WhenToBird

Catharus ustulatus · Turdidae

When Do Swainson's Thrushes Arrive in Oregon?

Adult Swainson's Thrush
Photo: Dani Alba, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Swainson's Thrushes reach Oregon in early May, are common by mid May, peak in early July (24% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of September.

When to look

First arrivalsMay 1-7early May
Common byMay 15-21mid May
PeakJul 1-7early July
Most gone bySep 8-14the second week of September

Best: early July. First arrivals early May; most are gone by the second week of September. Peak: on about 24% of Oregon checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marnot usually seen
  4. Aprnot usually seen
  5. Maycommon
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octrare
  11. Novnot usually seen
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%10%20%30%Jan 1-7: 0% of 34973 checklistsJan 8-14: 0% of 26807 checklistsJan 15-21: 0% of 26567 checklistsJan 22-31: 0% of 36019 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0% of 24020 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0% of 25765 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0% of 31019 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0% of 24582 checklistsMar 1-7: 0% of 24834 checklistsMar 8-14: 0% of 24642 checklistsMar 15-21: 0% of 27420 checklistsMar 22-31: 0% of 39913 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.1% of 28817 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.1% of 31221 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.1% of 34402 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.1% of 47144 checklistsMay 1-7: 1.6% of 37716 checklistsMay 8-14: 6.9% of 39651 checklistsMay 15-21: 13% of 37496 checklistsMay 22-31: 16% of 56967 checklistsJun 1-7: 19% of 35893 checklistsJun 8-14: 21% of 31880 checklistsJun 15-21: 22% of 30942 checklistsJun 22-30: 23% of 38478 checklistsJul 1-7: 25% of 27409 checklistsJul 8-14: 24% of 25161 checklistsJul 15-21: 21% of 25473 checklistsJul 22-31: 15% of 33920 checklistsAug 1-7: 8.3% of 24310 checklistsAug 8-14: 5.5% of 23675 checklistsAug 15-21: 4.6% of 23623 checklistsAug 22-31: 5.8% of 33762 checklistsSep 1-7: 8.3% of 25120 checklistsSep 8-14: 8.4% of 24458 checklistsSep 15-21: 6.5% of 25528 checklistsSep 22-30: 3.9% of 31631 checklistsOct 1-7: 2.8% of 25498 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.6% of 25161 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.2% of 23701 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.1% of 30996 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.1% of 21089 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.1% of 21880 checklistsNov 15-21: 0% of 21501 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.1% of 28930 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.1% of 19807 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.1% of 21022 checklistsDec 15-21: 0% of 24817 checklistsDec 22-31: 0% 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. Tillamook CountyBest early July · 1030 checklists that week, 45,809 in all64%
  2. Yamhill CountyBest mid June · 266 checklists that week, 11,537 in all56%
  3. Lincoln CountyBest late June · 1624 checklists that week, 66,994 in all51%
  4. Curry CountyBest mid June · 226 checklists that week, 12,513 in all51%
  5. Coos CountyBest the second week of June · 459 checklists that week, 24,368 in all50%
  6. Linn CountyBest early July · 511 checklists that week, 27,533 in all43%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Anderson ParkBenton County, best the second week of June · 23 checklists that week, 143 in all98%
  2. Grand Island Willamette River GreenwayYamhill County, best late June · 22 checklists that week, 249 in all96%
  3. River Island Natural AreaClackamas County, best mid June · 20 checklists that week, 770 in all95%

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

Best time of day

In Oregon, the Swainson's Thrush is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (11% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%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: 15% of 50677 checklists7 am: 9.6% of 125347 checklists8 am: 7.4% of 163668 checklists9 am: 6.4% of 160351 checklists10 am: 5.4% of 148940 checklists11 am: 4.2% of 124743 checklists12 pm: 3.4% of 112537 checklists1 pm: 3.1% of 98999 checklists2 pm: 2.9% of 94690 checklists3 pm: 2.9% of 87923 checklists4 pm: 3.2% of 75235 checklists5 pm: 4.2% of 54504 checklists6 pm: 5.9% of 40469 checklists7 pm: 6.8% 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
January0%0%0%0%
February0%0%0%0%
March0%0%0%0%
April0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
May1.6%6.9%13%16%
June19%21%22%23%
July25%24%21%15%
August8.3%5.5%4.6%5.8%
September8.3%8.4%6.5%3.9%
October2.8%0.6%0.2%0.1%
November0.1%0.1%0%0.1%
December0.1%0.1%0%0%

Neighboring states

  • Washington: arrives the second week of May, 1 week later than Oregon
  • Idaho: arrives mid May, 2 weeks later than Oregon
  • Nevada: arrives the second week of May, 1 week later than Oregon
  • California: arrives mid April, 2 weeks earlier than Oregon

Common questions

When do Swainson's Thrushes arrive in Oregon?
Swainson's Thrushes reach Oregon in early May, are common by mid May, peak in early July (24% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of September.
When do Swainson's Thrushes leave Oregon?
Most Swainson's Thrushes have left Oregon by the second week of September, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until early October.
When is the best time to see a Swainson's Thrush in Oregon?
The Swainson's Thrush is reported most often in early July, on about 24% of Oregon checklists.
Where in Oregon are Swainson's Thrushes seen most often?
By county, Tillamook County, Yamhill County, and Lincoln County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Swainson's Thrush (counties with at least 200 checklists).