WhenToBird

Sitta canadensis · Sittidae

When Do Red-breasted Nuthatches Arrive in Virginia?

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

Red-breasted Nuthatches are winter birds in Virginia: the first arrive in early September, they are common by the second week of September, peak in late October (5.6% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of April.

When to look

First arrivalsSep 1-7early September
Common bySep 8-14the second week of September
PeakOct 22-31late October
Most gone byApr 8-14the second week of April

Best: late October. First arrivals early September; most are gone by the second week of April. Peak: on about 5.6% of Virginia checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Junrare
  7. Julrare
  8. Augrare
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%2%4%6%Jan 1-7: 3.6% of 32817 checklistsJan 8-14: 3.4% of 25111 checklistsJan 15-21: 3.2% of 25510 checklistsJan 22-31: 3.1% of 34492 checklistsFeb 1-7: 2.7% of 24950 checklistsFeb 8-14: 4.1% of 28224 checklistsFeb 15-21: 2.7% of 43578 checklistsFeb 22-28: 2.5% of 26467 checklistsMar 1-7: 2.6% of 25851 checklistsMar 8-14: 2.4% of 25901 checklistsMar 15-21: 2.6% of 26747 checklistsMar 22-31: 2.3% of 40819 checklistsApr 1-7: 2.0% of 31351 checklistsApr 8-14: 1.8% of 33239 checklistsApr 15-21: 1.6% of 37284 checklistsApr 22-30: 1.3% of 54364 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.8% of 47698 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.5% of 46174 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.4% of 36444 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.4% of 43203 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.4% of 28503 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.3% of 25485 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.5% of 23728 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.4% of 28785 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.3% of 22294 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.2% of 20481 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.3% of 18914 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.2% of 26976 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.2% of 19555 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.2% of 18744 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.3% of 18721 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.4% of 28763 checklistsSep 1-7: 1.5% of 23594 checklistsSep 8-14: 2.1% of 22581 checklistsSep 15-21: 3.1% of 23036 checklistsSep 22-30: 3.5% of 29687 checklistsOct 1-7: 4.5% of 24321 checklistsOct 8-14: 4.8% of 23946 checklistsOct 15-21: 5.6% of 22191 checklistsOct 22-31: 5.8% of 30161 checklistsNov 1-7: 5.2% of 21431 checklistsNov 8-14: 4.6% of 22758 checklistsNov 15-21: 4.5% of 19988 checklistsNov 22-30: 4.5% of 27665 checklistsDec 1-7: 4.1% of 19324 checklistsDec 8-14: 3.9% of 20316 checklistsDec 15-21: 3.7% of 25675 checklistsDec 22-31: 3.3% 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. Buchanan CountyBest late February · 17 checklists that week, 1,612 in all38%
  2. Appomattox CountyBest mid November · 69 checklists that week, 4,946 in all26%
  3. Brunswick CountyBest late January · 20 checklists that week, 1,283 in all20%
  4. Clarke CountyBest mid October · 153 checklists that week, 8,388 in all20%
  5. Dickenson CountyBest the second week of September · 12 checklists that week, 1,223 in all18%
  6. Northampton CountyBest mid October · 885 checklists that week, 27,227 in all17%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Skidmore Fork LakeRockingham County, best mid September · 21 checklists that week, 466 in all65%
  2. Marshview ParkVirginia Beach County, best the second week of October · 31 checklists that week, 224 in all60%
  3. Mount Rogers National Recreation AreaGrayson County, best early June · 20 checklists that week, 212 in all55%
  4. Kiptopeke State Park (Butlers Bluff)Northampton County, best late November · 25 checklists that week, 868 in all50%
  5. Jefferson National ForestGiles County, best mid September · 20 checklists that week, 496 in all48%
  6. KiptopekeNorthampton County, best late October · 23 checklists that week, 504 in all46%

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

Best time of day

In Virginia, the Red-breasted Nuthatch is most often listed on checklists started between 7 and 9 am (3.1% 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: 2.3% of 64788 checklists7 am: 3.2% of 169128 checklists8 am: 3.1% of 180748 checklists9 am: 2.7% of 153462 checklists10 am: 2.5% of 128966 checklists11 am: 2.3% of 104204 checklists12 pm: 2.2% of 91604 checklists1 pm: 2.0% of 85547 checklists2 pm: 1.8% of 82355 checklists3 pm: 1.8% of 82265 checklists4 pm: 1.3% 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
January3.6%3.4%3.2%3.1%
February2.7%4.1%2.7%2.5%
March2.6%2.4%2.6%2.3%
April2.0%1.8%1.6%1.3%
May0.8%0.5%0.4%0.4%
June0.4%0.3%0.5%0.4%
July0.3%0.2%0.3%0.2%
August0.2%0.2%0.3%0.4%
September1.5%2.1%3.1%3.5%
October4.5%4.8%5.6%5.8%
November5.2%4.6%4.5%4.5%
December4.1%3.9%3.7%3.3%

Neighboring states

  • District of Columbia: arrives early September, in the same week than Virginia
  • Maryland: arrives late August, 1 week earlier than Virginia
  • West Virginia: arrives early April, 20 weeks earlier than Virginia
  • Delaware: arrives early September, in the same week than Virginia

Common questions

When do Red-breasted Nuthatches arrive in Virginia?
Red-breasted Nuthatches are winter birds in Virginia: the first arrive in early September, they are common by the second week of September, peak in late October (5.6% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of April.
When do Red-breasted Nuthatches leave Virginia?
Most Red-breasted Nuthatches have left Virginia by the second week of April, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until late April.
When is the best time to see a Red-breasted Nuthatch in Virginia?
The Red-breasted Nuthatch is reported most often in late October, on about 5.6% of Virginia checklists.
Where in Virginia are Red-breasted Nuthatches seen most often?
By county, Buchanan County, Appomattox County, and Brunswick County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Red-breasted Nuthatch (counties with at least 200 checklists).