WhenToBird

Gallinago delicata · Scolopacidae

When Do Wilson's Snipe Arrive in Oregon?

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

Wilson's Snipe reach Oregon in late July, are common by the second week of August, peak in the second week of April (3.7% of checklists), and most are gone by mid June.

When to look

First arrivalsJul 22-31late July
Common byAug 8-14the second week of August
PeakApr 8-14the second week of April
Most gone byJun 15-21mid June

Best: the second week of April. First arrivals late July; most are gone by mid June. Peak: on about 3.7% of Oregon checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Juluncommon
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Deccommon

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

0%1%2%3%4%Jan 1-7: 2.0% of 34973 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.6% of 26807 checklistsJan 15-21: 2.0% of 26567 checklistsJan 22-31: 2.1% of 36019 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.8% of 24020 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.8% of 25765 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.4% of 31019 checklistsFeb 22-28: 2.1% of 24582 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.9% of 24834 checklistsMar 8-14: 2.1% of 24642 checklistsMar 15-21: 2.3% of 27420 checklistsMar 22-31: 2.5% of 39913 checklistsApr 1-7: 3.9% of 28817 checklistsApr 8-14: 3.8% of 31221 checklistsApr 15-21: 3.4% of 34402 checklistsApr 22-30: 2.9% of 47144 checklistsMay 1-7: 2.2% of 37716 checklistsMay 8-14: 2.2% of 39651 checklistsMay 15-21: 2.4% of 37496 checklistsMay 22-31: 2.9% of 56967 checklistsJun 1-7: 3.2% of 35893 checklistsJun 8-14: 2.6% of 31880 checklistsJun 15-21: 2.2% of 30942 checklistsJun 22-30: 1.7% of 38478 checklistsJul 1-7: 1.4% of 27409 checklistsJul 8-14: 1.0% of 25161 checklistsJul 15-21: 1.1% of 25473 checklistsJul 22-31: 1.2% of 33920 checklistsAug 1-7: 1.5% of 24310 checklistsAug 8-14: 1.6% of 23675 checklistsAug 15-21: 2.3% of 23623 checklistsAug 22-31: 2.8% of 33762 checklistsSep 1-7: 3.7% of 25120 checklistsSep 8-14: 3.4% of 24458 checklistsSep 15-21: 3.3% of 25528 checklistsSep 22-30: 3.3% of 31631 checklistsOct 1-7: 2.8% of 25498 checklistsOct 8-14: 3.0% of 25161 checklistsOct 15-21: 3.3% of 23701 checklistsOct 22-31: 3.7% of 30996 checklistsNov 1-7: 3.3% of 21089 checklistsNov 8-14: 3.4% of 21880 checklistsNov 15-21: 3.2% of 21501 checklistsNov 22-30: 2.6% of 28930 checklistsDec 1-7: 2.4% of 19807 checklistsDec 8-14: 2.4% of 21022 checklistsDec 15-21: 2.7% of 24817 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.8% 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.

Embed this map on your site

Where in Oregon

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Grant CountyBest mid April · 102 checklists that week, 6,818 in all18%
  2. Crook CountyBest late August · 223 checklists that week, 9,466 in all18%
  3. Baker CountyBest late May · 235 checklists that week, 6,705 in all14%
  4. Harney CountyBest the second week of May · 2018 checklists that week, 40,943 in all13%
  5. Malheur CountyBest the second week of June · 297 checklists that week, 4,699 in all11%
  6. Union CountyBest late August · 757 checklists that week, 33,301 in all11%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Klamath MarshKlamath County, best late May · 24 checklists that week, 205 in all70%
  2. Wapato Lake National Wildlife Refuge (Wapato Lake Bed)Yamhill County, best late September · 22 checklists that week, 176 in all69%
  3. Goose Lake State Recreation AreaLake County, best the second week of June · 23 checklists that week, 429 in all67%
  4. Wetland ParkLane County, best the second week of October · 29 checklists that week, 897 in all67%
  5. Wapato Lake National Wildlife RefugeWashington County, best early October · 25 checklists that week, 605 in all66%

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

Best time of day

In Oregon, the Wilson's Snipe is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (3.3% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%4%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: 3.4% of 50677 checklists7 am: 3.3% of 125347 checklists8 am: 3.1% of 163668 checklists9 am: 2.8% of 160351 checklists10 am: 2.4% of 148940 checklists11 am: 2.1% of 124743 checklists12 pm: 1.9% of 112537 checklists1 pm: 1.9% of 98999 checklists2 pm: 2.1% of 94690 checklists3 pm: 1.9% of 87923 checklists4 pm: 2.1% of 75235 checklists5 pm: 2.3% of 54504 checklists6 pm: 2.3% of 40469 checklists7 pm: 1.9% 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
January2.0%1.6%2.0%2.1%
February1.8%1.8%1.4%2.1%
March1.9%2.1%2.3%2.5%
April3.9%3.8%3.4%2.9%
May2.2%2.2%2.4%2.9%
June3.2%2.6%2.2%1.7%
July1.4%1.0%1.1%1.2%
August1.5%1.6%2.3%2.8%
September3.7%3.4%3.3%3.3%
October2.8%3.0%3.3%3.7%
November3.3%3.4%3.2%2.6%
December2.4%2.4%2.7%1.8%

Neighboring states

  • Washington: arrives the second week of August, 2 weeks later than Oregon
  • Idaho: arrives mid March, 17 weeks earlier than Oregon
  • Nevada: arrives mid February, 21 weeks earlier than Oregon
  • California: arrives early October, 9 weeks later than Oregon

Common questions

When do Wilson's Snipe arrive in Oregon?
Wilson's Snipe reach Oregon in late July, are common by the second week of August, peak in the second week of April (3.7% of checklists), and most are gone by mid June.
When do Wilson's Snipe leave Oregon?
Most Wilson's Snipe have left Oregon by mid June, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until early July.
When is the best time to see a Wilson's Snipe in Oregon?
The Wilson's Snipe is reported most often in the second week of April, on about 3.7% of Oregon checklists.
Where in Oregon are Wilson's Snipe seen most often?
By county, Grant County, Crook County, and Baker County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Wilson's Snipe (counties with at least 200 checklists).