Jul 26, 2026
Oregon Hummingbird Season: A Month-by-Month Calendar
Timing derived from eBird data, 2016–2025 (sourced July 2026)
Oregon runs on two calendars stitched together at the Cascade crest. West of it, Anna's Hummingbirds never leave and Rufous arrive earlier than almost anywhere in the country. East of it, the season is short, starts late, and belongs to a different mix of species entirely.
And there's a second layer to it: Rufous migrate in a loop. They travel north along the coast in spring and south through the interior in late summer — so the same species peaks in April in one part of the state and August in another, 200 miles away.
Oregon's Hummingbird Season at a Glance
How often each species turns up on eBird checklists, week by week — statewide, 2016–2025. The region-by-region breakdown below tells a very different story on each side of the Cascades.
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The whole year on one page
Arrival windows for all five regions, the Rufous migration loop, and when to worry about freezing nectar — printed small enough to tape inside the shed door.
Download the Oregon cheat sheetOne page · PDF · free to print and share
Regions used below
South Coast (Coos) — Coos Bay, Bandon
North & Central Coast (Lincoln) — Newport, Astoria
Willamette Valley (Multnomah) — Portland, Salem, Eugene
Southern Oregon (Jackson) — Medford, Ashland, Grants Pass
East of the Cascades (Deschutes) — Bend, Burns, Ontario
Listed roughly west to east. The Cascade crest is the real dividing line — not just for timing, but for which species you'll see at all.
January
Anna's country west of the Cascades. Nothing east of it.
| West of Cascades | Anna's steady and conspicuous. On the coast, this is close to their December high; around Portland, numbers are already building back toward the February peak. |
| East of Cascades | Essentially nothing. Around Bend, Anna's are down to about a fifth of their late-summer numbers, and Rufous won't arrive for another three months. |
| What to do | West side: keep the feeder up and watch for freezing nights below 27°F. East side: nothing to do yet. Our winter hummingbird feeder care guide covers heated feeders and the two-feeder swap. |
February
The earliest Rufous arrivals in this entire 50-state series.
| South Coast | First Rufous arrive mid-month. Nowhere else we've mapped sees them this early. |
| North & Central Coast, Southern Oregon | First Rufous arrive late in the month. |
| Southern Oregon | Anna's post a real local high this month — genuinely bimodal with the September peak, not just a single winter bump. |
| East of Cascades | Still nothing. |
Why the south coast is so early
Rufous winter in Mexico and move up the Pacific coast in spring, and the south Oregon coast is simply the first Oregon land they reach. It's also the northern edge of Allen's Hummingbird's breeding range — which is why birders there log so many "Rufous or Allen's" records rather than guessing. The two species' females can't be told apart in the field.
A 2017 study found Rufous now arriving eight to eleven days later at two coastal Oregon sites than they did between 1895 and 1969 — so even "earliest in the country" has been drifting.
March
The wave moves inland.
| Willamette Valley | First Rufous arrive early in the month, joining the Anna's that never left. |
| Coast & Southern Oregon | Rufous numbers climbing steadily. |
| East of Cascades | Still quiet. A few more weeks yet. |
Arriving Rufous joining Anna's that never left can mean real territorial disputes right out of the gate.
A second feeder and a second swing, spaced out of sight of each other, gives the newcomer its own station to guard instead of contesting the resident's.
Shop a second swing →April
Peak month on the coast and in the valley — and the east side finally opens.
| Coast & Willamette Valley | Rufous peak. This is the northbound leg of the loop — spring migrants moving through on their way to breeding grounds further north. |
| East of Cascades | Hang your feeders. First Rufous arrive mid-month — nine full weeks behind the south coast. |
| Nesting | Rufous nesting underway west of the Cascades. Anna's, who started in December, may already be on a second brood. |
Why nesting season is the demanding one
There's a wrinkle specific to hummingbirds. Most female birds build up a temporary calcium store in their bones, called medullary bone, and draw on it to make eggshell. Hummingbirds have very little of it, so a laying female has less in reserve. Researchers have seen nesting females eating wood ash and other mineral-rich materials, which they think helps replace the calcium that goes into eggs. In one 1994 study, every bird seen eating ash was a female tending a nest.
It's part of why Pop's Nectar includes calcium and electrolytes rather than sugar alone. Nesting females need extra calcium during egg-laying, and plain sugar water has essentially none. Read more on the research behind it.
Shop Nectarlyte® 8 oz →Pop's tip: If you're east of the Cascades, this is the month. Get feeders out now rather than waiting for a bird to show up first — hummingbirds have excellent spatial memory, and a feeder that's already there when they arrive is the one they return to.
May
East-side specialists join in.
| East of Cascades | Calliope arrive and peak late in the month — around Bend they're on close to eight percent of lists, a real presence found nowhere west of the Cascades. |
| Coast & Valley | Past peak, easing off as spring migrants move on. |
| Southern Oregon | A brief lull between the February Anna's high and the Rufous climb toward August. |
June
The quietest stretch almost everywhere.
| Statewide | Adult male Rufous are already heading south. Females are on nests. Numbers dip almost everywhere west of the Cascades. |
| East of Cascades | Building steadily toward the late-July peak. |
What to do: Don't read a quiet June feeder as the season ending — it's a lull, not a departure, and Anna's are still on territory west of the Cascades year-round regardless.
July
The southbound leg begins in earnest.
| East of Cascades | Rufous peak late in the month around Bend — the southbound wave passing through the interior mountains. |
| Southern Oregon | Climbing hard toward the August peak. |
| Coast & Valley | Quiet. The spring migrants are long gone and it's too early for the fall birds passing back through the interior. |
Warmer weather also means more competition for nectar from ants and bees, wherever you are in the state.
Keep pests off without pesticides — hummingbirds rely on small insects for protein, so spraying near a feeder can cost them a food source, not just protect one.
AspenPerch®'s built-in ant moat blocks ants with a water barrier, and HummGuard® Nectar Tips keep bees and wasps out without changing anything for the birds.
August
Southern Oregon's biggest month.
| Southern Oregon | Rufous peak. Around Medford, this is the busiest month of the year — the same species that peaked on the coast in April, now moving south through the Rogue Valley. |
| East of Cascades | Just past peak, still very active. |
| Coast & Valley | Quiet, Anna's-only. |
If you're in southern Oregon, this is the month to be generous, not economical.
It's the single busiest stretch anywhere in the state this year, and birds fueling for the southbound leg need feeders topped up more often — the large 2lb Nectarlyte® powder or the Nectarade® liquid concentrate keeps you from running out mid-surge.
September
Southern Oregon's second Anna's peak — and it's the higher of the two.
| Southern Oregon | Anna's peak — slightly higher than February's high, making this genuinely the busiest Anna's month of the year around Medford. |
| East of Cascades | Anna's peak too — their own high point of the year around Bend, right as Rufous are finishing their exit. |
| Rufous, most regions | Departing fast. |
October
Rufous mostly gone. Anna's settling in for winter.
| Statewide | Rufous have left nearly everywhere. What's left is Anna's, and only west of the Cascades in any numbers. |
| Planting | Prime wildflower sowing window opens west of the Cascades. |
This is the planting month west of the Cascades.
Sow now and native wildflowers get the cold, moist period most varieties need to bloom reliably next spring. East of the Cascades, hold off until early spring.
Shop the Perfect Little Sanctuary® blend →November
East side closes for the year.
| East of Cascades | Take feeders down mid-month if nothing has visited in a fortnight. Anna's are scarce this far east in winter. |
| West of Cascades | Anna's steady and unbothered. Nothing changes for them. |
December
Anna's-only season west of the Cascades. The coast hits its own high.
| North & Central Coast | Anna's peak — their highest month of the year around Newport. |
| Willamette Valley | Anna's begin nesting this month — the earliest-nesting hummingbird in North America, months ahead of anything else in this guide. |
| East of Cascades | Essentially empty. |
Watch for freezing nights
Nectar starts to freeze around 27°F. Rotate two feeders — one thawing indoors while the other's out — or use a heated feeder. An incandescent bulb positioned nearby works too; LEDs don't put out enough heat to matter.
Clean a winter feeder more often than a summer one, not less. A heated feeder is a warm sugar solution sitting outside for days at a time, and that's exactly the environment mould needs.
The Year at a Glance
| When | What |
|---|---|
| Year-round | Anna's present west of the Cascades |
| December | Anna's begin nesting; north coast Anna's peak |
| Mid-February | First Rufous, south coast — earliest in this series |
| April | Rufous peak, coast and Willamette Valley (northbound) |
| Mid-April | First Rufous, east of the Cascades |
| Late May | Calliope peak, east of the Cascades |
| Late July | Rufous peak, east of the Cascades (southbound) |
| August | Rufous peak, southern Oregon (southbound) |
| September | Anna's peak, southern Oregon and east of the Cascades |
| Mid-November | Take feeders down east of the Cascades if quiet |
Frequently Asked Questions
When do hummingbirds come back to Oregon?
Anna's never leave west of the Cascades, so "back" only really applies to Rufous. They reach the south coast around mid-February — earlier than almost anywhere in the country — the north coast and southern Oregon by late February, the Willamette Valley in early March, and east of the Cascades not until mid-April.
When do hummingbirds leave Oregon?
It depends which direction they're going. Rufous that wintered south of Oregon head north through the coast and valley in April, then loop back south through the interior, passing Bend in late July and Medford in August. By October they're mostly gone everywhere. Anna's don't leave west of the Cascades at all.
How long do hummingbirds stay in Oregon?
Year-round west of the Cascades, thanks to Anna's. East of the Cascades, where Anna's are scarce in winter, the practical season runs from mid-April to mid-November — about seven months.
Why did I see hummingbirds in April but nothing in June?
You likely caught the tail end of the spring Rufous migration. They pass through the coast and Willamette Valley in April on their way further north, then thin out through May and June while nesting. Numbers don't build again until the southbound birds start moving through the interior in July.
Do I need to worry about my nectar freezing in Oregon?
Only west of the Cascades, where Anna's overwinter. Nectar starts to freeze around 27°F, which happens on a handful of nights most winters in the Willamette Valley and more often right on the coast during a cold snap. Rotating two feeders or using a heated one solves it.
Why We Built This Calendar
Pop's Birding has been helping hummingbird lovers for three generations. One of the questions our customers ask most often is "When do hummingbirds arrive and leave my state?" — we built this calendar to give a direct, sourced answer, not a generic one. Most timing advice online gives a single date for an entire state, which is exactly wrong for Oregon: Rufous reach the south coast around mid-February but don't arrive east of the Cascades until mid-April, nine full weeks later, and Anna's Hummingbirds never leave the west side at all. A single statewide "put your feeder out" date would be nearly two months late on the coast and would leave west-side yards without a feeder for Anna's all winter. We wanted a calendar that tells you the truth for your side of the mountains, not an average that fits nobody.
How We Built This Calendar
This page draws on eBird bar chart data (Cornell Lab of Ornithology), 2016–2025, for Oregon statewide and five counties: Coos (south coast), Lincoln (north and central coast), Multnomah (Willamette Valley), Jackson (southern Oregon), and Deschutes (east of the Cascades). We cross-checked it against Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife guidance, the Oregon Bird Records Committee's official checklist, and OSU Extension's feeder recommendations. The genuine finding: Rufous move through Oregon in a loop, not a single wave. They peak on the coast and in the Willamette Valley in April heading north, then around Bend in late July and Medford in August heading south. That migration-loop finding is our own analysis of the raw eBird data.
Sources
- eBird bar chart data, Cornell Lab of Ornithology — Oregon statewide plus Coos, Lincoln, Multnomah, Jackson, and Deschutes counties, 2016–2025.
- Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife — Hummingbirds.
- Oregon Bird Records Committee (Oregon Birding Association) — Official Checklist of Oregon Birds.
- Oregon State University Extension — Hummingbird Visitors to Pacific Northwest Gardens.
- Courter, J. R. (2017). Changes in spring arrival dates of Rufous Hummingbirds in western North America in the past century. The Wilson Journal of Ornithology, 129(3), 535–544.
- des Lauriers, J. R. (1994). Hummingbirds eating ashes. The Auk, 111(3), 755–756. Documents five nesting female hummingbirds eating wood ash; no males were seen doing so in that study.
- Adam, M. D., & des Lauriers, J. R. (1998). Observations of hummingbirds ingesting mineral-rich compounds. Journal of Field Ornithology, 69, 257–261. Source for hummingbirds' greatly reduced medullary bone and for the mineral-rich materials they eat.
- Werning, S. (2018). Medullary bone is phylogenetically widespread and its skeletal distribution varies by taxon. Journal of Ornithology, 159, 527–543. Source for medullary bone being confirmed in hummingbirds.
Know before they arrive
You don't have to keep this calendar taped to the fridge. Insider Birding Access members get seasonal notes timed to your region — when to have feeders out, what the birds are doing right now, and what's worth doing in your yard this season. We take the guesswork out of the calendar. Joining takes about thirty seconds, and there's 10% off your first order in it.
Join Insider Birding Access →Free to join. 10% off your first order.
Shop Oregon's Hummingbird Favorites
Bethany Sloan has served as General Manager of Pop's Birding since 2010, continuing the legacy of her grandfather, William "Pops" Sloan, inventor of the Original Hummingbird Swing. A lifelong hummingbird enthusiast, educator, and independent researcher, she leads the company's educational content, including its 50-State Hummingbird Guide series, Regional Guide, Species Guide and Hummingbird Learning Center. Bethany combines scientific research, regional migration data, and more than 16 years of hands-on experience to create trusted educational resources for bird enthusiasts across North America.
