WhenToBird

Calidris mauri · Scolopacidae

When Do Western Sandpipers Arrive in California?

Adult Western Sandpiper
Photo: Ken Clark, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Western Sandpipers reach California in late June, are common by early July, peak in mid August (11% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of May.

When to look

First arrivalsJun 22-30late June
Common byJul 1-7early July
PeakAug 15-21mid August
Most gone byMay 8-14the second week of May

Best: mid August. First arrivals late June; most are gone by the second week of May. Peak: on about 11% of California checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Junrare
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 3.2% of 112336 checklistsJan 8-14: 3.0% of 85518 checklistsJan 15-21: 3.0% of 86488 checklistsJan 22-31: 2.7% of 116174 checklistsFeb 1-7: 2.5% of 75171 checklistsFeb 8-14: 2.3% of 84467 checklistsFeb 15-21: 2.2% of 105683 checklistsFeb 22-28: 2.7% of 83396 checklistsMar 1-7: 2.5% of 77470 checklistsMar 8-14: 2.4% of 75180 checklistsMar 15-21: 2.5% of 80770 checklistsMar 22-31: 2.5% of 114116 checklistsApr 1-7: 3.1% of 84057 checklistsApr 8-14: 4.1% of 83692 checklistsApr 15-21: 5.3% of 89242 checklistsApr 22-30: 5.9% of 114289 checklistsMay 1-7: 3.7% of 85728 checklistsMay 8-14: 1.4% of 91984 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.6% of 75478 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.2% of 106250 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.2% of 70051 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.2% of 67485 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.2% of 66269 checklistsJun 22-30: 1.1% of 79172 checklistsJul 1-7: 3.5% of 62877 checklistsJul 8-14: 5.7% of 60328 checklistsJul 15-21: 7.1% of 59705 checklistsJul 22-31: 7.6% of 83796 checklistsAug 1-7: 7.7% of 60215 checklistsAug 8-14: 9.8% of 60172 checklistsAug 15-21: 11% of 59877 checklistsAug 22-31: 11% of 89107 checklistsSep 1-7: 9.2% of 72000 checklistsSep 8-14: 7.1% of 71228 checklistsSep 15-21: 6.0% of 76808 checklistsSep 22-30: 5.0% of 100204 checklistsOct 1-7: 4.1% of 76571 checklistsOct 8-14: 4.0% of 80874 checklistsOct 15-21: 3.7% of 74581 checklistsOct 22-31: 3.6% of 97498 checklistsNov 1-7: 3.5% of 70851 checklistsNov 8-14: 3.5% of 72431 checklistsNov 15-21: 3.4% of 66767 checklistsNov 22-30: 3.4% of 94737 checklistsDec 1-7: 3.1% of 65393 checklistsDec 8-14: 3.2% of 67449 checklistsDec 15-21: 2.7% of 83421 checklistsDec 22-31: 2.9% of 124993 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 California 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 California

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Colusa CountyBest the second week of August · 101 checklists that week, 7,653 in all39%
  2. Imperial CountyBest mid August · 315 checklists that week, 24,551 in all36%
  3. Napa CountyBest the second week of August · 283 checklists that week, 18,976 in all29%
  4. Kings CountyBest late July · 62 checklists that week, 3,688 in all28%
  5. Del Norte CountyBest early September · 426 checklists that week, 16,363 in all27%
  6. Yolo CountyBest mid July · 827 checklists that week, 67,424 in all27%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Salisbury Canyon WashSanta Barbara County, best late August · 26 checklists that week, 515 in all96%
  2. Lake Talawa (Pelican Bay)Del Norte County, best the second week of September · 28 checklists that week, 313 in all94%
  3. Lake TalawaDel Norte County, best early September · 26 checklists that week, 464 in all92%
  4. Napa-Sonoma Marshes Wildlife AreaSolano County, best mid July · 50 checklists that week, 671 in all91%

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

Best time of day

In California, the Western Sandpiper is most often listed on checklists started between 12 and 2 pm (4.0% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%12 am: too few checklists (1688) to judge1 am: too few checklists (1451) to judge2 am: too few checklists (1402) to judge3 am: too few checklists (1743) to judge4 am: too few checklists (4647) to judge5 am: too few checklists (32158) to judge6 am: 3.9% of 186053 checklists7 am: 4.0% of 444086 checklists8 am: 4.0% of 535846 checklists9 am: 3.9% of 486061 checklists10 am: 3.9% of 411130 checklists11 am: 3.9% of 325798 checklists12 pm: 3.9% of 269132 checklists1 pm: 4.2% of 244762 checklists2 pm: 3.9% of 235420 checklists3 pm: 3.6% of 232365 checklists4 pm: 3.3% of 208688 checklists5 pm: 3.7% of 146104 checklists6 pm: 3.6% of 96867 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (50942) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (14803) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (5561) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (3546) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (2092) 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
January3.2%3.0%3.0%2.7%
February2.5%2.3%2.2%2.7%
March2.5%2.4%2.5%2.5%
April3.1%4.1%5.3%5.9%
May3.7%1.4%0.6%0.2%
June0.2%0.2%0.2%1.1%
July3.5%5.7%7.1%7.6%
August7.7%9.8%11%11%
September9.2%7.1%6.0%5.0%
October4.1%4.0%3.7%3.6%
November3.5%3.5%3.4%3.4%
December3.1%3.2%2.7%2.9%

Neighboring states

  • Nevada: arrives early July, 1 week later than California
  • Utah: arrives the second week of July, 2 weeks later than California
  • Arizona: arrives early July, 1 week later than California
  • Oregon: arrives late June, in the same week than California

Common questions

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