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

60 birds were recorded seen in Virginia in September 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 September

Great Blue Heron1,188 obs.

Northern Cardinal871 obs.

Mourning Dove835 obs.

Ruby-throated Hummingbird672 obs.

Great Egret669 obs.

Northern Mockingbird548 obs.

Canada Goose530 obs.

Carolina Wren466 obs.

Mallard462 obs.

American Goldfinch459 obs.

Common Yellowthroat452 obs.

Green Heron434 obs.

All birds seen in Virginia in September

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	1,188	Apr (past peak)
2	Northern Cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis	Cardinals and Allies	871	Apr (past peak)
3	Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura	Pigeons and Doves	835	Apr (past peak)
4	Ruby-throated Hummingbird	Archilochus colubris	Hummingbirds	672	Aug (past peak)
5	Great Egret	Ardea alba	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	669	Aug (past peak)
6	Northern Mockingbird	Mimus polyglottos	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	548	Apr (past peak)
7	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	530	Apr (past peak)
8	Carolina Wren	Thryothorus ludovicianus	Wrens	466	Apr (past peak)
9	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	462	Apr (past peak)
10	American Goldfinch	Spinus tristis	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	459	Apr (past peak)
11	Common Yellowthroat	Geothlypis trichas	New World Warblers	452	May (past peak)
12	Green Heron	Butorides virescens	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	434	Aug (past peak)
13	Turkey Vulture	Cathartes aura	New World Vultures	429	Apr (past peak)
14	American Redstart	Setophaga ruticilla	New World Warblers	427	May (past peak)
15	Laughing Gull	Leucophaeus atricilla	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	425	Aug (past peak)
16	Red-shouldered Hawk	Buteo lineatus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	416	Jan (past peak)
17	Eastern Bluebird	Sialia sialis	Thrushes	405	Apr (past peak)
18	Wild Turkey	Meleagris gallopavo	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	402	Apr (past peak)
19	Bald Eagle	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	399	Apr (past peak)
20	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	Old World Sparrows	390	Apr (past peak)
21	Downy Woodpecker	Dryobates pubescens	Woodpeckers	384	Jan (past peak)
22	Gray Catbird	Dumetella carolinensis	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	383	May (past peak)
23	Blue Jay	Cyanocitta cristata	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	378	Apr (past peak)
24	Eastern Wood-Pewee	Contopus virens	Tyrant Flycatchers	373	Sep (peak)
25	Carolina Chickadee	Poecile carolinensis	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	364	Apr (past peak)
26	Double-crested Cormorant	Nannopterum auritum	Cormorants and Shags	348	Apr (past peak)
27	Tufted Titmouse	Baeolophus bicolor	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	308	Apr (past peak)
28	Magnolia Warbler	Setophaga magnolia	New World Warblers	302	Sep (peak)
29	Eastern Phoebe	Sayornis phoebe	Tyrant Flycatchers	287	Apr (past peak)
30	Osprey	Pandion haliaetus	Ospreys	282	Apr (past peak)
31	Black-and-white Warbler	Mniotilta varia	New World Warblers	279	May (past peak)
32	Red-bellied Woodpecker	Melanerpes carolinus	Woodpeckers	274	Apr (past peak)
33	Cape May Warbler	Setophaga tigrina	New World Warblers	273	Sep (peak)
34	Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	267	Feb (past peak)
35	Cooper's Hawk	Astur cooperii	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	261	Jan (past peak)
36	White-breasted Nuthatch	Sitta carolinensis	Nuthatches	255	Apr (past peak)
37	Red-eyed Vireo	Vireo olivaceus	Vireos, Shrike-Babblers, and Erpornis	252	May (past peak)
38	Northern Flicker	Colaptes auratus	Woodpeckers	248	Apr (past peak)
39	Black Vulture	Coragyps atratus	New World Vultures	234	Apr (past peak)
40	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	231	Apr (past peak)
41	Sanderling	Calidris alba	Sandpipers and Allies	227	Aug (past peak)
42	Pileated Woodpecker	Dryocopus pileatus	Woodpeckers	219	Apr (past peak)
43	House Finch	Haemorhous mexicanus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	218	Apr (past peak)
44	European Starling	Sturnus vulgaris	Starlings	215	Apr (past peak)
45	Yellow-crowned Night Heron	Nyctanassa violacea	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	212	Jul (past peak)
46	Northern Parula	Setophaga americana	New World Warblers	194	May (past peak)
47	Brown Thrasher	Toxostoma rufum	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	183	May (past peak)
48	Black-throated Green Warbler	Setophaga virens	New World Warblers	167	Sep (peak)
49	Song Sparrow	Melospiza melodia	New World Sparrows	165	Mar (past peak)
50	Tennessee Warbler	Leiothlypis peregrina	New World Warblers	161	Sep (peak)

Birds Seen in Virginia in September

Top birds in September

All birds seen in Virginia in September