WhenToBird

Myadestes townsendi · Turdidae

When Do Townsend's Solitaires Arrive in Washington?

Adult Townsend's Solitaire
Photo: Cole Wolf, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Townsend's Solitaires reach Washington in early November, are common by the second week of November, peak in mid April (1.4% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of October.

When to look

First arrivalsNov 1-7early November
Common byNov 8-14the second week of November
PeakApr 15-21mid April
Most gone byOct 8-14the second week of October

Best: mid April. First arrivals early November; most are gone by the second week of October. Peak: on about 1.4% of Washington checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%0.5%1%1.5%2%Jan 1-7: 0.4% of 41928 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.5% of 31152 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.4% of 31753 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.5% of 42530 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.4% of 29739 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.4% of 32746 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.4% of 40328 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.5% of 28432 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.4% of 30758 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.4% of 29368 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.4% of 32580 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.4% of 45614 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.7% of 33997 checklistsApr 8-14: 1.3% of 34729 checklistsApr 15-21: 1.6% of 38474 checklistsApr 22-30: 1.2% of 52185 checklistsMay 1-7: 1.0% of 44236 checklistsMay 8-14: 1.0% of 48708 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.9% of 41742 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.8% of 57082 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.7% of 39193 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.8% of 36042 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.9% of 34003 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.8% of 39711 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.8% of 31949 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.7% of 29086 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.7% of 28045 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.5% of 38275 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.5% of 28846 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.4% of 28036 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.3% of 27614 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.4% of 40356 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.7% of 31214 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.8% of 27795 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.9% of 29677 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.7% of 35241 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.6% of 28605 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.5% of 28655 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.4% of 24643 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.4% of 34874 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.3% of 25658 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.6% of 25700 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.4% of 24331 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.4% of 32784 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.4% of 24099 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.4% of 23339 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.5% of 27666 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.6% 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. Columbia CountyBest early March · 19 checklists that week, 1,894 in all12%
  2. Adams CountyBest mid September · 81 checklists that week, 4,574 in all11%
  3. Okanogan CountyBest mid April · 270 checklists that week, 23,048 in all8.0%
  4. Walla Walla CountyBest mid December · 525 checklists that week, 35,829 in all6.9%
  5. Asotin CountyBest late November · 108 checklists that week, 4,316 in all6.7%
  6. Grant CountyBest mid November · 174 checklists that week, 19,963 in all6.7%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Mill Creek LakeWalla Walla County, best the second week of December · 24 checklists that week, 1,725 in all77%
  2. Green River Watershed Watershed WithdrawalKing County, best early July · 21 checklists that week, 115 in all57%
  3. Snoqualmie National ForestYakima County, best the second week of May · 22 checklists that week, 240 in all40%
  4. Steamboat RockGrant County, best mid October · 21 checklists that week, 547 in all35%
  5. Skagit, Washington Wild and Scenic RiverSkagit County, best mid April · 28 checklists that week, 574 in all32%
  6. Steptoe ButteWhitman County, best the second week of November · 20 checklists that week, 483 in all32%

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

Best time of day

In Washington, the Townsend's Solitaire is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (0.9% 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: 1.0% of 56744 checklists7 am: 0.8% of 133294 checklists8 am: 0.8% of 184196 checklists9 am: 0.7% of 186303 checklists10 am: 0.7% of 177063 checklists11 am: 0.6% of 154936 checklists12 pm: 0.6% of 138061 checklists1 pm: 0.6% of 127449 checklists2 pm: 0.5% of 121511 checklists3 pm: 0.4% of 107793 checklists4 pm: 0.4% of 82862 checklists5 pm: 0.4% of 57183 checklists6 pm: 0.5% 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
January0.4%0.5%0.4%0.5%
February0.4%0.4%0.4%0.5%
March0.4%0.4%0.4%0.4%
April0.7%1.3%1.6%1.2%
May1.0%1.0%0.9%0.8%
June0.7%0.8%0.9%0.8%
July0.8%0.7%0.7%0.5%
August0.5%0.4%0.3%0.4%
September0.7%0.8%0.9%0.7%
October0.6%0.5%0.4%0.4%
November0.3%0.6%0.4%0.4%
December0.4%0.4%0.5%0.6%

Neighboring states

  • Oregon: arrives late August, 9 weeks earlier than Washington
  • Idaho: arrives early September, 8 weeks earlier than Washington
  • Montana: arrives the second week of September, 7 weeks earlier than Washington
  • Nevada: arrives early September, 8 weeks earlier than Washington

Common questions

When do Townsend's Solitaires arrive in Washington?
Townsend's Solitaires reach Washington in early November, are common by the second week of November, peak in mid April (1.4% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of October.
When do Townsend's Solitaires leave Washington?
Most Townsend's Solitaires have left Washington by the second week of October, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until mid October.
When is the best time to see a Townsend's Solitaire in Washington?
The Townsend's Solitaire is reported most often in mid April, on about 1.4% of Washington checklists.
Where in Washington are Townsend's Solitaires seen most often?
By county, Columbia County, Adams County, and Okanogan County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Townsend's Solitaire (counties with at least 200 checklists).