WhenToBird

Sitta canadensis · Sittidae

When Do Red-breasted Nuthatches Arrive in Colorado?

Adult Red-breasted Nuthatch
Photo: Joshua Liverman, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Red-breasted Nuthatches are in Colorado all year, but most are here in fall: numbers build from the second week of August, peak in the second week of September (14% of checklists), and fall back by early January. In the quietest week (early June) they are still on about 5.4% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildAug 8-14the second week of August
PeakSep 8-14the second week of September
Fall back byJan 1-7early January
FewestJun 1-7early June

Best: the second week of September. Here all year; numbers build from the second week of August and fall back by early January. Peak: on about 14% of Colorado checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  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%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 9.7% of 32254 checklistsJan 8-14: 8.5% of 23278 checklistsJan 15-21: 9.0% of 22933 checklistsJan 22-31: 9.3% of 30856 checklistsFeb 1-7: 8.6% of 21464 checklistsFeb 8-14: 10% of 22910 checklistsFeb 15-21: 10% of 28739 checklistsFeb 22-28: 8.8% of 21833 checklistsMar 1-7: 8.9% of 23066 checklistsMar 8-14: 8.4% of 23783 checklistsMar 15-21: 8.5% of 24797 checklistsMar 22-31: 7.7% of 38439 checklistsApr 1-7: 7.1% of 31676 checklistsApr 8-14: 6.9% of 35092 checklistsApr 15-21: 6.4% of 36778 checklistsApr 22-30: 6.6% of 50885 checklistsMay 1-7: 6.6% of 44186 checklistsMay 8-14: 6.6% of 49011 checklistsMay 15-21: 6.2% of 40784 checklistsMay 22-31: 5.3% of 53073 checklistsJun 1-7: 5.1% of 32432 checklistsJun 8-14: 5.6% of 29978 checklistsJun 15-21: 5.7% of 29457 checklistsJun 22-30: 6.0% of 36072 checklistsJul 1-7: 6.5% of 28857 checklistsJul 8-14: 7.3% of 27224 checklistsJul 15-21: 7.5% of 27629 checklistsJul 22-31: 8.3% of 37318 checklistsAug 1-7: 9.4% of 25893 checklistsAug 8-14: 10% of 24870 checklistsAug 15-21: 12% of 24035 checklistsAug 22-31: 13% of 35691 checklistsSep 1-7: 14% of 27068 checklistsSep 8-14: 13% of 26709 checklistsSep 15-21: 14% of 26098 checklistsSep 22-30: 14% of 31550 checklistsOct 1-7: 13% of 24110 checklistsOct 8-14: 13% of 23352 checklistsOct 15-21: 12% of 21895 checklistsOct 22-31: 11% of 28319 checklistsNov 1-7: 11% of 21698 checklistsNov 8-14: 10% of 21061 checklistsNov 15-21: 12% of 19855 checklistsNov 22-30: 11% of 25798 checklistsDec 1-7: 9.8% of 18626 checklistsDec 8-14: 11% of 19004 checklistsDec 15-21: 11% of 23103 checklistsDec 22-31: 11% of 30802 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 Colorado 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 Colorado

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Gilpin CountyBest the second week of December · 20 checklists that week, 4,252 in all42%
  2. Clear Creek CountyBest late February · 68 checklists that week, 8,581 in all37%
  3. Jackson CountyBest mid January · 13 checklists that week, 7,472 in all24%
  4. Saguache CountyBest mid December · 11 checklists that week, 3,220 in all24%
  5. Alamosa CountyBest the second week of December · 12 checklists that week, 4,206 in all23%
  6. Arapahoe CountyBest mid August · 1432 checklists that week, 98,030 in all23%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Sheldon LakeLarimer County, best the second week of September · 90 checklists that week, 2,868 in all93%
  2. Colorado State University State University - GeneralLarimer County, best late August · 31 checklists that week, 699 in all76%
  3. Reynolds ParkJefferson County, best the second week of August · 37 checklists that week, 610 in all75%
  4. Lake QuiviraClear Creek County, best mid April · 33 checklists that week, 1,149 in all73%
  5. Sheldon Lake (east)Larimer County, best the second week of September · 38 checklists that week, 1,413 in all70%

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

Best time of day

In Colorado, the Red-breasted Nuthatch is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (13% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%12 am: too few checklists (512) to judge1 am: too few checklists (468) to judge2 am: too few checklists (513) to judge3 am: too few checklists (656) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1918) to judge5 am: too few checklists (16045) to judge6 am: 14% of 71991 checklists7 am: 13% of 159189 checklists8 am: 12% of 177206 checklists9 am: 9.8% of 165269 checklists10 am: 8.7% of 141029 checklists11 am: 8.0% of 115283 checklists12 pm: 7.5% of 96068 checklists1 pm: 7.1% of 89512 checklists2 pm: 6.7% of 86319 checklists3 pm: 6.6% of 82496 checklists4 pm: 6.1% of 71648 checklists5 pm: 6.2% of 52445 checklists6 pm: 4.8% of 40199 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (24246) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (7986) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2004) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (888) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (450) 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
January9.7%8.5%9.0%9.3%
February8.6%10%10%8.8%
March8.9%8.4%8.5%7.7%
April7.1%6.9%6.4%6.6%
May6.6%6.6%6.2%5.3%
June5.1%5.6%5.7%6.0%
July6.5%7.3%7.5%8.3%
August9.4%10%12%13%
September14%13%14%14%
October13%13%12%11%
November11%10%12%11%
December9.8%11%11%11%

Neighboring states

  • Wyoming: year-round, peaks early September
  • New Mexico: year-round, peaks mid September
  • Utah: arrives early July, 5 weeks earlier than Colorado
  • Nebraska: arrives the second week of August, in the same week than Colorado

Common questions

When do Red-breasted Nuthatches arrive in Colorado?
Red-breasted Nuthatches are in Colorado all year, but most are here in fall: numbers build from the second week of August, peak in the second week of September (14% of checklists), and fall back by early January. In the quietest week (early June) they are still on about 5.4% of checklists.
When do Red-breasted Nuthatches leave Colorado?
Red-breasted Nuthatches never fully leave Colorado: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by early January, but some are still reported in every week, about 5.4% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Red-breasted Nuthatch in Colorado?
The Red-breasted Nuthatch is reported most often in the second week of September, on about 14% of Colorado checklists.
Where in Colorado are Red-breasted Nuthatches seen most often?
By county, Gilpin County, Clear Creek County, and Jackson County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Red-breasted Nuthatch (counties with at least 200 checklists).