WhenToBird

Asio flammeus · Strigidae

When Do Short-eared Owls Arrive in Washington?

Adult female Short-eared Owl
Photo: ewransky, CC BY-SA 4.0 via iNaturalist

Short-eared Owls are winter birds in Washington: they arrive in early November, peak in late November (1.1% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of March.

When to look

First arrivalsNov 1-7early November
Common byNov 1-7early November
PeakNov 22-30late November
Most gone byMar 8-14the second week of March

Best: late November. First arrivals early November; most are gone by the second week of March. Peak: on about 1.1% of Washington 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%0.5%1%1.5%Jan 1-7: 1.0% of 41928 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.2% of 31152 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.2% of 31753 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.0% of 42530 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.9% of 29739 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.9% of 32746 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.7% of 40328 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.7% of 28432 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.7% of 30758 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.5% of 29368 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.4% of 32580 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.3% of 45614 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.2% of 33997 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.2% of 34729 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.1% of 38474 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.1% of 52185 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.1% of 44236 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.1% of 48708 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 41742 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 57082 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 39193 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 36042 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.1% of 34003 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.1% of 39711 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.1% of 31949 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.1% of 29086 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.1% of 28045 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.1% of 38275 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.1% of 28846 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.1% of 28036 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.1% of 27614 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.1% of 40356 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.1% of 31214 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.1% of 27795 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.1% of 29677 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.1% of 35241 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.1% of 28605 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.1% of 28655 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.2% of 24643 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.4% of 34874 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.7% of 25658 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.1% of 25700 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.1% of 24331 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.1% of 32784 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.3% of 24099 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.9% 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. Skagit CountyBest early December · 1348 checklists that week, 78,154 in all8.5%
  2. San Juan CountyBest mid January · 544 checklists that week, 35,337 in all5.3%
  3. Clark CountyBest late December · 1396 checklists that week, 53,250 in all4.0%
  4. Garfield CountyBest late December · 13 checklists that week, 1,130 in all3.7%
  5. Lincoln CountyBest the second week of December · 58 checklists that week, 6,135 in all3.4%
  6. Asotin CountyBest early July · 103 checklists that week, 4,316 in all3.1%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Old Town LagoonSan Juan County, best mid January · 25 checklists that week, 890 in all55%
  2. Buckmire SloughClark County, best early January · 22 checklists that week, 1,347 in all52%
  3. SamishSkagit County, best early December · 39 checklists that week, 1,512 in all46%

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

Best time of day

In Washington, the Short-eared Owl is most often listed on checklists started between 3 and 5 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: 0.2% of 56744 checklists7 am: 0.2% of 133294 checklists8 am: 0.2% of 184196 checklists9 am: 0.2% of 186303 checklists10 am: 0.2% of 177063 checklists11 am: 0.2% of 154936 checklists12 pm: 0.3% of 138061 checklists1 pm: 0.5% of 127449 checklists2 pm: 0.8% of 121511 checklists3 pm: 1.1% of 107793 checklists4 pm: 0.9% of 82862 checklists5 pm: 0.4% of 57183 checklists6 pm: 0.3% 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%1.2%1.2%1.0%
February0.9%0.9%0.7%0.7%
March0.7%0.5%0.4%0.3%
April0.2%0.2%0.1%0.1%
May0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
June0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
July0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
August0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
September0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
October0.1%0.1%0.2%0.4%
November0.7%1.1%1.1%1.1%
December1.3%0.9%0.8%1.0%

Neighboring states

  • South Dakota: arrives mid October, 2 weeks earlier than Washington
  • Alaska: arrives mid September, 6 weeks earlier than Washington
  • Iowa: arrives the second week of November, 1 week later than Washington
  • Missouri: arrives the second week of November, 1 week later than Washington

Common questions

When do Short-eared Owls arrive in Washington?
Short-eared Owls are winter birds in Washington: they arrive in early November, peak in late November (1.1% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of March.
When do Short-eared Owls leave Washington?
Most Short-eared Owls have left Washington by the second week of March, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Short-eared Owl in Washington?
The Short-eared Owl is reported most often in late November, on about 1.1% of Washington checklists.
Where in Washington are Short-eared Owls seen most often?
By county, Skagit County, San Juan County, and Clark County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Short-eared Owl (counties with at least 200 checklists).