WhenToBird

Limnothlypis swainsonii · Parulidae

When Do Swainson's Warblers Arrive in West Virginia?

Adult Swainson's Warbler
Photo: Ken Clark, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Swainson's Warblers arrive in West Virginia in mid April, peak in the second week of May (1.5% of checklists), and most are gone by mid July.

When to look

First arrivalsApr 15-21mid April
Common byApr 15-21mid April
PeakMay 8-14the second week of May
Most gone byJul 15-21mid July

Best: the second week of May. First arrivals mid April; most are gone by mid July. Peak: on about 1.5% of West Virginia checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marnot usually seen
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julcommon
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Seprare
  10. Octnot usually seen
  11. Novnot usually seen
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%0.5%1%1.5%2%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: 0.1% of 4935 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.2% of 5429 checklistsApr 22-30: 1.0% of 8015 checklistsMay 1-7: 1.9% of 7421 checklistsMay 8-14: 1.1% of 6910 checklistsMay 15-21: 1.4% of 5596 checklistsMay 22-31: 1.8% of 6884 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.9% of 4123 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.8% of 3957 checklistsJun 15-21: 1.0% of 3863 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.7% of 4217 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.8% of 3491 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.8% of 3044 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.5% of 3095 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.4% of 4120 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.3% of 3009 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.1% of 3007 checklistsAug 15-21: 0% of 2905 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.2% of 4312 checklistsSep 1-7: 0% of 3429 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.2% of 3217 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.1% of 3285 checklistsSep 22-30: 0% of 4067 checklistsOct 1-7: 0% of 3380 checklistsOct 8-14: 0% of 3460 checklistsOct 15-21: 0% of 3129 checklistsOct 22-31: 0% of 3881 checklistsNov 1-7: 0% 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% 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. Nicholas CountyBest late May · 95 checklists that week, 2,123 in all17%
  2. Fayette CountyBest mid May · 287 checklists that week, 6,169 in all17%
  3. Braxton CountyBest late June · 19 checklists that week, 673 in all8.3%
  4. Kanawha CountyBest early May · 379 checklists that week, 12,108 in all3.3%
  5. Raleigh CountyBest late May · 212 checklists that week, 7,579 in all2.1%
  6. Wood CountyBest mid April · 255 checklists that week, 8,802 in all1.0%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. New River Gorge National Park and Preserve (Greyhound Rapids)Fayette County, best late May · 39 checklists that week, 299 in all52%
  2. Adkins BranchFayette County, best late May · 31 checklists that week, 227 in all38%
  3. Babcock State ParkFayette County, best early May · 36 checklists that week, 160 in all31%
  4. Brushy ForkNicholas County, best early May · 33 checklists that week, 365 in all18%
  5. Kanawha State ForestKanawha County, best early May · 35 checklists that week, 331 in all16%
  6. White ParkMonongalia County, best the second week of May · 24 checklists that week, 249 in all7.8%

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

Best time of day

In West Virginia, the Swainson's Warbler is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (0.8% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%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: 1.1% of 5860 checklists7 am: 0.7% of 18233 checklists8 am: 0.5% of 24468 checklists9 am: 0.4% of 22542 checklists10 am: 0.4% of 19537 checklists11 am: 0.4% of 16362 checklists12 pm: 0.3% of 14819 checklists1 pm: 0.2% of 12772 checklists2 pm: 0.3% of 11765 checklists3 pm: 0.2% of 12579 checklists4 pm: 0.2% of 11463 checklists5 pm: 0.2% of 9409 checklists6 pm: 0.4% 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%0.1%0.2%1.0%
May1.9%1.1%1.4%1.8%
June0.9%0.8%1.0%0.7%
July0.8%0.8%0.5%0.4%
August0.3%0.1%0%0.2%
September0%0.2%0.1%0%
October0%0%0%0%
November0%0%0%0%
December0%0%0%0%

Neighboring states

  • North Carolina: arrives the second week of April, 1 week earlier than West Virginia
  • Kentucky: arrives mid April, in the same week than West Virginia
  • South Carolina: arrives the second week of April, 1 week earlier than West Virginia
  • Tennessee: arrives mid April, in the same week than West Virginia

Common questions

When do Swainson's Warblers arrive in West Virginia?
Swainson's Warblers arrive in West Virginia in mid April, peak in the second week of May (1.5% of checklists), and most are gone by mid July.
When do Swainson's Warblers leave West Virginia?
Most Swainson's Warblers have left West Virginia by mid July, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Swainson's Warbler in West Virginia?
The Swainson's Warbler is reported most often in the second week of May, on about 1.5% of West Virginia checklists.
Where in West Virginia are Swainson's Warblers seen most often?
By county, Nicholas County, Fayette County, and Braxton County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Swainson's Warbler (counties with at least 200 checklists).