WhenToBird

Scolopax minor · Scolopacidae

When Do American Woodcocks Arrive in Michigan?

Adult American Woodcock
Photo: jeffcherry, CC0 1.0 via iNaturalist

American Woodcocks are winter birds in Michigan: they arrive in early March, peak in mid March (2.0% of checklists), and most are gone by early June.

When to look

First arrivalsMar 1-7early March
Common byMar 1-7early March
PeakMar 15-21mid March
Most gone byJun 1-7early June

Best: mid March. First arrivals early March; most are gone by early June. Peak: on about 2.0% of Michigan checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maycommon
  6. Jununcommon
  7. Juluncommon
  8. Augrare
  9. Seprare
  10. Octrare
  11. Novrare
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%1%2%3%Jan 1-7: 0% of 38160 checklistsJan 8-14: 0% of 24696 checklistsJan 15-21: 0% of 23771 checklistsJan 22-31: 0% of 31347 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0% of 23225 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0% of 27398 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.1% of 36606 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.3% of 27127 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.0% of 29700 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.9% of 31587 checklistsMar 15-21: 2.2% of 32118 checklistsMar 22-31: 2.0% of 47777 checklistsApr 1-7: 1.6% of 38557 checklistsApr 8-14: 1.5% of 42207 checklistsApr 15-21: 1.2% of 42759 checklistsApr 22-30: 1.2% of 64458 checklistsMay 1-7: 1.0% of 60998 checklistsMay 8-14: 1.0% of 72091 checklistsMay 15-21: 1.1% of 59058 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.8% of 64724 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.5% of 35990 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.4% of 32595 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.4% of 30017 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.4% of 33988 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.3% of 28708 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.3% of 25175 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.2% of 24084 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.2% of 33522 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.2% of 25098 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.2% of 24353 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.1% of 25059 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.2% of 37489 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.2% of 28410 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.1% of 27887 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.3% of 26614 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.3% of 32557 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.3% of 25844 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.3% of 27741 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.3% of 24693 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.3% of 32460 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.1% of 23660 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.1% of 21542 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.1% of 19922 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.1% of 25069 checklistsDec 1-7: 0% of 18272 checklistsDec 8-14: 0% of 18961 checklistsDec 15-21: 0% of 24171 checklistsDec 22-31: 0% of 30908 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 Michigan 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 Michigan

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Dickinson CountyBest late April · 102 checklists that week, 2,302 in all7.1%
  2. Lake CountyBest the second week of May · 116 checklists that week, 2,682 in all6.0%
  3. Montmorency CountyBest late April · 60 checklists that week, 1,725 in all5.8%
  4. Grand Traverse CountyBest late March · 958 checklists that week, 32,907 in all5.7%
  5. Schoolcraft CountyBest mid March · 10 checklists that week, 3,719 in all5.6%
  6. Ontonagon CountyBest late April · 63 checklists that week, 3,548 in all5.4%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Waterloo State Wildlife AreaJackson County, best mid March · 23 checklists that week, 463 in all59%
  2. Luton ParkKent County, best early April · 20 checklists that week, 396 in all46%
  3. Barton Nature AreaWashtenaw County, best late March · 66 checklists that week, 1,216 in all40%
  4. Southeast Michigan Land Conservancy PreserveWashtenaw County, best the second week of March · 23 checklists that week, 1,157 in all39%
  5. Sarett Nature Center (Blue Creek)Berrien County, best late April · 85 checklists that week, 859 in all36%
  6. Grand River ParkOttawa County, best late March · 38 checklists that week, 826 in all33%

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

Best time of day

In Michigan, the American Woodcock is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 pm (2.0% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%4%12 am: too few checklists (712) to judge1 am: too few checklists (592) to judge2 am: too few checklists (532) to judge3 am: too few checklists (516) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1592) to judge5 am: too few checklists (6849) to judge6 am: 1.7% of 39298 checklists7 am: 0.4% of 120344 checklists8 am: 0.2% of 180109 checklists9 am: 0.2% of 171966 checklists10 am: 0.2% of 156332 checklists11 am: 0.2% of 134964 checklists12 pm: 0.2% of 120967 checklists1 pm: 0.2% of 113852 checklists2 pm: 0.2% of 110773 checklists3 pm: 0.2% of 105530 checklists4 pm: 0.2% of 100958 checklists5 pm: 0.5% of 80085 checklists6 pm: 1.2% of 62883 checklists7 pm: 3.1% of 44912 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (21062) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (5920) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1629) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (775) 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
January0%0%0%0%
February0%0%0.1%0.3%
March1.0%1.9%2.2%2.0%
April1.6%1.5%1.2%1.2%
May1.0%1.0%1.1%0.8%
June0.5%0.4%0.4%0.4%
July0.3%0.3%0.2%0.2%
August0.2%0.2%0.1%0.2%
September0.2%0.1%0.3%0.3%
October0.3%0.3%0.3%0.3%
November0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
December0%0%0%0%

Neighboring states

  • Ohio: arrives late February, 1 week earlier than Michigan
  • Indiana: arrives mid February, 2 weeks earlier than Michigan
  • Illinois: arrives late February, 1 week earlier than Michigan
  • Wisconsin: arrives early March, in the same week than Michigan

Common questions

When do American Woodcocks arrive in Michigan?
American Woodcocks are winter birds in Michigan: they arrive in early March, peak in mid March (2.0% of checklists), and most are gone by early June.
When do American Woodcocks leave Michigan?
Most American Woodcocks have left Michigan by early June, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a American Woodcock in Michigan?
The American Woodcock is reported most often in mid March, on about 2.0% of Michigan checklists.
Where in Michigan are American Woodcocks seen most often?
By county, Dickinson County, Lake County, and Montmorency County have the highest peak reporting rates for the American Woodcock (counties with at least 200 checklists).