay 15-21: 2.8% of 37496 checklistsMay 22-31: 3.3% of 56967 checklistsJun 1-7: 3.4% of 35893 checklistsJun 8-14: 2.9% of 31880 checklistsJun 15-21: 3.2% of 30942 checklistsJun 22-30: 3.1% of 38478 checklistsJul 1-7: 3.4% of 27409 checklistsJul 8-14: 3.0% of 25161 checklistsJul 15-21: 3.0% of 25473 checklistsJul 22-31: 2.9% of 33920 checklistsAug 1-7: 3.1% of 24310 checklistsAug 8-14: 2.9% of 23675 checklistsAug 15-21: 2.8% of 23623 checklistsAug 22-31: 2.6% of 33762 checklistsSep 1-7: 2.9% of 25120 checklistsSep 8-14: 3.0% of 24458 checklistsSep 15-21: 2.6% of 25528 checklistsSep 22-30: 2.8% of 31631 checklistsOct 1-7: 2.9% of 25498 checklistsOct 8-14: 2.7% of 25161 checklistsOct 15-21: 2.8% of 23701 checklistsOct 22-31: 2.6% of 30996 checklistsNov 1-7: 2.4% of 21089 checklistsNov 8-14: 2.4% of 21880 checklistsNov 15-21: 2.5% of 21501 checklistsNov 22-30: 2.3% of 28930 checklistsDec 1-7: 2.4% of 19807 checklistsDec 8-14: 2.5% of 21022 checklistsDec 15-21: 2.8% of 24817 checklistsDec 22-31: 2.3% of 37592 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 Oregon 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 Oregon

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Deschutes CountyBest the second week of December · 1095 checklists that week, 86,260 in all44%
  2. Klamath CountyBest early February · 289 checklists that week, 26,875 in all14%
  3. Wheeler CountyBest the second week of April · 28 checklists that week, 3,129 in all8.8%
  4. Lake CountyBest late October · 85 checklists that week, 13,301 in all8.1%
  5. Gilliam CountyBest late July · 33 checklists that week, 2,323 in all6.5%
  6. Jefferson CountyBest early December · 86 checklists that week, 11,014 in all5.4%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Sawyer ParkDeschutes County, best the second week of September · 20 checklists that week, 1,775 in all96%
  2. Deschutes National ForestDeschutes County, best the second week of August · 21 checklists that week, 1,817 in all85%
  3. Camp Polk Meadow PreserveDeschutes County, best late September · 20 checklists that week, 723 in all82%
  4. Shevlin Park (northeast)Deschutes County, best mid April · 22 checklists that week, 342 in all79%

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

Best time of day

In Oregon, the Pygmy Nuthatch is most often listed on checklists started between 7 and 9 am (3.9% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%12 am: too few checklists (1505) to judge1 am: too few checklists (675) to judge2 am: too few checklists (626) to judge3 am: too few checklists (1641) to judge4 am: too few checklists (3696) to judge5 am: too few checklists (14524) to judge6 am: 2.9% of 50677 checklists7 am: 3.6% of 125347 checklists8 am: 4.1% of 163668 checklists9 am: 3.4% of 160351 checklists10 am: 2.7% of 148940 checklists11 am: 2.3% of 124743 checklists12 pm: 2.3% of 112537 checklists1 pm: 2.3% of 98999 checklists2 pm: 2.5% of 94690 checklists3 pm: 2.4% of 87923 checklists4 pm: 2.0% of 75235 checklists5 pm: 1.8% of 54504 checklists6 pm: 1.7% of 40469 checklists7 pm: 1.1% of 33675 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (18715) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (5839) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (2704) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (1549) 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
January1.8%2.1%2.2%2.3%
February2.3%2.4%2.3%2.3%
March2.2%2.3%2.6%2.9%
April2.7%2.6%2.9%2.9%
May2.8%2.8%2.8%3.3%
June3.4%2.9%3.2%3.1%
July3.4%3.0%3.0%2.9%
August3.1%2.9%2.8%2.6%
September2.9%3.0%2.6%2.8%
October2.9%2.7%2.8%2.6%
November2.4%2.4%2.5%2.3%
December2.4%2.5%2.8%2.3%

Neighboring states

  • Washington: year-round, peaks mid June
  • Idaho: year-round, peaks late August
  • Nevada: summer visitor, peaks early July
  • California: year-round, peaks the second week of September

Common questions

When do Pygmy Nuthatches arrive in Oregon?
The Pygmy Nuthatch is in Oregon all year. It turns up on about 3.2% of checklists at its peak (early June) and on 2.0% in its quietest week (the second week of January).
When do Pygmy Nuthatches leave Oregon?
The Pygmy Nuthatch does not leave Oregon: it is reported all year, from 2.0% of checklists in the second week of January to 3.2% in early June.
When is the best time to see a Pygmy Nuthatch in Oregon?
The Pygmy Nuthatch is reported most often in early June, on about 3.2% of Oregon checklists.
Where in Oregon are Pygmy Nuthatches seen most often?
By county, Deschutes County, Klamath County, and Wheeler County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Pygmy Nuthatch (counties with at least 200 checklists).