Birds in Virginia in October: What to Photograph (60 Species)

60 birds were recorded seen in Virginia in October in our iNaturalist sample; 5 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 October

Great Blue Heron1,153 obs.

Northern Mockingbird769 obs.

Northern Cardinal758 obs.

Blue Jay604 obs.

Canada Goose600 obs.

Yellow-rumped Warbler590 obs.

Eastern Bluebird575 obs.

Carolina Wren562 obs.

House Sparrow558 obs.

Turkey Vulture548 obs.

Downy Woodpecker547 obs.

Song Sparrow533 obs.

All birds seen in Virginia in October

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	1,153	Apr (past peak)
2	Northern Mockingbird	Mimus polyglottos	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	769	Apr (past peak)
3	Northern Cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis	Cardinals and Allies	758	Apr (past peak)
4	Blue Jay	Cyanocitta cristata	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	604	Apr (past peak)
5	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	600	Apr (past peak)
6	Yellow-rumped Warbler	Setophaga coronata	New World Warblers	590	Apr (past peak)
7	Eastern Bluebird	Sialia sialis	Thrushes	575	Apr (past peak)
8	Carolina Wren	Thryothorus ludovicianus	Wrens	562	Apr (past peak)
9	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	Old World Sparrows	558	Apr (past peak)
10	Turkey Vulture	Cathartes aura	New World Vultures	548	Apr (past peak)
11	Downy Woodpecker	Dryobates pubescens	Woodpeckers	547	Jan (past peak)
12	Song Sparrow	Melospiza melodia	New World Sparrows	533	Mar (past peak)
13	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	523	Apr (past peak)
14	Red-shouldered Hawk	Buteo lineatus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	512	Jan (past peak)
15	Bald Eagle	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	503	Apr (past peak)
16	Ruby-crowned Kinglet	Corthylio calendula	Kinglets	472	Oct (peak)
17	Eastern Phoebe	Sayornis phoebe	Tyrant Flycatchers	458	Apr (past peak)
18	Red-bellied Woodpecker	Melanerpes carolinus	Woodpeckers	452	Apr (past peak)
19	Northern Flicker	Colaptes auratus	Woodpeckers	452	Apr (past peak)
20	Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura	Pigeons and Doves	436	Apr (past peak)
21	White-throated Sparrow	Zonotrichia albicollis	New World Sparrows	405	Apr (past peak)
22	Great Egret	Ardea alba	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	355	Aug (past peak)
23	Tufted Titmouse	Baeolophus bicolor	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	337	Apr (past peak)
24	Palm Warbler	Setophaga palmarum	New World Warblers	330	Oct (peak)
25	Carolina Chickadee	Poecile carolinensis	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	317	Apr (past peak)
26	White-breasted Nuthatch	Sitta carolinensis	Nuthatches	314	Apr (past peak)
27	Black Vulture	Coragyps atratus	New World Vultures	309	Apr (past peak)
28	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	303	Apr (past peak)
29	House Finch	Haemorhous mexicanus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	303	Apr (past peak)
30	Yellow-bellied Sapsucker	Sphyrapicus varius	Woodpeckers	300	Jan (past peak)
31	Double-crested Cormorant	Nannopterum auritum	Cormorants and Shags	298	Apr (past peak)
32	Wild Turkey	Meleagris gallopavo	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	284	Apr (past peak)
33	European Starling	Sturnus vulgaris	Starlings	283	Apr (past peak)
34	American Goldfinch	Spinus tristis	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	276	Apr (past peak)
35	Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	266	Feb (past peak)
36	Cooper's Hawk	Astur cooperii	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	263	Jan (past peak)
37	Pileated Woodpecker	Dryocopus pileatus	Woodpeckers	247	Apr (past peak)
38	Common Yellowthroat	Geothlypis trichas	New World Warblers	244	May (past peak)
39	Laughing Gull	Leucophaeus atricilla	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	242	Aug (past peak)
40	Chipping Sparrow	Spizella passerina	New World Sparrows	228	Apr (past peak)
41	Belted Kingfisher	Megaceryle alcyon	Kingfishers	223	Oct (peak)
42	Gray Catbird	Dumetella carolinensis	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	221	May (past peak)
43	Cape May Warbler	Setophaga tigrina	New World Warblers	218	Sep (past peak)
44	Swamp Sparrow	Melospiza georgiana	New World Sparrows	209	Oct (peak)
45	Northern Parula	Setophaga americana	New World Warblers	191	May (past peak)
46	American Crow	Corvus brachyrhynchos	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	184	Apr (past peak)
47	Hermit Thrush	Catharus guttatus	Thrushes	175	Jan (past peak)
48	Golden-crowned Kinglet	Regulus satrapa	Kinglets	170	Oct (peak)
49	Red-winged Blackbird	Agelaius phoeniceus	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	158	Apr (past peak)
50	Ring-billed Gull	Larus delawarensis	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	153	Feb (past peak)

Birds Seen in Virginia in October

Top birds in October

All birds seen in Virginia in October