WhenToBird

Sturnella neglecta · Icteridae

When Do Western Meadowlarks Arrive in Idaho?

Adult Western Meadowlark
Photo: Aiva Noringseth, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Western Meadowlarks reach Idaho in the second week of February, are common by the second week of March, peak in late April (22% of checklists), and most are gone by early October.

When to look

First arrivalsFeb 8-14the second week of February
Common byMar 8-14the second week of March
PeakApr 22-30late April
Most gone byOct 1-7early October

Best: late April. First arrivals the second week of February; most are gone by early October. Peak: on about 22% of Idaho checklists.

  1. Janrare
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julcommon
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novrare
  12. Decrare

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

0%10%20%30%Jan 1-7: 1.9% of 9357 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.5% of 6408 checklistsJan 15-21: 2.1% of 6358 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.9% of 8601 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.9% of 5611 checklistsFeb 8-14: 2.1% of 6090 checklistsFeb 15-21: 2.7% of 7973 checklistsFeb 22-28: 4.0% of 5866 checklistsMar 1-7: 6.6% of 6144 checklistsMar 8-14: 8.6% of 6456 checklistsMar 15-21: 12% of 6786 checklistsMar 22-31: 17% of 9539 checklistsApr 1-7: 19% of 7202 checklistsApr 8-14: 20% of 7608 checklistsApr 15-21: 21% of 8069 checklistsApr 22-30: 23% of 10973 checklistsMay 1-7: 22% of 9481 checklistsMay 8-14: 20% of 11318 checklistsMay 15-21: 20% of 9141 checklistsMay 22-31: 22% of 13984 checklistsJun 1-7: 21% of 8897 checklistsJun 8-14: 18% of 8504 checklistsJun 15-21: 17% of 8078 checklistsJun 22-30: 14% of 9665 checklistsJul 1-7: 11% of 7144 checklistsJul 8-14: 9.0% of 6557 checklistsJul 15-21: 8.6% of 6430 checklistsJul 22-31: 6.9% of 8696 checklistsAug 1-7: 6.2% of 5896 checklistsAug 8-14: 5.3% of 5643 checklistsAug 15-21: 5.9% of 6151 checklistsAug 22-31: 7.3% of 7863 checklistsSep 1-7: 8.1% of 5769 checklistsSep 8-14: 7.4% of 5646 checklistsSep 15-21: 8.3% of 5460 checklistsSep 22-30: 7.2% of 6363 checklistsOct 1-7: 7.0% of 4980 checklistsOct 8-14: 5.6% of 5096 checklistsOct 15-21: 3.9% of 4878 checklistsOct 22-31: 3.4% of 6426 checklistsNov 1-7: 2.3% of 4822 checklistsNov 8-14: 2.3% of 4999 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.8% of 4601 checklistsNov 22-30: 2.0% of 6027 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.2% of 4180 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.6% of 4775 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.9% of 6522 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.6% of 7792 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 Idaho 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 Idaho

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Oneida CountyBest mid April · 67 checklists that week, 1,750 in all69%
  2. Lincoln CountyBest the second week of April · 10 checklists that week, 218 in all67%
  3. Camas CountyBest early June · 104 checklists that week, 2,112 in all66%
  4. Washington CountyBest mid April · 24 checklists that week, 926 in all66%
  5. Franklin CountyBest the second week of May · 25 checklists that week, 651 in all53%
  6. Clark CountyBest early May · 10 checklists that week, 578 in all52%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Hubbard ReservoirAda County, best the second week of May · 24 checklists that week, 682 in all91%
  2. Bonneville Monument ParkAda County, best early June · 25 checklists that week, 203 in all90%
  3. Camas National Wildlife Refuge (Willow Pond (historical))Jefferson County, best late May · 29 checklists that week, 354 in all79%
  4. Camas Prairie Centennial Marsh Wildlife Management AreaCamas County, best late June · 26 checklists that week, 504 in all74%

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

Best time of day

In Idaho, the Western Meadowlark is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (16% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%20%12 am: too few checklists (180) to judge1 am: too few checklists (176) to judge2 am: too few checklists (169) to judge3 am: too few checklists (164) to judge4 am: too few checklists (450) to judge5 am: too few checklists (2270) to judge6 am: 18% of 9122 checklists7 am: 16% of 22204 checklists8 am: 13% of 38672 checklists9 am: 12% of 38930 checklists10 am: 10% of 37338 checklists11 am: 9.3% of 33508 checklists12 pm: 8.0% of 28544 checklists1 pm: 7.4% of 25774 checklists2 pm: 7.0% of 24296 checklists3 pm: 7.1% of 21784 checklists4 pm: 8.0% of 19051 checklists5 pm: 9.7% of 14150 checklists6 pm: 12% of 10014 checklists7 pm: 13% of 7495 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (4352) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1449) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (525) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (208) 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
January1.9%1.5%2.1%1.9%
February1.9%2.1%2.7%4.0%
March6.6%8.6%12%17%
April19%20%21%23%
May22%20%20%22%
June21%18%17%14%
July11%9.0%8.6%6.9%
August6.2%5.3%5.9%7.3%
September8.1%7.4%8.3%7.2%
October7.0%5.6%3.9%3.4%
November2.3%2.3%1.8%2.0%
December1.2%1.6%0.9%1.6%

Neighboring states

  • Montana: arrives early March, 3 weeks later than Idaho
  • Utah: arrives mid March, 5 weeks later than Idaho
  • Oregon: arrives late August, 22 weeks earlier than Idaho
  • Washington: arrives late August, 22 weeks earlier than Idaho

Common questions

When do Western Meadowlarks arrive in Idaho?
Western Meadowlarks reach Idaho in the second week of February, are common by the second week of March, peak in late April (22% of checklists), and most are gone by early October.
When do Western Meadowlarks leave Idaho?
Most Western Meadowlarks have left Idaho by early October, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until early November.
When is the best time to see a Western Meadowlark in Idaho?
The Western Meadowlark is reported most often in late April, on about 22% of Idaho checklists.
Where in Idaho are Western Meadowlarks seen most often?
By county, Oneida County, Lincoln County, and Camas County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Western Meadowlark (counties with at least 200 checklists).