WhenToBird

Ixoreus naevius · Turdidae

When Do Varied Thrushes Arrive in Washington?

Adult male Varied Thrush
Photo: Sunny Zhang 张迎新, CC0 1.0 via iNaturalist

Varied Thrushes are winter birds in Washington: the first arrive in the second week of September, they are common by early October, peak in early March (13% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of April.

When to look

First arrivalsSep 8-14the second week of September
Common byOct 1-7early October
PeakMar 1-7early March
Most gone byApr 8-14the second week of April

Best: early March. First arrivals the second week of September; most are gone by the second week of April. Peak: on about 13% of Washington checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Jununcommon
  7. Juluncommon
  8. Augrare
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 11% of 41928 checklistsJan 8-14: 10% of 31152 checklistsJan 15-21: 10% of 31753 checklistsJan 22-31: 8.7% of 42530 checklistsFeb 1-7: 9.6% of 29739 checklistsFeb 8-14: 13% of 32746 checklistsFeb 15-21: 12% of 40328 checklistsFeb 22-28: 13% of 28432 checklistsMar 1-7: 12% of 30758 checklistsMar 8-14: 13% of 29368 checklistsMar 15-21: 12% of 32580 checklistsMar 22-31: 9.2% of 45614 checklistsApr 1-7: 7.5% of 33997 checklistsApr 8-14: 6.0% of 34729 checklistsApr 15-21: 4.9% of 38474 checklistsApr 22-30: 3.2% of 52185 checklistsMay 1-7: 1.7% of 44236 checklistsMay 8-14: 1.2% of 48708 checklistsMay 15-21: 1.2% of 41742 checklistsMay 22-31: 1.2% of 57082 checklistsJun 1-7: 1.2% of 39193 checklistsJun 8-14: 1.6% of 36042 checklistsJun 15-21: 2.0% of 34003 checklistsJun 22-30: 2.5% of 39711 checklistsJul 1-7: 2.4% of 31949 checklistsJul 8-14: 2.1% of 29086 checklistsJul 15-21: 1.8% of 28045 checklistsJul 22-31: 1.2% of 38275 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.7% of 28846 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.4% of 28036 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.4% of 27614 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.4% of 40356 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.5% of 31214 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.7% of 27795 checklistsSep 15-21: 2.4% of 29677 checklistsSep 22-30: 4.8% of 35241 checklistsOct 1-7: 6.2% of 28605 checklistsOct 8-14: 7.3% of 28655 checklistsOct 15-21: 7.0% of 24643 checklistsOct 22-31: 7.3% of 34874 checklistsNov 1-7: 6.8% of 25658 checklistsNov 8-14: 7.6% of 25700 checklistsNov 15-21: 6.9% of 24331 checklistsNov 22-30: 7.1% of 32784 checklistsDec 1-7: 9.2% of 24099 checklistsDec 8-14: 9.0% of 23339 checklistsDec 15-21: 11% of 27666 checklistsDec 22-31: 12% 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. Skamania CountyBest early March · 136 checklists that week, 10,140 in all37%
  2. Wahkiakum CountyBest early April · 123 checklists that week, 5,618 in all30%
  3. Mason CountyBest the second week of March · 455 checklists that week, 27,853 in all23%
  4. Pacific CountyBest the second week of January · 271 checklists that week, 19,516 in all22%
  5. Clallam CountyBest mid December · 1539 checklists that week, 85,362 in all21%
  6. Jefferson CountyBest early January · 1238 checklists that week, 59,663 in all19%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Washington State Department of Natural Resources (WADNR) State Resource Management Area (south)Clark County, best early October · 27 checklists that week, 294 in all85%
  2. Cape DisappointmentPacific County, best the second week of January · 23 checklists that week, 729 in all79%
  3. Washington State Department of Natural Resources (WADNR) State Resource Management Area (Left Fork Skamokawa Creek)Wahkiakum County, best early April · 44 checklists that week, 1,179 in all78%
  4. Bitter LakeKing County, best early December · 164 checklists that week, 11,496 in all67%
  5. Lost LakePierce County, best mid June · 49 checklists that week, 1,386 in all62%

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

Best time of day

In Washington, the Varied Thrush is most often listed on checklists started between 7 and 9 am (9.1% of those checklists).

0%5%10%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: 5.5% of 56744 checklists7 am: 9.3% of 133294 checklists8 am: 9.0% of 184196 checklists9 am: 7.2% of 186303 checklists10 am: 6.2% of 177063 checklists11 am: 5.3% of 154936 checklists12 pm: 4.8% of 138061 checklists1 pm: 4.5% of 127449 checklists2 pm: 4.4% of 121511 checklists3 pm: 4.4% of 107793 checklists4 pm: 3.1% of 82862 checklists5 pm: 2.2% of 57183 checklists6 pm: 1.6% 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
January11%10%10%8.7%
February9.6%13%12%13%
March12%13%12%9.2%
April7.5%6.0%4.9%3.2%
May1.7%1.2%1.2%1.2%
June1.2%1.6%2.0%2.5%
July2.4%2.1%1.8%1.2%
August0.7%0.4%0.4%0.4%
September0.5%0.7%2.4%4.8%
October6.2%7.3%7.0%7.3%
November6.8%7.6%6.9%7.1%
December9.2%9.0%11%12%

Neighboring states

  • Oregon: arrives mid September, 1 week later than Washington
  • Idaho: arrives early November, 7 weeks later than Washington
  • Montana: arrives the second week of May, 16 weeks earlier than Washington
  • Nevada: arrives the second week of October, 4 weeks later than Washington

Common questions

When do Varied Thrushes arrive in Washington?
Varied Thrushes are winter birds in Washington: the first arrive in the second week of September, they are common by early October, peak in early March (13% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of April.
When do Varied Thrushes leave Washington?
Most Varied Thrushes have left Washington by the second week of April, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until late July.
When is the best time to see a Varied Thrush in Washington?
The Varied Thrush is reported most often in early March, on about 13% of Washington checklists.
Where in Washington are Varied Thrushes seen most often?
By county, Skamania County, Wahkiakum County, and Mason County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Varied Thrush (counties with at least 200 checklists).