Birds in District of Columbia in September: What to Photograph (60 Species)

60 birds were recorded seen in District of Columbia in September in our iNaturalist sample; 9 of the top 50 are at their peak this month. The list is ranked by number of research-grade observations.

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Top birds in September

House Sparrow365 obs.

Mallard251 obs.

Great Egret216 obs.

European Starling210 obs.

Northern Mockingbird185 obs.

Northern Cardinal169 obs.

Mourning Dove166 obs.

Great Blue Heron155 obs.

American Robin145 obs.

Gray Catbird103 obs.

Blue Jay92 obs.

American Goldfinch84 obs.

All birds seen in District of Columbia in September

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	Old World Sparrows	365	Apr (past peak)
2	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	251	Apr (past peak)
3	Great Egret	Ardea alba	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	216	Sep (peak)
4	European Starling	Sturnus vulgaris	Starlings	210	Apr (past peak)
5	Northern Mockingbird	Mimus polyglottos	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	185	Apr (past peak)
6	Northern Cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis	Cardinals and Allies	169	Apr (past peak)
7	Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura	Pigeons and Doves	166	Apr (past peak)
8	Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	155	May (past peak)
9	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	145	Apr (past peak)
10	Gray Catbird	Dumetella carolinensis	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	103	Jun (past peak)
11	Blue Jay	Cyanocitta cristata	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	92	Jun (past peak)
12	American Goldfinch	Spinus tristis	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	84	Aug (past peak)
13	Common Yellowthroat	Geothlypis trichas	New World Warblers	69	Sep (peak)
14	Eastern Wood-Pewee	Contopus virens	Tyrant Flycatchers	58	Sep (peak)
15	Green Heron	Butorides virescens	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	53	Jul (past peak)
16	Red-bellied Woodpecker	Melanerpes carolinus	Woodpeckers	53	Mar (past peak)
17	Northern Flicker	Colaptes auratus	Woodpeckers	53	Apr (past peak)
18	Wood Duck	Aix sponsa	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	51	Apr (past peak)
19	Double-crested Cormorant	Nannopterum auritum	Cormorants and Shags	51	Apr (past peak)
20	Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	49	Jan (past peak)
21	Ruby-throated Hummingbird	Archilochus colubris	Hummingbirds	47	Sep (peak)
22	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	47	May (past peak)
23	Carolina Wren	Thryothorus ludovicianus	Wrens	47	Apr (past peak)
24	Downy Woodpecker	Dryobates pubescens	Woodpeckers	47	Mar (past peak)
25	American Redstart	Setophaga ruticilla	New World Warblers	46	Sep (peak)
26	Black-and-white Warbler	Mniotilta varia	New World Warblers	45	Sep (peak)
27	Cooper's Hawk	Astur cooperii	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	39	Dec (rising)
28	Red-shouldered Hawk	Buteo lineatus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	38	Jan (past peak)
29	Common Grackle	Quiscalus quiscula	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	38	Apr (past peak)
30	Ring-billed Gull	Larus delawarensis	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	33	Feb (past peak)
31	Laughing Gull	Leucophaeus atricilla	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	33	Sep (peak)
32	Rose-breasted Grosbeak	Pheucticus ludovicianus	Cardinals and Allies	29	Sep (peak)
33	Cape May Warbler	Setophaga tigrina	New World Warblers	29	Sep (peak)
34	Magnolia Warbler	Setophaga magnolia	New World Warblers	29	May (past peak)
35	Red-eyed Vireo	Vireo olivaceus	Vireos, Shrike-Babblers, and Erpornis	29	May (past peak)
36	Scarlet Tanager	Piranga olivacea	Cardinals and Allies	28	May (past peak)
37	White-breasted Nuthatch	Sitta carolinensis	Nuthatches	28	Feb (past peak)
38	Belted Kingfisher	Megaceryle alcyon	Kingfishers	25	Jan (past peak)
39	Northern Parula	Setophaga americana	New World Warblers	25	May (past peak)
40	Tufted Titmouse	Baeolophus bicolor	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	24	Mar (past peak)
41	Pileated Woodpecker	Dryocopus pileatus	Woodpeckers	24	Apr (past peak)
42	Black-throated Blue Warbler	Setophaga caerulescens	New World Warblers	24	Oct (rising)
43	Song Sparrow	Melospiza melodia	New World Sparrows	23	Mar (past peak)
44	Red-winged Blackbird	Agelaius phoeniceus	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	23	Apr (past peak)
45	Eastern Phoebe	Sayornis phoebe	Tyrant Flycatchers	23	Apr (past peak)
46	Carolina Chickadee	Poecile carolinensis	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	23	Mar (past peak)
47	Bald Eagle	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	22	Mar (past peak)
48	Osprey	Pandion haliaetus	Ospreys	21	Apr (past peak)
49	Brown Thrasher	Toxostoma rufum	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	20	Apr (past peak)
50	Ovenbird	Seiurus aurocapilla	New World Warblers	20	May (past peak)

Birds Seen in District of Columbia in September

Top birds in September

All birds seen in District of Columbia in September