WhenToBird

Cygnus buccinator · Anatidae

When Do Trumpeter Swans Arrive in Washington?

Adult Trumpeter Swan
Photo: brentnmoran, CC BY-SA 4.0 via iNaturalist

Trumpeter Swans are winter birds in Washington: the first arrive in late October, they are common by early November, peak in late November (7.8% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of March.

When to look

First arrivalsOct 22-31late October
Common byNov 1-7early November
PeakNov 22-30late November
Most gone byMar 8-14the second week of March

Best: late November. First arrivals late October; most are gone by the second week of March. Peak: on about 7.8% of Washington checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprrare
  5. Maynot usually seen
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepnot usually seen
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%5%10%Jan 1-7: 7.5% of 41928 checklistsJan 8-14: 7.7% of 31152 checklistsJan 15-21: 7.4% of 31753 checklistsJan 22-31: 7.0% of 42530 checklistsFeb 1-7: 6.6% of 29739 checklistsFeb 8-14: 5.8% of 32746 checklistsFeb 15-21: 5.2% of 40328 checklistsFeb 22-28: 5.6% of 28432 checklistsMar 1-7: 5.3% of 30758 checklistsMar 8-14: 4.3% of 29368 checklistsMar 15-21: 2.9% of 32580 checklistsMar 22-31: 1.3% of 45614 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.6% of 33997 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.3% of 34729 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.2% of 38474 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.2% of 52185 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.2% of 44236 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.1% of 48708 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 41742 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 57082 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 39193 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 36042 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.1% of 34003 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.1% of 39711 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.1% of 31949 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.1% of 29086 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.1% of 28045 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.1% of 38275 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.1% of 28846 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.1% of 28036 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.1% of 27614 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.1% of 40356 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.1% of 31214 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.1% of 27795 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.1% of 29677 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.1% of 35241 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.1% of 28605 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.1% of 28655 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.2% of 24643 checklistsOct 22-31: 2.3% of 34874 checklistsNov 1-7: 4.6% of 25658 checklistsNov 8-14: 6.5% of 25700 checklistsNov 15-21: 7.5% of 24331 checklistsNov 22-30: 7.7% of 32784 checklistsDec 1-7: 8.1% of 24099 checklistsDec 8-14: 7.3% of 23339 checklistsDec 15-21: 6.5% of 27666 checklistsDec 22-31: 7.2% 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.

Embed this map on your site

Where in Washington

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Skagit CountyBest early January · 2295 checklists that week, 78,154 in all34%
  2. Clark CountyBest mid December · 809 checklists that week, 53,250 in all18%
  3. Whatcom CountyBest the second week of November · 1033 checklists that week, 64,687 in all16%
  4. Lewis CountyBest early December · 137 checklists that week, 12,910 in all15%
  5. Okanogan CountyBest the second week of November · 183 checklists that week, 23,048 in all12%
  6. Snohomish CountyBest early February · 2590 checklists that week, 131,467 in all11%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. High RockSnohomish County, best the second week of February · 134 checklists that week, 254 in all96%
  2. Crescent LakeSnohomish County, best late November · 35 checklists that week, 1,206 in all94%
  3. Port Susan BaySnohomish County, best late February · 24 checklists that week, 454 in all93%
  4. Dugualla BayIsland County, best the second week of February · 22 checklists that week, 1,169 in all92%

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

Best time of day

In Washington, the Trumpeter Swan is most often listed on checklists started between 1 and 3 pm (3.4% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%4%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: 0.5% of 56744 checklists7 am: 1.6% of 133294 checklists8 am: 2.4% of 184196 checklists9 am: 2.6% of 186303 checklists10 am: 2.9% of 177063 checklists11 am: 3.1% of 154936 checklists12 pm: 3.1% of 138061 checklists1 pm: 3.3% of 127449 checklists2 pm: 3.5% of 121511 checklists3 pm: 3.2% of 107793 checklists4 pm: 2.2% of 82862 checklists5 pm: 0.9% of 57183 checklists6 pm: 0.3% 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
January7.5%7.7%7.4%7.0%
February6.6%5.8%5.2%5.6%
March5.3%4.3%2.9%1.3%
April0.6%0.3%0.2%0.2%
May0.2%0.1%0.1%0.1%
June0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
July0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
August0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
September0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
October0.1%0.1%0.2%2.3%
November4.6%6.5%7.5%7.7%
December8.1%7.3%6.5%7.2%

Neighboring states

  • Oregon: arrives late October, in the same week than Washington
  • Idaho: arrives late October, in the same week than Washington
  • Montana: arrives mid July, 13 weeks earlier than Washington
  • Utah: arrives the second week of November, 2 weeks later than Washington

Common questions

When do Trumpeter Swans arrive in Washington?
Trumpeter Swans are winter birds in Washington: the first arrive in late October, they are common by early November, peak in late November (7.8% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of March.
When do Trumpeter Swans leave Washington?
Most Trumpeter Swans have left Washington by the second week of March, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until late March.
When is the best time to see a Trumpeter Swan in Washington?
The Trumpeter Swan is reported most often in late November, on about 7.8% of Washington checklists.
Where in Washington are Trumpeter Swans seen most often?
By county, Skagit County, Clark County, and Whatcom County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Trumpeter Swan (counties with at least 200 checklists).