WhenToBird

Limnodromus griseus · Scolopacidae

When Do Short-billed Dowitchers Arrive in Virginia?

Adult Short-billed Dowitcher
Photo: datadan, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Short-billed Dowitchers arrive in Virginia in the second week of July, peak in mid August (1.6% of checklists), and most are gone by mid September.

When to look

First arrivalsJul 8-14the second week of July
Common byJul 8-14the second week of July
PeakAug 15-21mid August
Most gone bySep 15-21mid September

Best: mid August. First arrivals the second week of July; most are gone by mid September. Peak: on about 1.6% of Virginia checklists.

  1. Janrare
  2. Febrare
  3. Marrare
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Jununcommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Decrare

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

0%0.5%1%1.5%2%Jan 1-7: 0.1% of 32817 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.1% of 25111 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.1% of 25510 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.1% of 34492 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.1% of 24950 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.1% of 28224 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.1% of 43578 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.1% of 26467 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.1% of 25851 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.1% of 25901 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.1% of 26747 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.2% of 40819 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.4% of 31351 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.4% of 33239 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.5% of 37284 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.6% of 54364 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.9% of 47698 checklistsMay 8-14: 1.1% of 46174 checklistsMay 15-21: 1.4% of 36444 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.6% of 43203 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.2% of 28503 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.2% of 25485 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.1% of 23728 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.1% of 28785 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.3% of 22294 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.7% of 20481 checklistsJul 15-21: 1.3% of 18914 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.9% of 26976 checklistsAug 1-7: 1.1% of 19555 checklistsAug 8-14: 1.3% of 18744 checklistsAug 15-21: 1.4% of 18721 checklistsAug 22-31: 1.8% of 28763 checklistsSep 1-7: 1.1% of 23594 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.8% of 22581 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.3% of 23036 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.3% of 29687 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.2% of 24321 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.2% of 23946 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.2% of 22191 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.2% of 30161 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.1% of 21431 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.4% of 22758 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.1% of 19988 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.2% of 27665 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.1% of 19324 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.1% of 20316 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.1% of 25675 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.2% of 38677 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 Virginia 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.

Embed this map on your site

Where in Virginia

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Surry CountyBest mid August · 54 checklists that week, 2,669 in all35%
  2. Mathews CountyBest late August · 120 checklists that week, 3,594 in all28%
  3. Poquoson CountyBest the second week of April · 109 checklists that week, 2,669 in all24%
  4. Accomack CountyBest the second week of May · 1485 checklists that week, 43,278 in all21%
  5. Halifax CountyBest early September · 124 checklists that week, 7,202 in all8.7%
  6. Charles CityBest late July · 43 checklists that week, 2,357 in all8.5%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Hog Island Wildlife Management AreaSurry County, best the second week of July · 32 checklists that week, 849 in all64%
  2. Little Toms Cove (northwest)Accomack County, best the second week of May · 32 checklists that week, 1,972 in all59%
  3. Bethel Beach State Natural Area PreserveMathews County, best late August · 47 checklists that week, 931 in all56%
  4. Toms CoveAccomack County, best the second week of May · 38 checklists that week, 937 in all52%
  5. Chincoteague National Wildlife RefugeAccomack County, best mid May · 103 checklists that week, 2,784 in all48%
  6. Little Toms CoveAccomack County, best late April · 64 checklists that week, 2,044 in all45%

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

Best time of day

In Virginia, the Short-billed Dowitcher is most often listed on checklists started between 5 and 7 pm (0.6% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%12 am: too few checklists (485) to judge1 am: too few checklists (488) to judge2 am: too few checklists (423) to judge3 am: too few checklists (565) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1410) to judge5 am: too few checklists (10265) to judge6 am: 0.8% of 64788 checklists7 am: 0.4% of 169128 checklists8 am: 0.4% of 180748 checklists9 am: 0.4% of 153462 checklists10 am: 0.4% of 128966 checklists11 am: 0.4% of 104204 checklists12 pm: 0.4% of 91604 checklists1 pm: 0.4% of 85547 checklists2 pm: 0.4% of 82355 checklists3 pm: 0.5% of 82265 checklists4 pm: 0.5% of 76714 checklists5 pm: 0.6% of 56782 checklists6 pm: 0.6% of 40131 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (24290) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (7744) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2383) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1122) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (651) 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
January0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
February0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
March0.1%0.1%0.1%0.2%
April0.4%0.4%0.5%0.6%
May0.9%1.1%1.4%0.6%
June0.2%0.2%0.1%0.1%
July0.3%0.7%1.3%0.9%
August1.1%1.3%1.4%1.8%
September1.1%0.8%0.3%0.3%
October0.2%0.2%0.2%0.2%
November0.1%0.4%0.1%0.2%
December0.1%0.1%0.1%0.2%

Neighboring states

  • Maryland: arrives the second week of July, in the same week than Virginia
  • Delaware: arrives the second week of April, 12 weeks earlier than Virginia
  • North Carolina: arrives mid April, 11 weeks earlier than Virginia
  • New Jersey: arrives mid April, 11 weeks earlier than Virginia

Common questions

When do Short-billed Dowitchers arrive in Virginia?
Short-billed Dowitchers arrive in Virginia in the second week of July, peak in mid August (1.6% of checklists), and most are gone by mid September.
When do Short-billed Dowitchers leave Virginia?
Most Short-billed Dowitchers have left Virginia by mid September, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Short-billed Dowitcher in Virginia?
The Short-billed Dowitcher is reported most often in mid August, on about 1.6% of Virginia checklists.
Where in Virginia are Short-billed Dowitchers seen most often?
By county, Surry County, Mathews County, and Poquoson County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Short-billed Dowitcher (counties with at least 200 checklists).