WhenToBird

Antigone canadensis · Gruidae

When Do Sandhill Cranes Arrive in Washington?

Adult Sandhill crane
Photo: Cathy Perkins, CC0 1.0 via iNaturalist

Sandhill Cranes are winter birds in Washington: they arrive in the second week of September, peak in early October (1.9% of checklists), and most are gone by mid April.

When to look

First arrivalsSep 8-14the second week of September
Common bySep 8-14the second week of September
PeakOct 1-7early October
Most gone byApr 15-21mid April

Best: early October. First arrivals the second week of September; most are gone by mid April. Peak: on about 1.9% of Washington checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Junrare
  7. Julrare
  8. Augrare
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%1%2%3%Jan 1-7: 1.0% of 41928 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.1% of 31152 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.1% of 31753 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.0% of 42530 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.1% of 29739 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.1% of 32746 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.9% of 40328 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.1% of 28432 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.1% of 30758 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.4% of 29368 checklistsMar 15-21: 1.5% of 32580 checklistsMar 22-31: 2.0% of 45614 checklistsApr 1-7: 1.4% of 33997 checklistsApr 8-14: 1.5% of 34729 checklistsApr 15-21: 1.1% of 38474 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.5% of 52185 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.2% of 44236 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.3% of 48708 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.3% of 41742 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.3% of 57082 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.2% of 39193 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.2% of 36042 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.2% of 34003 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.2% of 39711 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.2% of 31949 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.2% of 29086 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.2% of 28045 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.2% of 38275 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.1% of 28846 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.2% of 28036 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.1% of 27614 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.2% of 40356 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.2% of 31214 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.7% of 27795 checklistsSep 15-21: 1.4% of 29677 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.8% of 35241 checklistsOct 1-7: 2.0% of 28605 checklistsOct 8-14: 1.7% of 28655 checklistsOct 15-21: 1.4% of 24643 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.2% of 34874 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.1% of 25658 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.3% of 25700 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.3% of 24331 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.4% of 32784 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.4% of 24099 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.0% of 23339 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.8% of 27666 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.0% 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. Clark CountyBest the second week of October · 1018 checklists that week, 53,250 in all31%
  2. Grant CountyBest late March · 1169 checklists that week, 19,963 in all24%
  3. Cowlitz CountyBest the second week of February · 508 checklists that week, 15,273 in all22%
  4. Franklin CountyBest mid March · 181 checklists that week, 7,970 in all21%
  5. Adams CountyBest mid March · 152 checklists that week, 4,574 in all19%
  6. Benton CountyBest mid March · 378 checklists that week, 23,565 in all14%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Moores LakeGrays Harbor County, best mid March · 20 checklists that week, 164 in all95%
  2. Marsh Unit OneGrant County, best late March · 51 checklists that week, 263 in all94%
  3. Buckmire SloughClark County, best the second week of February · 47 checklists that week, 1,347 in all94%
  4. Frenchman's Bar Regional ParkClark County, best mid December · 23 checklists that week, 982 in all94%
  5. Mount Saint Helens-Shillapoo Wildlife Area ComplexClark County, best late March · 21 checklists that week, 467 in all94%

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

Best time of day

In Washington, the Sandhill Crane is most often listed on checklists started between 10 am and 12 pm (1.0% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%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: 0.6% of 56744 checklists7 am: 0.8% of 133294 checklists8 am: 0.9% of 184196 checklists9 am: 1.0% of 186303 checklists10 am: 1.0% of 177063 checklists11 am: 1.1% of 154936 checklists12 pm: 0.9% of 138061 checklists1 pm: 0.9% of 127449 checklists2 pm: 0.8% of 121511 checklists3 pm: 0.7% of 107793 checklists4 pm: 0.7% of 82862 checklists5 pm: 0.7% of 57183 checklists6 pm: 0.6% 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
January1.0%1.1%1.1%1.0%
February1.1%1.1%0.9%1.1%
March1.1%1.4%1.5%2.0%
April1.4%1.5%1.1%0.5%
May0.2%0.3%0.3%0.3%
June0.2%0.2%0.2%0.2%
July0.2%0.2%0.2%0.2%
August0.1%0.2%0.1%0.2%
September0.2%0.7%1.4%1.8%
October2.0%1.7%1.4%1.2%
November1.1%1.3%1.3%1.4%
December1.4%1.0%0.8%1.0%

Neighboring states

  • Oregon: arrives early August, 5 weeks earlier than Washington
  • Idaho: arrives late February, 22 weeks later than Washington
  • Montana: arrives early March, 23 weeks later than Washington
  • Nevada: arrives mid February, 21 weeks later than Washington

Common questions

When do Sandhill Cranes arrive in Washington?
Sandhill Cranes are winter birds in Washington: they arrive in the second week of September, peak in early October (1.9% of checklists), and most are gone by mid April.
When do Sandhill Cranes leave Washington?
Most Sandhill Cranes have left Washington by mid April, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Sandhill Crane in Washington?
The Sandhill Crane is reported most often in early October, on about 1.9% of Washington checklists.
Where in Washington are Sandhill Cranes seen most often?
By county, Clark County, Grant County, and Cowlitz County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Sandhill Crane (counties with at least 200 checklists).