WhenToBird

Sphyrapicus thyroideus · Picidae

When Do Williamson's Sapsuckers Arrive in Colorado?

Adult Williamson's Sapsucker
Photo: Jason Alexander, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Williamson's Sapsuckers arrive in Colorado in mid May, peak in early July (1.7% of checklists), and most are gone by mid September.

When to look

First arrivalsMay 15-21mid May
Common byMay 15-21mid May
PeakJul 1-7early July
Most gone bySep 15-21mid September

Best: early July. First arrivals mid May; most are gone by mid September. Peak: on about 1.7% of Colorado checklists.

  1. Janrare
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marrare
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novrare
  12. Decrare

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

0%0.5%1%1.5%2%Jan 1-7: 0.1% of 32254 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.1% of 23278 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.1% of 22933 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.1% of 30856 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.1% of 21464 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.1% of 22910 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.1% of 28739 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.1% of 21833 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.1% of 23066 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.1% of 23783 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.1% of 24797 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.2% of 38439 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.4% of 31676 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.6% of 35092 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.3% of 36778 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.4% of 50885 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.3% of 44186 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.3% of 49011 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.5% of 40784 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.6% of 53073 checklistsJun 1-7: 1.0% of 32432 checklistsJun 8-14: 1.3% of 29978 checklistsJun 15-21: 1.6% of 29457 checklistsJun 22-30: 1.7% of 36072 checklistsJul 1-7: 1.6% of 28857 checklistsJul 8-14: 1.7% of 27224 checklistsJul 15-21: 1.5% of 27629 checklistsJul 22-31: 1.4% of 37318 checklistsAug 1-7: 1.2% of 25893 checklistsAug 8-14: 1.3% of 24870 checklistsAug 15-21: 1.1% of 24035 checklistsAug 22-31: 1.0% of 35691 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.9% of 27068 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.7% of 26709 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.6% of 26098 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.4% of 31550 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.3% of 24110 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.2% of 23352 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.1% of 21895 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.1% of 28319 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.1% of 21698 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.1% of 21061 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.1% of 19855 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.1% of 25798 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.1% of 18626 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.1% of 19004 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.1% of 23103 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.1% of 30802 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 Colorado 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 Colorado

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Teller CountyBest early August · 282 checklists that week, 11,258 in all15%
  2. Costilla CountyBest the second week of August · 38 checklists that week, 1,323 in all10%
  3. Custer CountyBest the second week of July · 123 checklists that week, 3,017 in all9.6%
  4. Park CountyBest the second week of April · 158 checklists that week, 11,432 in all9.1%
  5. Saguache CountyBest the second week of August · 108 checklists that week, 3,220 in all7.6%
  6. Rio Grande CountyBest mid August · 60 checklists that week, 4,655 in all7.4%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Mueller State ParkTeller County, best mid May · 23 checklists that week, 613 in all51%
  2. Mud Lake (Delonde Creek)Boulder County, best early July · 37 checklists that week, 346 in all49%
  3. Mud LakeBoulder County, best early July · 71 checklists that week, 387 in all48%
  4. Rocky Mountain National ParkLarimer County, best mid June · 101 checklists that week, 1,537 in all48%
  5. Cannon Watershed C-4 ReservoirFremont County, best early January · 27 checklists that week, 180 in all45%
  6. Manitou Park LakeTeller County, best early August · 23 checklists that week, 1,376 in all42%

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

Best time of day

In Colorado, the Williamson's Sapsucker is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (0.8% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%12 am: too few checklists (512) to judge1 am: too few checklists (468) to judge2 am: too few checklists (513) to judge3 am: too few checklists (656) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1918) to judge5 am: too few checklists (16045) to judge6 am: 0.9% of 71991 checklists7 am: 0.8% of 159189 checklists8 am: 0.7% of 177206 checklists9 am: 0.6% of 165269 checklists10 am: 0.5% of 141029 checklists11 am: 0.5% of 115283 checklists12 pm: 0.4% of 96068 checklists1 pm: 0.4% of 89512 checklists2 pm: 0.3% of 86319 checklists3 pm: 0.3% of 82496 checklists4 pm: 0.4% of 71648 checklists5 pm: 0.4% of 52445 checklists6 pm: 0.4% of 40199 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (24246) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (7986) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2004) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (888) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (450) 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
January0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
February0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
March0.1%0.1%0.1%0.2%
April0.4%0.6%0.3%0.4%
May0.3%0.3%0.5%0.6%
June1.0%1.3%1.6%1.7%
July1.6%1.7%1.5%1.4%
August1.2%1.3%1.1%1.0%
September0.9%0.7%0.6%0.4%
October0.3%0.2%0.1%0.1%
November0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
December0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%

Neighboring states

  • Wyoming: arrives early May, 2 weeks earlier than Colorado
  • New Mexico: arrives early June, 2 weeks later than Colorado
  • Montana: arrives early April, 6 weeks earlier than Colorado
  • Idaho: arrives mid April, 4 weeks earlier than Colorado

Common questions

When do Williamson's Sapsuckers arrive in Colorado?
Williamson's Sapsuckers arrive in Colorado in mid May, peak in early July (1.7% of checklists), and most are gone by mid September.
When do Williamson's Sapsuckers leave Colorado?
Most Williamson's Sapsuckers have left Colorado by mid September, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Williamson's Sapsucker in Colorado?
The Williamson's Sapsucker is reported most often in early July, on about 1.7% of Colorado checklists.
Where in Colorado are Williamson's Sapsuckers seen most often?
By county, Teller County, Costilla County, and Custer County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Williamson's Sapsucker (counties with at least 200 checklists).