WhenToBird

Sitta carolinensis · Sittidae

When Do White-breasted Nuthatches Arrive in Oregon?

Adult White-breasted Nuthatch
Photo: S Boisvert, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

The White-breasted Nuthatch is in Oregon all year. It turns up on about 11% of checklists at its peak (the second week of September) and on 6.0% in its quietest week (early June).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekSep 8-14the second week of September
Quietest weekJun 1-7early June

Best: the second week of September. Here all year. Peak: on about 11% of Oregon checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 8.0% of 34973 checklistsJan 8-14: 7.7% of 26807 checklistsJan 15-21: 7.4% of 26567 checklistsJan 22-31: 8.0% of 36019 checklistsFeb 1-7: 8.0% of 24020 checklistsFeb 8-14: 8.3% of 25765 checklistsFeb 15-21: 8.3% of 31019 checklistsFeb 22-28: 8.3% of 24582 checklistsMar 1-7: 8.8% of 24834 checklistsMar 8-14: 8.6% of 24642 checklistsMar 15-21: 8.9% of 27420 checklistsMar 22-31: 8.8% of 39913 checklistsApr 1-7: 8.6% of 28817 checklistsApr 8-14: 8.3% of 31221 checklistsApr 15-21: 9.1% of 34402 checklistsApr 22-30: 8.6% of 47144 checklistsMay 1-7: 7.7% of 37716 checklistsMay 8-14: 7.0% of 39651 checklistsMay 15-21: 6.5% of 37496 checklistsMay 22-31: 5.9% of 56967 checklistsJun 1-7: 5.9% of 35893 checklistsJun 8-14: 6.2% of 31880 checklistsJun 15-21: 7.1% of 30942 checklistsJun 22-30: 7.9% of 38478 checklistsJul 1-7: 8.6% of 27409 checklistsJul 8-14: 8.7% of 25161 checklistsJul 15-21: 8.8% of 25473 checklistsJul 22-31: 8.8% of 33920 checklistsAug 1-7: 8.8% of 24310 checklistsAug 8-14: 9.7% of 23675 checklistsAug 15-21: 10% of 23623 checklistsAug 22-31: 11% of 33762 checklistsSep 1-7: 12% of 25120 checklistsSep 8-14: 11% of 24458 checklistsSep 15-21: 11% of 25528 checklistsSep 22-30: 11% of 31631 checklistsOct 1-7: 9.6% of 25498 checklistsOct 8-14: 9.4% of 25161 checklistsOct 15-21: 8.9% of 23701 checklistsOct 22-31: 8.1% of 30996 checklistsNov 1-7: 8.4% of 21089 checklistsNov 8-14: 8.4% of 21880 checklistsNov 15-21: 8.2% of 21501 checklistsNov 22-30: 9.1% of 28930 checklistsDec 1-7: 9.0% of 19807 checklistsDec 8-14: 9.3% of 21022 checklistsDec 15-21: 9.6% of 24817 checklistsDec 22-31: 8.9% 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. Josephine CountyBest late August · 396 checklists that week, 20,837 in all44%
  2. Jackson CountyBest mid September · 982 checklists that week, 60,428 in all36%
  3. Columbia CountyBest early September · 533 checklists that week, 27,750 in all25%
  4. Clackamas CountyBest the second week of September · 763 checklists that week, 50,929 in all22%
  5. Polk CountyBest late August · 487 checklists that week, 29,096 in all20%
  6. Linn CountyBest early September · 359 checklists that week, 27,533 in all19%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Glen OakLane County, best mid January · 22 checklists that week, 102 in all93%
  2. Molalla WetlandsClackamas County, best late March · 20 checklists that week, 563 in all83%
  3. Tou Velle State Recreation SiteJackson County, best late September · 20 checklists that week, 559 in all83%
  4. Military Slough Reservoirs (Cable Reservoir)Jackson County, best late September · 23 checklists that week, 774 in all83%
  5. Cottonwood Pond (Mount Baldy)Polk County, best the second week of August · 20 checklists that week, 955 in all79%
  6. Military Slough Reservoirs (Little Butte Creek)Jackson County, best the second week of September · 21 checklists that week, 1,170 in all76%

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

Best time of day

In Oregon, the White-breasted Nuthatch is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (13% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%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: 12% of 50677 checklists7 am: 14% of 125347 checklists8 am: 13% of 163668 checklists9 am: 11% of 160351 checklists10 am: 9.3% of 148940 checklists11 am: 8.0% of 124743 checklists12 pm: 7.1% of 112537 checklists1 pm: 6.6% of 98999 checklists2 pm: 6.1% of 94690 checklists3 pm: 5.5% of 87923 checklists4 pm: 4.5% of 75235 checklists5 pm: 4.5% of 54504 checklists6 pm: 4.2% of 40469 checklists7 pm: 2.5% 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
January8.0%7.7%7.4%8.0%
February8.0%8.3%8.3%8.3%
March8.8%8.6%8.9%8.8%
April8.6%8.3%9.1%8.6%
May7.7%7.0%6.5%5.9%
June5.9%6.2%7.1%7.9%
July8.6%8.7%8.8%8.8%
August8.8%9.7%10%11%
September12%11%11%11%
October9.6%9.4%8.9%8.1%
November8.4%8.4%8.2%9.1%
December9.0%9.3%9.6%8.9%

Neighboring states

  • Washington: year-round, peaks mid September
  • Idaho: summer visitor, peaks early September
  • Nevada: summer visitor, peaks the second week of July
  • California: year-round, peaks the second week of September

Common questions

When do White-breasted Nuthatches arrive in Oregon?
The White-breasted Nuthatch is in Oregon all year. It turns up on about 11% of checklists at its peak (the second week of September) and on 6.0% in its quietest week (early June).
When do White-breasted Nuthatches leave Oregon?
The White-breasted Nuthatch does not leave Oregon: it is reported all year, from 6.0% of checklists in early June to 11% in the second week of September.
When is the best time to see a White-breasted Nuthatch in Oregon?
The White-breasted Nuthatch is reported most often in the second week of September, on about 11% of Oregon checklists.
Where in Oregon are White-breasted Nuthatches seen most often?
By county, Josephine County, Jackson County, and Columbia County have the highest peak reporting rates for the White-breasted Nuthatch (counties with at least 200 checklists).