WhenToBird

Sphyrapicus nuchalis · Picidae

When Do Red-naped Sapsuckers Arrive in Utah?

Adult male Red-naped Sapsucker
Photo: Marcel_Pepin, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Red-naped Sapsuckers arrive in Utah in mid March, peak in late September (3.6% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of February.

When to look

First arrivalsMar 15-21mid March
Common byMar 15-21mid March
PeakSep 22-30late September
Most gone byFeb 8-14the second week of February

Best: late September. First arrivals mid March; most are gone by the second week of February. Peak: on about 3.6% of Utah checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%1%2%3%4%Jan 1-7: 0.9% of 10857 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.1% of 8333 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.1% of 8360 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.2% of 10516 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.7% of 7416 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.6% of 8082 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.5% of 9643 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.4% of 7960 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.4% of 7998 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.4% of 8581 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.6% of 8637 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.7% of 13006 checklistsApr 1-7: 1.0% of 10562 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.9% of 11694 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.8% of 11382 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.7% of 16626 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.7% of 13523 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.6% of 14714 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.7% of 13711 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.9% of 16546 checklistsJun 1-7: 1.4% of 10284 checklistsJun 8-14: 1.3% of 9530 checklistsJun 15-21: 2.0% of 8854 checklistsJun 22-30: 2.6% of 10566 checklistsJul 1-7: 2.8% of 7987 checklistsJul 8-14: 3.0% of 7471 checklistsJul 15-21: 2.4% of 7240 checklistsJul 22-31: 1.5% of 9329 checklistsAug 1-7: 1.1% of 6521 checklistsAug 8-14: 1.1% of 6423 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.9% of 6208 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.9% of 9089 checklistsSep 1-7: 1.1% of 7081 checklistsSep 8-14: 1.5% of 7306 checklistsSep 15-21: 2.8% of 7208 checklistsSep 22-30: 3.9% of 8876 checklistsOct 1-7: 3.9% of 7265 checklistsOct 8-14: 2.7% of 7226 checklistsOct 15-21: 2.8% of 7007 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.4% of 8443 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.0% of 6711 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.1% of 6290 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.0% of 6169 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.0% of 8228 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.8% of 6011 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.7% of 6044 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.1% of 6721 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.0% of 9982 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 Utah 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 Utah

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Wayne CountyBest late September · 132 checklists that week, 4,300 in all14%
  2. Morgan CountyBest late September · 57 checklists that week, 3,178 in all9.7%
  3. Wasatch CountyBest the second week of July · 262 checklists that week, 7,780 in all7.8%
  4. Washington CountyBest the second week of October · 831 checklists that week, 43,893 in all7.6%
  5. Emery CountyBest late June · 82 checklists that week, 2,339 in all7.4%
  6. Rich CountyBest early July · 70 checklists that week, 1,563 in all7.2%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Indian CanyonWashington County, best mid October · 35 checklists that week, 1,539 in all51%
  2. Tony Grove LakeCache County, best late July · 25 checklists that week, 184 in all39%
  3. Mount Nebo WildernessUtah County, best late June · 20 checklists that week, 125 in all38%
  4. Lake SolitudeSalt Lake County, best the second week of July · 27 checklists that week, 171 in all34%
  5. Antelope Island State ParkDavis County, best late September · 114 checklists that week, 2,493 in all30%

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

Best time of day

In Utah, the Red-naped Sapsucker is most often listed on checklists started between 7 and 9 am (1.6% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%2%12 am: too few checklists (242) to judge1 am: too few checklists (178) to judge2 am: too few checklists (169) to judge3 am: too few checklists (162) to judge4 am: too few checklists (284) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1984) to judge6 am: 1.5% of 11714 checklists7 am: 1.7% of 33209 checklists8 am: 1.6% of 46944 checklists9 am: 1.6% of 46290 checklists10 am: 1.5% of 43144 checklists11 am: 1.3% of 36893 checklists12 pm: 1.1% of 32758 checklists1 pm: 1.1% of 30142 checklists2 pm: 1.1% of 29414 checklists3 pm: 1.0% of 29491 checklists4 pm: 0.9% of 29154 checklists5 pm: 1.0% of 22256 checklists6 pm: 0.9% of 17383 checklists7 pm: 0.7% of 13099 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (6647) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1753) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (599) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (307) 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
January0.9%1.1%1.1%1.2%
February0.7%0.6%0.5%0.4%
March0.4%0.4%0.6%0.7%
April1.0%0.9%0.8%0.7%
May0.7%0.6%0.7%0.9%
June1.4%1.3%2.0%2.6%
July2.8%3.0%2.4%1.5%
August1.1%1.1%0.9%0.9%
September1.1%1.5%2.8%3.9%
October3.9%2.7%2.8%1.4%
November1.0%1.1%1.0%1.0%
December0.8%0.7%1.1%1.0%

Neighboring states

  • Wyoming: arrives mid April, 4 weeks later than Utah
  • Nevada: arrives mid September, 24 weeks earlier than Utah
  • Colorado: arrives the second week of May, 7 weeks later than Utah
  • Idaho: arrives early April, 2 weeks later than Utah

Common questions

When do Red-naped Sapsuckers arrive in Utah?
Red-naped Sapsuckers arrive in Utah in mid March, peak in late September (3.6% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of February.
When do Red-naped Sapsuckers leave Utah?
Most Red-naped Sapsuckers have left Utah by the second week of February, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Red-naped Sapsucker in Utah?
The Red-naped Sapsucker is reported most often in late September, on about 3.6% of Utah checklists.
Where in Utah are Red-naped Sapsuckers seen most often?
By county, Wayne County, Morgan County, and Wasatch County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Red-naped Sapsucker (counties with at least 200 checklists).