WhenToBird

Spinus tristis · Fringillidae

When Do American Goldfinches Arrive in Maryland?

Adult American Goldfinch
Photo: Andy Wilson, CC0 1.0 via iNaturalist

American Goldfinches are in Maryland all year, but most are here in summer: numbers build from the second week of April, peak in the second week of August (57% of checklists), and fall back by mid September. In the quietest week (early March) they are still on about 19% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildApr 8-14the second week of April
PeakAug 8-14the second week of August
Fall back bySep 15-21mid September
FewestMar 1-7early March

Best: the second week of August. Here all year; numbers build from the second week of April and fall back by mid September. Peak: on about 57% of Maryland checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%20%40%60%Jan 1-7: 24% of 28716 checklistsJan 8-14: 23% of 21449 checklistsJan 15-21: 22% of 21267 checklistsJan 22-31: 22% of 29144 checklistsFeb 1-7: 21% of 21347 checklistsFeb 8-14: 23% of 22166 checklistsFeb 15-21: 22% of 29986 checklistsFeb 22-28: 19% of 22427 checklistsMar 1-7: 19% of 21389 checklistsMar 8-14: 19% of 22192 checklistsMar 15-21: 23% of 22823 checklistsMar 22-31: 28% of 33720 checklistsApr 1-7: 36% of 25513 checklistsApr 8-14: 42% of 27718 checklistsApr 15-21: 47% of 29328 checklistsApr 22-30: 50% of 42595 checklistsMay 1-7: 49% of 38532 checklistsMay 8-14: 45% of 42722 checklistsMay 15-21: 42% of 31936 checklistsMay 22-31: 38% of 36903 checklistsJun 1-7: 38% of 23191 checklistsJun 8-14: 38% of 21853 checklistsJun 15-21: 39% of 21000 checklistsJun 22-30: 42% of 25133 checklistsJul 1-7: 46% of 18715 checklistsJul 8-14: 49% of 16376 checklistsJul 15-21: 52% of 15793 checklistsJul 22-31: 55% of 21969 checklistsAug 1-7: 56% of 16013 checklistsAug 8-14: 56% of 15249 checklistsAug 15-21: 58% of 15674 checklistsAug 22-31: 56% of 24925 checklistsSep 1-7: 52% of 19808 checklistsSep 8-14: 46% of 18513 checklistsSep 15-21: 41% of 21901 checklistsSep 22-30: 35% of 22901 checklistsOct 1-7: 32% of 19111 checklistsOct 8-14: 29% of 18482 checklistsOct 15-21: 31% of 17380 checklistsOct 22-31: 33% of 23992 checklistsNov 1-7: 38% of 17915 checklistsNov 8-14: 35% of 18905 checklistsNov 15-21: 34% of 16259 checklistsNov 22-30: 31% of 22852 checklistsDec 1-7: 29% of 16108 checklistsDec 8-14: 28% of 16512 checklistsDec 15-21: 28% of 18952 checklistsDec 22-31: 25% of 29728 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 Maryland 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.

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Where in Maryland

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Garrett CountyBest the second week of August · 488 checklists that week, 37,616 in all73%
  2. Allegany CountyBest the second week of August · 251 checklists that week, 18,322 in all73%
  3. Charles CountyBest the second week of August · 187 checklists that week, 10,064 in all67%
  4. Howard CountyBest mid August · 1437 checklists that week, 118,290 in all66%
  5. Frederick CountyBest mid August · 905 checklists that week, 57,576 in all65%
  6. Washington CountyBest mid July · 456 checklists that week, 24,020 in all65%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Reedbird ParkBaltimore County, best late August · 36 checklists that week, 321 in all98%
  2. Gerber KnollHoward County, best mid November · 23 checklists that week, 922 in all97%
  3. Lake Needwood (North Branch Rock Creek)Montgomery County, best late July · 22 checklists that week, 2,257 in all97%

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

Best time of day

In Maryland, the American Goldfinch is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (51% of those checklists).

0%20%40%60%12 am: too few checklists (486) to judge1 am: too few checklists (451) to judge2 am: too few checklists (447) to judge3 am: too few checklists (766) to judge4 am: too few checklists (2076) to judge5 am: too few checklists (11098) to judge6 am: 52% of 56604 checklists7 am: 51% of 139255 checklists8 am: 46% of 148626 checklists9 am: 41% of 126820 checklists10 am: 36% of 106973 checklists11 am: 32% of 87483 checklists12 pm: 29% of 74808 checklists1 pm: 28% of 69428 checklists2 pm: 26% of 67800 checklists3 pm: 24% of 67688 checklists4 pm: 25% of 60927 checklists5 pm: 30% of 43876 checklists6 pm: 32% of 32930 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (19051) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (5708) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1977) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1170) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (635) 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
January24%23%22%22%
February21%23%22%19%
March19%19%23%28%
April36%42%47%50%
May49%45%42%38%
June38%38%39%42%
July46%49%52%55%
August56%56%58%56%
September52%46%41%35%
October32%29%31%33%
November38%35%34%31%
December29%28%28%25%

Neighboring states

  • District of Columbia: arrives early April, 1 week earlier than Maryland
  • Delaware: arrives the second week of April, in the same week than Maryland
  • Virginia: year-round, peaks the second week of August
  • Pennsylvania: arrives late June, 10 weeks later than Maryland

Common questions

When do American Goldfinches arrive in Maryland?
American Goldfinches are in Maryland all year, but most are here in summer: numbers build from the second week of April, peak in the second week of August (57% of checklists), and fall back by mid September. In the quietest week (early March) they are still on about 19% of checklists.
When do American Goldfinches leave Maryland?
American Goldfinches never fully leave Maryland: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by mid September, but some are still reported in every week, about 19% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a American Goldfinch in Maryland?
The American Goldfinch is reported most often in the second week of August, on about 57% of Maryland checklists.
Where in Maryland are American Goldfinches seen most often?
By county, Garrett County, Allegany County, and Charles County have the highest peak reporting rates for the American Goldfinch (counties with at least 200 checklists).