WhenToBird

Passerculus sandwichensis · Passerellidae

When Do Savannah Sparrows Arrive in Oregon?

Adult Savannah Sparrow
Photo: Irene, CC0 1.0 via iNaturalist

Savannah Sparrows reach Oregon in mid March, are common by early April, peak in late April (11% of checklists), and most are gone by late October.

When to look

First arrivalsMar 15-21mid March
Common byApr 1-7early April
PeakApr 22-30late April
Most gone byOct 22-31late October

Best: late April. First arrivals mid March; most are gone by late October. Peak: on about 11% of Oregon checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febrare
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 1.8% of 34973 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.8% of 26807 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.3% of 26567 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.3% of 36019 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.1% of 24020 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.0% of 25765 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.9% of 31019 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.2% of 24582 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.0% of 24834 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.3% of 24642 checklistsMar 15-21: 1.9% of 27420 checklistsMar 22-31: 3.3% of 39913 checklistsApr 1-7: 6.4% of 28817 checklistsApr 8-14: 8.2% of 31221 checklistsApr 15-21: 11% of 34402 checklistsApr 22-30: 11% of 47144 checklistsMay 1-7: 11% of 37716 checklistsMay 8-14: 9.2% of 39651 checklistsMay 15-21: 8.2% of 37496 checklistsMay 22-31: 6.8% of 56967 checklistsJun 1-7: 6.1% of 35893 checklistsJun 8-14: 6.0% of 31880 checklistsJun 15-21: 5.8% of 30942 checklistsJun 22-30: 5.4% of 38478 checklistsJul 1-7: 5.7% of 27409 checklistsJul 8-14: 5.6% of 25161 checklistsJul 15-21: 5.2% of 25473 checklistsJul 22-31: 5.2% of 33920 checklistsAug 1-7: 5.8% of 24310 checklistsAug 8-14: 6.5% of 23675 checklistsAug 15-21: 7.0% of 23623 checklistsAug 22-31: 7.5% of 33762 checklistsSep 1-7: 9.2% of 25120 checklistsSep 8-14: 9.4% of 24458 checklistsSep 15-21: 11% of 25528 checklistsSep 22-30: 10% of 31631 checklistsOct 1-7: 7.7% of 25498 checklistsOct 8-14: 7.2% of 25161 checklistsOct 15-21: 5.6% of 23701 checklistsOct 22-31: 4.4% of 30996 checklistsNov 1-7: 3.0% of 21089 checklistsNov 8-14: 2.6% of 21880 checklistsNov 15-21: 2.4% of 21501 checklistsNov 22-30: 2.2% of 28930 checklistsDec 1-7: 2.3% of 19807 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.9% of 21022 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.9% of 24817 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.5% of 37592 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 Oregon 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 Oregon

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Crook CountyBest late April · 239 checklists that week, 9,466 in all27%
  2. Gilliam CountyBest the second week of September · 40 checklists that week, 2,323 in all23%
  3. Polk CountyBest mid May · 784 checklists that week, 29,096 in all22%
  4. Lake CountyBest mid September · 261 checklists that week, 13,301 in all20%
  5. Union CountyBest mid September · 467 checklists that week, 33,301 in all19%
  6. Columbia CountyBest late April · 669 checklists that week, 27,750 in all19%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Knowland SloughClatsop County, best the second week of September · 24 checklists that week, 1,303 in all95%
  2. William L. Finley National Wildlife Refuge Research Natural AreaBenton County, best the second week of June · 40 checklists that week, 2,178 in all93%
  3. Military Slough ReservoirsJackson County, best late September · 21 checklists that week, 1,778 in all92%
  4. Broughton BeachMultnomah County, best mid May · 24 checklists that week, 248 in all92%
  5. Fern Ridge Wildlife Area (Coyote Creek)Lane County, best mid July · 51 checklists that week, 981 in all91%
  6. Glenhaven ParkMultnomah County, best late May · 22 checklists that week, 988 in all91%

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

Best time of day

In Oregon, the Savannah Sparrow is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (8.8% of those checklists).

0%5%10%12 am: too few checklists (1505) to judge1 am: too few checklists (675) to judge2 am: too few checklists (626) to judge3 am: too few checklists (1641) to judge4 am: too few checklists (3696) to judge5 am: too few checklists (14524) to judge6 am: 9.5% of 50677 checklists7 am: 8.6% of 125347 checklists8 am: 7.2% of 163668 checklists9 am: 6.6% of 160351 checklists10 am: 5.6% of 148940 checklists11 am: 4.8% of 124743 checklists12 pm: 4.1% of 112537 checklists1 pm: 3.8% of 98999 checklists2 pm: 3.6% of 94690 checklists3 pm: 3.6% of 87923 checklists4 pm: 3.6% of 75235 checklists5 pm: 4.1% of 54504 checklists6 pm: 4.2% of 40469 checklists7 pm: 3.0% of 33675 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (18715) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (5839) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (2704) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (1549) 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
January1.8%1.8%1.3%1.3%
February1.1%1.0%0.9%1.2%
March1.0%1.3%1.9%3.3%
April6.4%8.2%11%11%
May11%9.2%8.2%6.8%
June6.1%6.0%5.8%5.4%
July5.7%5.6%5.2%5.2%
August5.8%6.5%7.0%7.5%
September9.2%9.4%11%10%
October7.7%7.2%5.6%4.4%
November3.0%2.6%2.4%2.2%
December2.3%1.9%1.9%1.5%

Neighboring states

  • Washington: arrives mid March, in the same week than Oregon
  • Idaho: arrives late March, 1 week later than Oregon
  • Nevada: arrives the second week of July, 15 weeks later than Oregon
  • California: arrives early September, 22 weeks later than Oregon

Common questions

When do Savannah Sparrows arrive in Oregon?
Savannah Sparrows reach Oregon in mid March, are common by early April, peak in late April (11% of checklists), and most are gone by late October.
When do Savannah Sparrows leave Oregon?
Most Savannah Sparrows have left Oregon by late October, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until the second week of January.
When is the best time to see a Savannah Sparrow in Oregon?
The Savannah Sparrow is reported most often in late April, on about 11% of Oregon checklists.
Where in Oregon are Savannah Sparrows seen most often?
By county, Crook County, Gilliam County, and Polk County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Savannah Sparrow (counties with at least 200 checklists).