WhenToBird

Acanthis flammea · Fringillidae

When Do Redpolls Arrive in Montana?

Redpolls are winter birds in Montana: the first arrive in late October, they are common by early November, peak in late December (5.2% of checklists), and most are gone by late March.

When to look

First arrivalsOct 22-31late October
Common byNov 1-7early November
PeakDec 22-31late December
Most gone byMar 22-31late March

Best: late December. First arrivals late October; most are gone by late March. Peak: on about 5.2% of Montana checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marcommon
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Mayrare
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepnot usually seen
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%2%4%6%Jan 1-7: 5.4% of 7987 checklistsJan 8-14: 4.9% of 5561 checklistsJan 15-21: 5.0% of 5613 checklistsJan 22-31: 3.9% of 7881 checklistsFeb 1-7: 4.0% of 5018 checklistsFeb 8-14: 4.4% of 5598 checklistsFeb 15-21: 4.2% of 7247 checklistsFeb 22-28: 4.1% of 5531 checklistsMar 1-7: 3.2% of 6110 checklistsMar 8-14: 3.6% of 6623 checklistsMar 15-21: 3.0% of 7687 checklistsMar 22-31: 2.3% of 11095 checklistsApr 1-7: 2.0% of 7774 checklistsApr 8-14: 1.5% of 8785 checklistsApr 15-21: 1.0% of 9684 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.8% of 13805 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.3% of 11847 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.1% of 13547 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 13019 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 20456 checklistsJun 1-7: 0% of 12993 checklistsJun 8-14: 0% of 11594 checklistsJun 15-21: 0% of 11159 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 13786 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 9584 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 9078 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 7905 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 10906 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 7335 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 6868 checklistsAug 15-21: 0% of 6866 checklistsAug 22-31: 0% of 10076 checklistsSep 1-7: 0% of 7670 checklistsSep 8-14: 0% of 7490 checklistsSep 15-21: 0% of 6804 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.1% of 8016 checklistsOct 1-7: 0% of 5996 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.1% of 6156 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.1% of 5742 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.2% of 7790 checklistsNov 1-7: 3.9% of 5353 checklistsNov 8-14: 5.2% of 5475 checklistsNov 15-21: 5.8% of 4603 checklistsNov 22-30: 4.5% of 6067 checklistsDec 1-7: 3.9% of 4362 checklistsDec 8-14: 4.3% of 4467 checklistsDec 15-21: 5.3% of 5328 checklistsDec 22-31: 5.0% of 6672 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 Montana 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 Montana

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Valley CountyBest the second week of February · 12 checklists that week, 3,392 in all32%
  2. Glacier CountyBest early March · 40 checklists that week, 9,238 in all31%
  3. Sweet Grass CountyBest mid February · 10 checklists that week, 1,532 in all26%
  4. Meagher CountyBest the second week of January · 11 checklists that week, 1,201 in all26%
  5. Jefferson CountyBest the second week of January · 248 checklists that week, 14,859 in all22%
  6. Toole CountyBest the second week of November · 12 checklists that week, 1,763 in all21%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Willow CreekGallatin County, best late February · 22 checklists that week, 911 in all30%
  2. Giant Springs State ParkCascade County, best mid December · 34 checklists that week, 1,249 in all17%
  3. Helena Valley Reservoir Fishing Access SiteLewis and Clark County, best early December · 28 checklists that week, 1,628 in all15%
  4. Upper Holter LakeLewis and Clark County, best late November · 20 checklists that week, 332 in all13%

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

Best time of day

In Montana, the Redpoll is most often listed on checklists started between 8 and 10 am (2.2% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%12 am: too few checklists (183) to judge1 am: too few checklists (169) to judge2 am: too few checklists (163) to judge3 am: too few checklists (212) to judge4 am: too few checklists (503) to judge5 am: too few checklists (4022) to judge6 am: 0.3% of 12719 checklists7 am: 1.5% of 31202 checklists8 am: 2.6% of 47646 checklists9 am: 1.9% of 44624 checklists10 am: 1.8% of 40704 checklists11 am: 1.6% of 33825 checklists12 pm: 1.6% of 29407 checklists1 pm: 1.6% of 27959 checklists2 pm: 1.5% of 26928 checklists3 pm: 1.4% of 25313 checklists4 pm: 0.9% of 22151 checklists5 pm: 0.4% of 16884 checklists6 pm: 0.2% of 13780 checklists7 pm: 0.1% of 9926 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (5765) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2099) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (595) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (230) 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
January5.4%4.9%5.0%3.9%
February4.0%4.4%4.2%4.1%
March3.2%3.6%3.0%2.3%
April2.0%1.5%1.0%0.8%
May0.3%0.1%0.1%0.1%
June0%0%0%0%
July0%0%0%0%
August0%0%0%0%
September0%0%0%0.1%
October0%0.1%0.1%1.2%
November3.9%5.2%5.8%4.5%
December3.9%4.3%5.3%5.0%

Neighboring states

  • Idaho: arrives the second week of November, 2 weeks later than Montana
  • Wyoming: arrives the second week of November, 2 weeks later than Montana
  • North Dakota: arrives mid October, 1 week earlier than Montana
  • South Dakota: arrives early November, 1 week later than Montana

Common questions

When do Redpolls arrive in Montana?
Redpolls are winter birds in Montana: the first arrive in late October, they are common by early November, peak in late December (5.2% of checklists), and most are gone by late March.
When do Redpolls leave Montana?
Most Redpolls have left Montana by late March, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until mid April.
When is the best time to see a Redpoll in Montana?
The Redpoll is reported most often in late December, on about 5.2% of Montana checklists.
Where in Montana are Redpolls seen most often?
By county, Valley County, Glacier County, and Sweet Grass County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Redpoll (counties with at least 200 checklists).