WhenToBird

Melospiza melodia · Passerellidae

When Do Song Sparrows Arrive in Washington?

Adult Song Sparrow
Photo: Bill Keim, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

The Song Sparrow is in Washington all year. It turns up on about 54% of checklists at its peak (late March) and on 31% in its quietest week (the second week of August).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekMar 22-31late March
Quietest weekAug 8-14the second week of August

Best: late March. Here all year. Peak: on about 54% of Washington checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augcommon
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%20%40%60%Jan 1-7: 47% of 41928 checklistsJan 8-14: 47% of 31152 checklistsJan 15-21: 48% of 31753 checklistsJan 22-31: 47% of 42530 checklistsFeb 1-7: 47% of 29739 checklistsFeb 8-14: 49% of 32746 checklistsFeb 15-21: 46% of 40328 checklistsFeb 22-28: 50% of 28432 checklistsMar 1-7: 52% of 30758 checklistsMar 8-14: 52% of 29368 checklistsMar 15-21: 54% of 32580 checklistsMar 22-31: 54% of 45614 checklistsApr 1-7: 54% of 33997 checklistsApr 8-14: 52% of 34729 checklistsApr 15-21: 52% of 38474 checklistsApr 22-30: 53% of 52185 checklistsMay 1-7: 53% of 44236 checklistsMay 8-14: 52% of 48708 checklistsMay 15-21: 51% of 41742 checklistsMay 22-31: 52% of 57082 checklistsJun 1-7: 51% of 39193 checklistsJun 8-14: 50% of 36042 checklistsJun 15-21: 50% of 34003 checklistsJun 22-30: 51% of 39711 checklistsJul 1-7: 50% of 31949 checklistsJul 8-14: 48% of 29086 checklistsJul 15-21: 43% of 28045 checklistsJul 22-31: 37% of 38275 checklistsAug 1-7: 33% of 28846 checklistsAug 8-14: 31% of 28036 checklistsAug 15-21: 30% of 27614 checklistsAug 22-31: 33% of 40356 checklistsSep 1-7: 37% of 31214 checklistsSep 8-14: 40% of 27795 checklistsSep 15-21: 43% of 29677 checklistsSep 22-30: 47% of 35241 checklistsOct 1-7: 50% of 28605 checklistsOct 8-14: 50% of 28655 checklistsOct 15-21: 50% of 24643 checklistsOct 22-31: 51% of 34874 checklistsNov 1-7: 49% of 25658 checklistsNov 8-14: 50% of 25700 checklistsNov 15-21: 50% of 24331 checklistsNov 22-30: 51% of 32784 checklistsDec 1-7: 50% of 24099 checklistsDec 8-14: 51% of 23339 checklistsDec 15-21: 51% of 27666 checklistsDec 22-31: 51% 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. Wahkiakum CountyBest the second week of July · 106 checklists that week, 5,618 in all85%
  2. Cowlitz CountyBest late April · 419 checklists that week, 15,273 in all73%
  3. Kitsap CountyBest late May · 2443 checklists that week, 74,545 in all73%
  4. Clark CountyBest the second week of May · 1444 checklists that week, 53,250 in all70%
  5. Garfield CountyBest the second week of November · 36 checklists that week, 1,130 in all70%
  6. Thurston CountyBest mid June · 1245 checklists that week, 68,352 in all68%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Miller CreekKing County, best late June · 21 checklists that week, 836 in all100%
  2. Lake Hills Greenbelt ParkKing County, best late March · 27 checklists that week, 1,360 in all100%
  3. Marysville Sewage LagoonSnohomish County, best the second week of July · 27 checklists that week, 1,523 in all100%
  4. Sportsmans LakeSan Juan County, best mid May · 25 checklists that week, 609 in all99%

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

Best time of day

In Washington, the Song Sparrow is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (58% of those checklists).

0%20%40%60%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: 57% of 56744 checklists7 am: 59% of 133294 checklists8 am: 58% of 184196 checklists9 am: 54% of 186303 checklists10 am: 52% of 177063 checklists11 am: 48% of 154936 checklists12 pm: 44% of 138061 checklists1 pm: 43% of 127449 checklists2 pm: 41% of 121511 checklists3 pm: 40% of 107793 checklists4 pm: 39% of 82862 checklists5 pm: 38% of 57183 checklists6 pm: 37% 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
January47%47%48%47%
February47%49%46%50%
March52%52%54%54%
April54%52%52%53%
May53%52%51%52%
June51%50%50%51%
July50%48%43%37%
August33%31%30%33%
September37%40%43%47%
October50%50%50%51%
November49%50%50%51%
December50%51%51%51%

Neighboring states

  • Oregon: year-round, peaks the second week of April
  • Idaho: year-round, peaks mid March
  • Montana: all year, most in spring, peaks early May
  • Nevada: year-round, peaks the second week of November

Common questions

When do Song Sparrows arrive in Washington?
The Song Sparrow is in Washington all year. It turns up on about 54% of checklists at its peak (late March) and on 31% in its quietest week (the second week of August).
When do Song Sparrows leave Washington?
The Song Sparrow does not leave Washington: it is reported all year, from 31% of checklists in the second week of August to 54% in late March.
When is the best time to see a Song Sparrow in Washington?
The Song Sparrow is reported most often in late March, on about 54% of Washington checklists.
Where in Washington are Song Sparrows seen most often?
By county, Wahkiakum County, Cowlitz County, and Kitsap County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Song Sparrow (counties with at least 200 checklists).