WhenToBird

Sturnella neglecta · Icteridae

When Do Western Meadowlarks Arrive in Oregon?

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

Western Meadowlarks reach Oregon in late August, are common by the second week of September, peak in late May (11% of checklists), and most are gone by early July.

When to look

First arrivalsAug 22-31late August
Common bySep 8-14the second week of September
PeakMay 22-31late May
Most gone byJul 1-7early July

Best: late May. First arrivals late August; most are gone by early July. Peak: on about 11% of Oregon checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Juluncommon
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 3.4% of 34973 checklistsJan 8-14: 3.5% of 26807 checklistsJan 15-21: 3.4% of 26567 checklistsJan 22-31: 4.0% of 36019 checklistsFeb 1-7: 4.4% of 24020 checklistsFeb 8-14: 3.8% of 25765 checklistsFeb 15-21: 4.0% of 31019 checklistsFeb 22-28: 4.6% of 24582 checklistsMar 1-7: 5.3% of 24834 checklistsMar 8-14: 6.0% of 24642 checklistsMar 15-21: 7.0% of 27420 checklistsMar 22-31: 7.8% of 39913 checklistsApr 1-7: 8.0% of 28817 checklistsApr 8-14: 8.1% of 31221 checklistsApr 15-21: 7.4% of 34402 checklistsApr 22-30: 7.6% of 47144 checklistsMay 1-7: 7.6% of 37716 checklistsMay 8-14: 8.9% of 39651 checklistsMay 15-21: 9.9% of 37496 checklistsMay 22-31: 11% of 56967 checklistsJun 1-7: 11% of 35893 checklistsJun 8-14: 9.4% of 31880 checklistsJun 15-21: 7.7% of 30942 checklistsJun 22-30: 5.1% of 38478 checklistsJul 1-7: 3.5% of 27409 checklistsJul 8-14: 2.6% of 25161 checklistsJul 15-21: 2.5% of 25473 checklistsJul 22-31: 1.7% of 33920 checklistsAug 1-7: 1.8% of 24310 checklistsAug 8-14: 1.7% of 23675 checklistsAug 15-21: 2.1% of 23623 checklistsAug 22-31: 2.0% of 33762 checklistsSep 1-7: 2.6% of 25120 checklistsSep 8-14: 2.9% of 24458 checklistsSep 15-21: 3.8% of 25528 checklistsSep 22-30: 3.9% of 31631 checklistsOct 1-7: 3.6% of 25498 checklistsOct 8-14: 4.0% of 25161 checklistsOct 15-21: 4.1% of 23701 checklistsOct 22-31: 4.1% of 30996 checklistsNov 1-7: 4.0% of 21089 checklistsNov 8-14: 4.1% of 21880 checklistsNov 15-21: 4.0% of 21501 checklistsNov 22-30: 3.5% of 28930 checklistsDec 1-7: 3.1% of 19807 checklistsDec 8-14: 3.0% of 21022 checklistsDec 15-21: 3.0% of 24817 checklistsDec 22-31: 3.1% 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. Wheeler CountyBest mid April · 113 checklists that week, 3,129 in all53%
  2. Malheur CountyBest early June · 566 checklists that week, 4,699 in all52%
  3. Gilliam CountyBest early April · 30 checklists that week, 2,323 in all51%
  4. Sherman CountyBest early April · 78 checklists that week, 4,629 in all47%
  5. Morrow CountyBest mid April · 139 checklists that week, 3,484 in all46%
  6. Harney CountyBest the second week of June · 2482 checklists that week, 40,943 in all41%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Meadowlark PrairieLane County, best late March · 32 checklists that week, 695 in all97%
  2. Cottonwood Pond (Mount Baldy)Polk County, best early May · 26 checklists that week, 955 in all95%
  3. Thief Valley ReservoirUnion County, best late May · 43 checklists that week, 813 in all92%
  4. Morgan Lake (Twin Lake)Union County, best late May · 20 checklists that week, 480 in all87%

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

Best time of day

In Oregon, the Western Meadowlark is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (6.3% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%8%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: 7.4% of 50677 checklists7 am: 5.9% of 125347 checklists8 am: 6.1% of 163668 checklists9 am: 6.0% of 160351 checklists10 am: 5.8% of 148940 checklists11 am: 5.2% of 124743 checklists12 pm: 4.6% of 112537 checklists1 pm: 4.7% of 98999 checklists2 pm: 4.8% of 94690 checklists3 pm: 4.5% of 87923 checklists4 pm: 4.2% of 75235 checklists5 pm: 4.5% of 54504 checklists6 pm: 4.6% of 40469 checklists7 pm: 3.6% 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
January3.4%3.5%3.4%4.0%
February4.4%3.8%4.0%4.6%
March5.3%6.0%7.0%7.8%
April8.0%8.1%7.4%7.6%
May7.6%8.9%9.9%11%
June11%9.4%7.7%5.1%
July3.5%2.6%2.5%1.7%
August1.8%1.7%2.1%2.0%
September2.6%2.9%3.8%3.9%
October3.6%4.0%4.1%4.1%
November4.0%4.1%4.0%3.5%
December3.1%3.0%3.0%3.1%

Neighboring states

  • Washington: arrives late August, in the same week than Oregon
  • Idaho: arrives the second week of February, 22 weeks later than Oregon
  • Nevada: arrives mid March, 21 weeks earlier than Oregon
  • California: arrives the second week of September, 2 weeks later than Oregon

Common questions

When do Western Meadowlarks arrive in Oregon?
Western Meadowlarks reach Oregon in late August, are common by the second week of September, peak in late May (11% of checklists), and most are gone by early July.
When do Western Meadowlarks leave Oregon?
Most Western Meadowlarks have left Oregon by early July, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until mid July.
When is the best time to see a Western Meadowlark in Oregon?
The Western Meadowlark is reported most often in late May, on about 11% of Oregon checklists.
Where in Oregon are Western Meadowlarks seen most often?
By county, Wheeler County, Malheur County, and Gilliam County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Western Meadowlark (counties with at least 200 checklists).