WhenToBird

Gallinago delicata · Scolopacidae

When Do Wilson's Snipe Arrive in Colorado?

Adult Wilson's Snipe
Photo: datadan, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Wilson's Snipe arrive in Colorado in mid March, peak in the second week of April (3.5% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of February.

When to look

First arrivalsMar 15-21mid March
Common byMar 15-21mid March
PeakApr 8-14the second week of April
Most gone byFeb 8-14the second week of February

Best: the second week of April. First arrivals mid March; most are gone by the second week of February. Peak: on about 3.5% of Colorado checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Juluncommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%2%4%6%Jan 1-7: 1.4% of 32254 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.1% of 23278 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.2% of 22933 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.2% of 30856 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.0% of 21464 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.8% of 22910 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.7% of 28739 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.8% of 21833 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.5% of 23066 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.5% of 23783 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.7% of 24797 checklistsMar 22-31: 1.1% of 38439 checklistsApr 1-7: 2.5% of 31676 checklistsApr 8-14: 3.4% of 35092 checklistsApr 15-21: 4.5% of 36778 checklistsApr 22-30: 2.8% of 50885 checklistsMay 1-7: 1.5% of 44186 checklistsMay 8-14: 1.2% of 49011 checklistsMay 15-21: 1.5% of 40784 checklistsMay 22-31: 1.5% of 53073 checklistsJun 1-7: 1.9% of 32432 checklistsJun 8-14: 1.4% of 29978 checklistsJun 15-21: 1.5% of 29457 checklistsJun 22-30: 1.5% of 36072 checklistsJul 1-7: 1.4% of 28857 checklistsJul 8-14: 1.1% of 27224 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.9% of 27629 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.7% of 37318 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.9% of 25893 checklistsAug 8-14: 1.3% of 24870 checklistsAug 15-21: 1.7% of 24035 checklistsAug 22-31: 1.8% of 35691 checklistsSep 1-7: 1.9% of 27068 checklistsSep 8-14: 1.7% of 26709 checklistsSep 15-21: 1.5% of 26098 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.8% of 31550 checklistsOct 1-7: 1.8% of 24110 checklistsOct 8-14: 2.1% of 23352 checklistsOct 15-21: 2.0% of 21895 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.9% of 28319 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.8% of 21698 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.2% of 21061 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.0% of 19855 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.8% of 25798 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.0% of 18626 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.0% of 19004 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.3% of 23103 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.0% 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.

Embed this map on your site

Where in Colorado

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Jackson CountyBest the second week of May · 124 checklists that week, 7,472 in all19%
  2. Rio Grande CountyBest mid July · 171 checklists that week, 4,655 in all14%
  3. Saguache CountyBest late April · 100 checklists that week, 3,220 in all11%
  4. Cheyenne CountyBest the second week of October · 44 checklists that week, 1,388 in all11%
  5. Gunnison CountyBest mid December · 55 checklists that week, 9,894 in all11%
  6. Archuleta CountyBest mid September · 232 checklists that week, 10,365 in all11%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. North Gateway ParkProwers County, best late January · 23 checklists that week, 820 in all63%
  2. Mount Ouray State Wildlife AreaChaffee County, best the second week of April · 30 checklists that week, 793 in all55%
  3. Van Vleet - NorthBoulder County, best early July · 36 checklists that week, 646 in all53%
  4. Walden Ponds Wildlife Habitat (northeast)Boulder County, best early October · 80 checklists that week, 2,513 in all52%

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

Best time of day

In Colorado, the Wilson's Snipe is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (1.9% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%2%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: 1.9% of 71991 checklists7 am: 1.9% of 159189 checklists8 am: 1.8% of 177206 checklists9 am: 1.5% of 165269 checklists10 am: 1.3% of 141029 checklists11 am: 1.2% of 115283 checklists12 pm: 1.1% of 96068 checklists1 pm: 1.2% of 89512 checklists2 pm: 1.2% of 86319 checklists3 pm: 1.3% of 82496 checklists4 pm: 1.3% of 71648 checklists5 pm: 1.7% of 52445 checklists6 pm: 1.9% 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
January1.4%1.1%1.2%1.2%
February1.0%0.8%0.7%0.8%
March0.5%0.5%0.7%1.1%
April2.5%3.4%4.5%2.8%
May1.5%1.2%1.5%1.5%
June1.9%1.4%1.5%1.5%
July1.4%1.1%0.9%0.7%
August0.9%1.3%1.7%1.8%
September1.9%1.7%1.5%1.8%
October1.8%2.1%2.0%1.9%
November1.8%1.2%1.0%0.8%
December1.0%1.0%1.3%1.0%

Neighboring states

  • Wyoming: arrives early April, 2 weeks later than Colorado
  • New Mexico: arrives mid September, 24 weeks earlier than Colorado
  • Utah: arrives mid March, in the same week than Colorado
  • Nebraska: arrives mid March, in the same week than Colorado

Common questions

When do Wilson's Snipe arrive in Colorado?
Wilson's Snipe arrive in Colorado in mid March, peak in the second week of April (3.5% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of February.
When do Wilson's Snipe leave Colorado?
Most Wilson's Snipe have left Colorado by the second week of February, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Wilson's Snipe in Colorado?
The Wilson's Snipe is reported most often in the second week of April, on about 3.5% of Colorado checklists.
Where in Colorado are Wilson's Snipe seen most often?
By county, Jackson County, Rio Grande County, and Saguache County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Wilson's Snipe (counties with at least 200 checklists).