WhenToBird

Sitta carolinensis · Sittidae

When Do White-breasted Nuthatches Arrive in Virginia?

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

The White-breasted Nuthatch is in Virginia all year. It turns up on about 37% of checklists at its peak (late September) and on 23% in its quietest week (late May).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekSep 22-30late September
Quietest weekMay 22-31late May

Best: late September. Here all year. Peak: on about 37% of Virginia checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  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%10%20%30%40%Jan 1-7: 31% of 32817 checklistsJan 8-14: 30% of 25111 checklistsJan 15-21: 30% of 25510 checklistsJan 22-31: 31% of 34492 checklistsFeb 1-7: 30% of 24950 checklistsFeb 8-14: 32% of 28224 checklistsFeb 15-21: 32% of 43578 checklistsFeb 22-28: 30% of 26467 checklistsMar 1-7: 30% of 25851 checklistsMar 8-14: 30% of 25901 checklistsMar 15-21: 29% of 26747 checklistsMar 22-31: 28% of 40819 checklistsApr 1-7: 28% of 31351 checklistsApr 8-14: 27% of 33239 checklistsApr 15-21: 27% of 37284 checklistsApr 22-30: 28% of 54364 checklistsMay 1-7: 26% of 47698 checklistsMay 8-14: 25% of 46174 checklistsMay 15-21: 23% of 36444 checklistsMay 22-31: 22% of 43203 checklistsJun 1-7: 24% of 28503 checklistsJun 8-14: 24% of 25485 checklistsJun 15-21: 25% of 23728 checklistsJun 22-30: 24% of 28785 checklistsJul 1-7: 24% of 22294 checklistsJul 8-14: 23% of 20481 checklistsJul 15-21: 23% of 18914 checklistsJul 22-31: 23% of 26976 checklistsAug 1-7: 24% of 19555 checklistsAug 8-14: 26% of 18744 checklistsAug 15-21: 28% of 18721 checklistsAug 22-31: 31% of 28763 checklistsSep 1-7: 35% of 23594 checklistsSep 8-14: 35% of 22581 checklistsSep 15-21: 38% of 23036 checklistsSep 22-30: 36% of 29687 checklistsOct 1-7: 36% of 24321 checklistsOct 8-14: 35% of 23946 checklistsOct 15-21: 35% of 22191 checklistsOct 22-31: 35% of 30161 checklistsNov 1-7: 35% of 21431 checklistsNov 8-14: 31% of 22758 checklistsNov 15-21: 34% of 19988 checklistsNov 22-30: 34% of 27665 checklistsDec 1-7: 35% of 19324 checklistsDec 8-14: 34% of 20316 checklistsDec 15-21: 34% of 25675 checklistsDec 22-31: 33% of 38677 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 Virginia 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 Virginia

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Patrick CountyBest early December · 39 checklists that week, 3,252 in all87%
  2. Manassas Park CountyBest late September · 11 checklists that week, 343 in all80%
  3. Buchanan CountyBest the second week of February · 19 checklists that week, 1,612 in all76%
  4. Shenandoah CountyBest late November · 204 checklists that week, 9,361 in all73%
  5. Williamsburg CountyBest mid September · 131 checklists that week, 7,060 in all68%
  6. Bath CountyBest the second week of November · 49 checklists that week, 3,609 in all66%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Hunting Horn Rec AreaFairfax County, best the second week of January · 31 checklists that week, 2,439 in all97%
  2. Jefferson National ForestGiles County, best late September · 22 checklists that week, 496 in all96%
  3. Blue Ridge ParkwayRoanoke City, best mid September · 22 checklists that week, 538 in all95%
  4. White OaksFairfax County, best late October · 24 checklists that week, 799 in all94%
  5. Greenbrier ParkCharlottesville County, best late November · 31 checklists that week, 1,470 in all94%
  6. New QuarterYork County, best late August · 36 checklists that week, 1,099 in all93%

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

Best time of day

In Virginia, the White-breasted Nuthatch is most often listed on checklists started between 7 and 9 am (39% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%40%12 am: too few checklists (485) to judge1 am: too few checklists (488) to judge2 am: too few checklists (423) to judge3 am: too few checklists (565) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1410) to judge5 am: too few checklists (10265) to judge6 am: 36% of 64788 checklists7 am: 40% of 169128 checklists8 am: 38% of 180748 checklists9 am: 32% of 153462 checklists10 am: 28% of 128966 checklists11 am: 26% of 104204 checklists12 pm: 25% of 91604 checklists1 pm: 25% of 85547 checklists2 pm: 25% of 82355 checklists3 pm: 25% of 82265 checklists4 pm: 23% of 76714 checklists5 pm: 21% of 56782 checklists6 pm: 18% of 40131 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (24290) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (7744) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2383) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1122) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (651) 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
January31%30%30%31%
February30%32%32%30%
March30%30%29%28%
April28%27%27%28%
May26%25%23%22%
June24%24%25%24%
July24%23%23%23%
August24%26%28%31%
September35%35%38%36%
October36%35%35%35%
November35%31%34%34%
December35%34%34%33%

Neighboring states

  • District of Columbia: all year, most in fall, peaks the second week of September
  • Maryland: year-round, peaks the second week of September
  • West Virginia: year-round, peaks late September
  • Delaware: all year, most in fall, peaks the second week of September

Common questions

When do White-breasted Nuthatches arrive in Virginia?
The White-breasted Nuthatch is in Virginia all year. It turns up on about 37% of checklists at its peak (late September) and on 23% in its quietest week (late May).
When do White-breasted Nuthatches leave Virginia?
The White-breasted Nuthatch does not leave Virginia: it is reported all year, from 23% of checklists in late May to 37% in late September.
When is the best time to see a White-breasted Nuthatch in Virginia?
The White-breasted Nuthatch is reported most often in late September, on about 37% of Virginia checklists.
Where in Virginia are White-breasted Nuthatches seen most often?
By county, Patrick County, Manassas Park County, and Buchanan County have the highest peak reporting rates for the White-breasted Nuthatch (counties with at least 200 checklists).