WhenToBird

Sitta canadensis · Sittidae

When Do Red-breasted Nuthatches Arrive in Washington?

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

The Red-breasted Nuthatch is in Washington all year. It turns up on about 29% of checklists at its peak (late August) and on 16% in its quietest week (the second week of January).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekAug 22-31late August
Quietest weekJan 8-14the second week of January

Best: late August. Here all year. Peak: on about 29% of Washington checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%10%20%30%Jan 1-7: 16% of 41928 checklistsJan 8-14: 16% of 31152 checklistsJan 15-21: 17% of 31753 checklistsJan 22-31: 16% of 42530 checklistsFeb 1-7: 16% of 29739 checklistsFeb 8-14: 18% of 32746 checklistsFeb 15-21: 19% of 40328 checklistsFeb 22-28: 18% of 28432 checklistsMar 1-7: 19% of 30758 checklistsMar 8-14: 19% of 29368 checklistsMar 15-21: 20% of 32580 checklistsMar 22-31: 20% of 45614 checklistsApr 1-7: 21% of 33997 checklistsApr 8-14: 21% of 34729 checklistsApr 15-21: 21% of 38474 checklistsApr 22-30: 21% of 52185 checklistsMay 1-7: 20% of 44236 checklistsMay 8-14: 20% of 48708 checklistsMay 15-21: 18% of 41742 checklistsMay 22-31: 19% of 57082 checklistsJun 1-7: 20% of 39193 checklistsJun 8-14: 21% of 36042 checklistsJun 15-21: 22% of 34003 checklistsJun 22-30: 23% of 39711 checklistsJul 1-7: 24% of 31949 checklistsJul 8-14: 24% of 29086 checklistsJul 15-21: 25% of 28045 checklistsJul 22-31: 26% of 38275 checklistsAug 1-7: 27% of 28846 checklistsAug 8-14: 28% of 28036 checklistsAug 15-21: 28% of 27614 checklistsAug 22-31: 28% of 40356 checklistsSep 1-7: 29% of 31214 checklistsSep 8-14: 28% of 27795 checklistsSep 15-21: 27% of 29677 checklistsSep 22-30: 26% of 35241 checklistsOct 1-7: 24% of 28605 checklistsOct 8-14: 23% of 28655 checklistsOct 15-21: 21% of 24643 checklistsOct 22-31: 20% of 34874 checklistsNov 1-7: 18% of 25658 checklistsNov 8-14: 18% of 25700 checklistsNov 15-21: 18% of 24331 checklistsNov 22-30: 18% of 32784 checklistsDec 1-7: 18% of 24099 checklistsDec 8-14: 19% of 23339 checklistsDec 15-21: 20% of 27666 checklistsDec 22-31: 18% 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. Ferry CountyBest late January · 61 checklists that week, 5,106 in all70%
  2. Pend Oreille CountyBest late December · 39 checklists that week, 3,664 in all51%
  3. Skamania CountyBest the second week of September · 214 checklists that week, 10,140 in all49%
  4. Stevens CountyBest mid December · 62 checklists that week, 7,596 in all49%
  5. Whitman CountyBest the second week of September · 333 checklists that week, 18,652 in all48%
  6. Klickitat CountyBest late August · 326 checklists that week, 19,718 in all43%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. San Juan Islands National MonumentSan Juan County, best mid August · 48 checklists that week, 2,639 in all99%
  2. Burton Acres ParkKing County, best the second week of April · 22 checklists that week, 642 in all96%
  3. Holmburg Conservation AreaSpokane County, best the second week of September · 24 checklists that week, 462 in all93%
  4. Willard SpringKlickitat County, best late May · 27 checklists that week, 364 in all92%
  5. Green CoveThurston County, best late July · 25 checklists that week, 1,089 in all92%
  6. Loth241Spokane County, best early May · 23 checklists that week, 205 in all91%

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

Best time of day

In Washington, the Red-breasted Nuthatch is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (31% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%40%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: 32% of 56744 checklists7 am: 30% of 133294 checklists8 am: 28% of 184196 checklists9 am: 24% of 186303 checklists10 am: 22% of 177063 checklists11 am: 20% of 154936 checklists12 pm: 18% of 138061 checklists1 pm: 16% of 127449 checklists2 pm: 16% of 121511 checklists3 pm: 15% of 107793 checklists4 pm: 15% of 82862 checklists5 pm: 16% of 57183 checklists6 pm: 16% 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
January16%16%17%16%
February16%18%19%18%
March19%19%20%20%
April21%21%21%21%
May20%20%18%19%
June20%21%22%23%
July24%24%25%26%
August27%28%28%28%
September29%28%27%26%
October24%23%21%20%
November18%18%18%18%
December18%19%20%18%

Neighboring states

  • Oregon: year-round, peaks early September
  • Idaho: year-round, peaks mid September
  • Montana: year-round, peaks late August
  • Nevada: all year, most in fall, peaks early October

Common questions

When do Red-breasted Nuthatches arrive in Washington?
The Red-breasted Nuthatch is in Washington all year. It turns up on about 29% of checklists at its peak (late August) and on 16% in its quietest week (the second week of January).
When do Red-breasted Nuthatches leave Washington?
The Red-breasted Nuthatch does not leave Washington: it is reported all year, from 16% of checklists in the second week of January to 29% in late August.
When is the best time to see a Red-breasted Nuthatch in Washington?
The Red-breasted Nuthatch is reported most often in late August, on about 29% of Washington checklists.
Where in Washington are Red-breasted Nuthatches seen most often?
By county, Ferry County, Pend Oreille County, and Skamania County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Red-breasted Nuthatch (counties with at least 200 checklists).