WhenToBird

Catharus ustulatus · Turdidae

When Do Swainson's Thrushes Arrive in West Virginia?

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

Swainson's Thrushes mostly pass through West Virginia: they arrive in late August, peak in late September (12% of checklists), and most are gone by late October.

When to look

First arrivalsAug 22-31late August
Common byAug 22-31late August
PeakSep 22-30late September
Most gone byOct 22-31late October

Best: late September. First arrivals late August; most are gone by late October. Peak: on about 12% of West Virginia checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marnot usually seen
  4. Aprrare
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Junrare
  7. Julrare
  8. Augrare
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novnot usually seen
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 0% of 4227 checklistsJan 8-14: 0% of 3147 checklistsJan 15-21: 0% of 3410 checklistsJan 22-31: 0% of 4248 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0% of 3150 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0% of 3653 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0% of 5140 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0% of 3846 checklistsMar 1-7: 0% of 3901 checklistsMar 8-14: 0% of 3820 checklistsMar 15-21: 0% of 3781 checklistsMar 22-31: 0% of 5705 checklistsApr 1-7: 0% of 4529 checklistsApr 8-14: 0% of 4935 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.1% of 5429 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.6% of 8015 checklistsMay 1-7: 3.3% of 7421 checklistsMay 8-14: 5.3% of 6910 checklistsMay 15-21: 4.2% of 5596 checklistsMay 22-31: 1.5% of 6884 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.7% of 4123 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.9% of 3957 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.9% of 3863 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.6% of 4217 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.6% of 3491 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.3% of 3044 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.4% of 3095 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.3% of 4120 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.2% of 3009 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.2% of 3007 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.1% of 2905 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.3% of 4312 checklistsSep 1-7: 1.8% of 3429 checklistsSep 8-14: 5.9% of 3217 checklistsSep 15-21: 11% of 3285 checklistsSep 22-30: 14% of 4067 checklistsOct 1-7: 9.9% of 3380 checklistsOct 8-14: 3.6% of 3460 checklistsOct 15-21: 1.0% of 3129 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.3% of 3881 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.1% of 3084 checklistsNov 8-14: 0% of 2869 checklistsNov 15-21: 0% of 2484 checklistsNov 22-30: 0% of 3663 checklistsDec 1-7: 0% of 2574 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.1% of 2680 checklistsDec 15-21: 0% of 3792 checklistsDec 22-31: 0% of 4236 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 West 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.

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Where in West Virginia

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Wetzel CountyBest mid September · 25 checklists that week, 1,196 in all65%
  2. Marshall CountyBest mid September · 17 checklists that week, 895 in all27%
  3. Wood CountyBest late September · 216 checklists that week, 8,802 in all26%
  4. Pleasants CountyBest mid September · 16 checklists that week, 1,671 in all23%
  5. Summers CountyBest late September · 125 checklists that week, 5,370 in all20%
  6. Wayne CountyBest mid September · 19 checklists that week, 816 in all20%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Johnson T. Janes Nature Preserve and Conservation ParkWood County, best mid September · 22 checklists that week, 339 in all58%
  2. Dolly Sods Scenic AreaGrant County, best late September · 28 checklists that week, 194 in all51%
  3. McDonough Wildlife RefugeWood County, best the second week of May · 47 checklists that week, 542 in all45%
  4. Core ArboretumMonongalia County, best mid May · 62 checklists that week, 1,214 in all34%
  5. Kanawha State ForestKanawha County, best the second week of May · 21 checklists that week, 331 in all33%
  6. Ritter ParkCabell County, best the second week of May · 20 checklists that week, 207 in all33%

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

Best time of day

In West Virginia, the Swainson's Thrush is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (3.3% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%12 am: too few checklists (65) to judge1 am: too few checklists (47) to judge2 am: too few checklists (46) to judge3 am: too few checklists (49) to judge4 am: too few checklists (140) to judge5 am: too few checklists (952) to judge6 am: 4.4% of 5860 checklists7 am: 2.9% of 18233 checklists8 am: 2.5% of 24468 checklists9 am: 1.8% of 22542 checklists10 am: 1.1% of 19537 checklists11 am: 0.9% of 16362 checklists12 pm: 1.0% of 14819 checklists1 pm: 0.9% of 12772 checklists2 pm: 0.7% of 11765 checklists3 pm: 0.7% of 12579 checklists4 pm: 0.9% of 11463 checklists5 pm: 0.8% of 9409 checklists6 pm: 0.8% of 6557 checklists7 pm: 0.4% of 4256 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (1589) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (377) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (147) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (86) 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%0%0.1%0.6%
May3.3%5.3%4.2%1.5%
June0.7%0.9%0.9%0.6%
July0.6%0.3%0.4%0.3%
August0.2%0.2%0.1%0.3%
September1.8%5.9%11%14%
October9.9%3.6%1.0%0.3%
November0.1%0%0%0%
December0%0.1%0%0%

Neighboring states

  • Virginia: arrives late April, 16 weeks earlier than West Virginia
  • District of Columbia: arrives late April, 16 weeks earlier than West Virginia
  • Maryland: arrives late April, 16 weeks earlier than West Virginia
  • Ohio: arrives mid April, 17 weeks earlier than West Virginia

Common questions

When do Swainson's Thrushes arrive in West Virginia?
Swainson's Thrushes mostly pass through West Virginia: they arrive in late August, peak in late September (12% of checklists), and most are gone by late October.
When do Swainson's Thrushes leave West Virginia?
Most Swainson's Thrushes have left West Virginia by late October, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Swainson's Thrush in West Virginia?
The Swainson's Thrush is reported most often in late September, on about 12% of West Virginia checklists.
Where in West Virginia are Swainson's Thrushes seen most often?
By county, Wetzel County, Marshall County, and Wood County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Swainson's Thrush (counties with at least 200 checklists).