WhenToBird

Chaetura vauxi · Apodidae

When Do Vaux's Swifts Arrive in Oregon?

Adult Vaux's Swift
Photo: Ángela Patricia Rojas Cortés, CC BY-SA 4.0 via iNaturalist

Vaux's Swifts reach Oregon in the second week of April, are common by mid April, peak in the second week of May (13% of checklists), and most are gone by late September.

When to look

First arrivalsApr 8-14the second week of April
Common byApr 15-21mid April
PeakMay 8-14the second week of May
Most gone bySep 22-30late September

Best: the second week of May. First arrivals the second week of April; most are gone by late September. Peak: on about 13% of Oregon checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marnot usually seen
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octuncommon
  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 34973 checklistsJan 8-14: 0% of 26807 checklistsJan 15-21: 0% of 26567 checklistsJan 22-31: 0% of 36019 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0% of 24020 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0% of 25765 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0% of 31019 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0% of 24582 checklistsMar 1-7: 0% of 24834 checklistsMar 8-14: 0% of 24642 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.1% of 27420 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.1% of 39913 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.2% of 28817 checklistsApr 8-14: 1.6% of 31221 checklistsApr 15-21: 4.8% of 34402 checklistsApr 22-30: 11% of 47144 checklistsMay 1-7: 14% of 37716 checklistsMay 8-14: 13% of 39651 checklistsMay 15-21: 13% of 37496 checklistsMay 22-31: 9.5% of 56967 checklistsJun 1-7: 7.9% of 35893 checklistsJun 8-14: 7.9% of 31880 checklistsJun 15-21: 7.3% of 30942 checklistsJun 22-30: 6.5% of 38478 checklistsJul 1-7: 8.1% of 27409 checklistsJul 8-14: 8.0% of 25161 checklistsJul 15-21: 8.9% of 25473 checklistsJul 22-31: 9.9% of 33920 checklistsAug 1-7: 9.8% of 24310 checklistsAug 8-14: 9.6% of 23675 checklistsAug 15-21: 10% of 23623 checklistsAug 22-31: 11% of 33762 checklistsSep 1-7: 10% of 25120 checklistsSep 8-14: 9.3% of 24458 checklistsSep 15-21: 9.2% of 25528 checklistsSep 22-30: 6.1% of 31631 checklistsOct 1-7: 2.7% of 25498 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.6% of 25161 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.1% of 23701 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.1% of 30996 checklistsNov 1-7: 0% of 21089 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.1% of 21880 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.1% of 21501 checklistsNov 22-30: 0% of 28930 checklistsDec 1-7: 0% of 19807 checklistsDec 8-14: 0% of 21022 checklistsDec 15-21: 0% of 24817 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.1% of 37592 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 Oregon 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 Oregon

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Washington CountyBest the second week of May · 3091 checklists that week, 110,376 in all31%
  2. Multnomah CountyBest the second week of May · 4941 checklists that week, 182,088 in all27%
  3. Grant CountyBest mid August · 153 checklists that week, 6,818 in all21%
  4. Wasco CountyBest the second week of August · 146 checklists that week, 13,127 in all20%
  5. Clackamas CountyBest the second week of May · 1508 checklists that week, 50,929 in all20%
  6. Lane CountyBest the second week of May · 4544 checklists that week, 190,610 in all17%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Boys and Girls ClubDeschutes County, best early September · 54 checklists that week, 734 in all100%
  2. Chapman Elementary SchoolMultnomah County, best the second week of September · 66 checklists that week, 820 in all89%
  3. Washburne City ParkLane County, best the second week of May · 75 checklists that week, 2,574 in all89%
  4. Fernhill ParkMultnomah County, best late July · 25 checklists that week, 542 in all86%
  5. Bluff above Swan IslandMultnomah County, best late May · 25 checklists that week, 899 in all84%
  6. Molalla WetlandsClackamas County, best mid May · 22 checklists that week, 563 in all75%

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

Best time of day

In Oregon, the Vaux's Swift is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 pm (12% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%20%12 am: too few checklists (1505) to judge1 am: too few checklists (675) to judge2 am: too few checklists (626) to judge3 am: too few checklists (1641) to judge4 am: too few checklists (3696) to judge5 am: too few checklists (14524) to judge6 am: 8.1% of 50677 checklists7 am: 7.4% of 125347 checklists8 am: 5.5% of 163668 checklists9 am: 4.7% of 160351 checklists10 am: 3.7% of 148940 checklists11 am: 3.0% of 124743 checklists12 pm: 2.8% of 112537 checklists1 pm: 2.6% of 98999 checklists2 pm: 2.5% of 94690 checklists3 pm: 2.7% of 87923 checklists4 pm: 3.4% of 75235 checklists5 pm: 5.3% of 54504 checklists6 pm: 9.9% of 40469 checklists7 pm: 16% of 33675 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (18715) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (5839) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (2704) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (1549) 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%0.1%0.1%
April0.2%1.6%4.8%11%
May14%13%13%9.5%
June7.9%7.9%7.3%6.5%
July8.1%8.0%8.9%9.9%
August9.8%9.6%10%11%
September10%9.3%9.2%6.1%
October2.7%0.6%0.1%0.1%
November0%0.1%0.1%0%
December0%0%0%0.1%

Neighboring states

  • Washington: arrives mid April, 1 week later than Oregon
  • Idaho: arrives late April, 2 weeks later than Oregon
  • Nevada: arrives early April, 1 week earlier than Oregon
  • California: arrives the second week of April, in the same week than Oregon

Common questions

When do Vaux's Swifts arrive in Oregon?
Vaux's Swifts reach Oregon in the second week of April, are common by mid April, peak in the second week of May (13% of checklists), and most are gone by late September.
When do Vaux's Swifts leave Oregon?
Most Vaux's Swifts have left Oregon by late September, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until the second week of October.
When is the best time to see a Vaux's Swift in Oregon?
The Vaux's Swift is reported most often in the second week of May, on about 13% of Oregon checklists.
Where in Oregon are Vaux's Swifts seen most often?
By county, Washington County, Multnomah County, and Grant County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Vaux's Swift (counties with at least 200 checklists).