WhenToBird

Rallus limicola · Rallidae

When Do Virginia Rails Arrive in Washington?

Adult Virginia Rail
Photo: sprcrkwild, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Virginia Rails reach Washington in mid February, are common by late February, peak in late April (3.2% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of January.

When to look

First arrivalsFeb 15-21mid February
Common byFeb 22-28late February
PeakApr 22-30late April
Most gone byJan 8-14the second week of January

Best: late April. First arrivals mid February; most are gone by the second week of January. Peak: on about 3.2% of Washington checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%1%2%3%4%Jan 1-7: 1.3% of 41928 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.2% of 31152 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.2% of 31753 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.1% of 42530 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.0% of 29739 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.0% of 32746 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.9% of 40328 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.4% of 28432 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.7% of 30758 checklistsMar 8-14: 2.2% of 29368 checklistsMar 15-21: 2.5% of 32580 checklistsMar 22-31: 2.7% of 45614 checklistsApr 1-7: 2.9% of 33997 checklistsApr 8-14: 3.0% of 34729 checklistsApr 15-21: 3.2% of 38474 checklistsApr 22-30: 3.2% of 52185 checklistsMay 1-7: 3.3% of 44236 checklistsMay 8-14: 3.1% of 48708 checklistsMay 15-21: 3.0% of 41742 checklistsMay 22-31: 2.9% of 57082 checklistsJun 1-7: 2.7% of 39193 checklistsJun 8-14: 2.5% of 36042 checklistsJun 15-21: 2.3% of 34003 checklistsJun 22-30: 2.1% of 39711 checklistsJul 1-7: 2.0% of 31949 checklistsJul 8-14: 2.2% of 29086 checklistsJul 15-21: 2.2% of 28045 checklistsJul 22-31: 2.3% of 38275 checklistsAug 1-7: 2.3% of 28846 checklistsAug 8-14: 2.4% of 28036 checklistsAug 15-21: 2.7% of 27614 checklistsAug 22-31: 2.9% of 40356 checklistsSep 1-7: 3.2% of 31214 checklistsSep 8-14: 3.0% of 27795 checklistsSep 15-21: 3.2% of 29677 checklistsSep 22-30: 3.1% of 35241 checklistsOct 1-7: 2.8% of 28605 checklistsOct 8-14: 2.7% of 28655 checklistsOct 15-21: 2.7% of 24643 checklistsOct 22-31: 2.6% of 34874 checklistsNov 1-7: 2.3% of 25658 checklistsNov 8-14: 2.2% of 25700 checklistsNov 15-21: 2.3% of 24331 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.9% of 32784 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.9% of 24099 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.7% of 23339 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.6% of 27666 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.4% 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. Cowlitz CountyBest late April · 419 checklists that week, 15,273 in all11%
  2. Wahkiakum CountyBest the second week of October · 121 checklists that week, 5,618 in all10%
  3. Clark CountyBest late May · 1937 checklists that week, 53,250 in all9.8%
  4. Walla Walla CountyBest late April · 1131 checklists that week, 35,829 in all9.1%
  5. Mason CountyBest mid August · 535 checklists that week, 27,853 in all8.3%
  6. Grant CountyBest mid January · 192 checklists that week, 19,963 in all8.3%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Sportsmans LakeSan Juan County, best the second week of September · 22 checklists that week, 609 in all80%
  2. Bridgeman PondYakima County, best mid May · 28 checklists that week, 216 in all78%
  3. Canal RoadCowlitz County, best the second week of May · 22 checklists that week, 700 in all61%
  4. Deer LagoonIsland County, best early September · 62 checklists that week, 2,164 in all60%
  5. City of Tacoma WatershedKing County, best the second week of May · 22 checklists that week, 712 in all60%

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

Best time of day

In Washington, the Virginia Rail is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (3.8% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%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: 4.3% of 56744 checklists7 am: 3.5% of 133294 checklists8 am: 3.1% of 184196 checklists9 am: 2.4% of 186303 checklists10 am: 2.1% of 177063 checklists11 am: 1.9% of 154936 checklists12 pm: 1.7% of 138061 checklists1 pm: 1.7% of 127449 checklists2 pm: 1.7% of 121511 checklists3 pm: 1.8% of 107793 checklists4 pm: 2.0% of 82862 checklists5 pm: 2.2% of 57183 checklists6 pm: 2.5% 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
January1.3%1.2%1.2%1.1%
February1.0%1.0%0.9%1.4%
March1.7%2.2%2.5%2.7%
April2.9%3.0%3.2%3.2%
May3.3%3.1%3.0%2.9%
June2.7%2.5%2.3%2.1%
July2.0%2.2%2.2%2.3%
August2.3%2.4%2.7%2.9%
September3.2%3.0%3.2%3.1%
October2.8%2.7%2.7%2.6%
November2.3%2.2%2.3%1.9%
December1.9%1.7%1.6%1.4%

Neighboring states

  • Oregon: arrives mid February, in the same week than Washington
  • Idaho: arrives mid February, in the same week than Washington
  • Montana: arrives mid March, 4 weeks later than Washington
  • Nevada: arrives late June, 17 weeks later than Washington

Common questions

When do Virginia Rails arrive in Washington?
Virginia Rails reach Washington in mid February, are common by late February, peak in late April (3.2% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of January.
When do Virginia Rails leave Washington?
Most Virginia Rails have left Washington by the second week of January, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until early February.
When is the best time to see a Virginia Rail in Washington?
The Virginia Rail is reported most often in late April, on about 3.2% of Washington checklists.
Where in Washington are Virginia Rails seen most often?
By county, Cowlitz County, Wahkiakum County, and Clark County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Virginia Rail (counties with at least 200 checklists).