WhenToBird

Scolopax minor · Scolopacidae

When Do American Woodcocks Arrive in North Carolina?

Adult American Woodcock
Photo: jeffcherry, CC0 1.0 via iNaturalist

American Woodcocks are winter birds in North Carolina: they arrive in the second week of December, peak in early March (1.1% of checklists), and most are gone by mid March.

When to look

First arrivalsDec 8-14the second week of December
Common byDec 8-14the second week of December
PeakMar 1-7early March
Most gone byMar 15-21mid March

Best: early March. First arrivals the second week of December; most are gone by mid March. Peak: on about 1.1% of North Carolina checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Mayrare
  6. Junrare
  7. Julrare
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Seprare
  10. Octrare
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%0.5%1%1.5%Jan 1-7: 0.9% of 30085 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.7% of 22728 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.7% of 24292 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.8% of 34122 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.1% of 26352 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.0% of 29663 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.8% of 41515 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.3% of 24318 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.1% of 23408 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.8% of 22658 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.5% of 22784 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.3% of 36034 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.2% of 28131 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.2% of 29190 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.2% of 32847 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.1% of 47966 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.1% of 37076 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.1% of 36228 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 30378 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 40237 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 27551 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 26473 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.1% of 22789 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.1% of 27615 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.1% of 20022 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.1% of 19315 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.1% of 18934 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.1% of 25600 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.1% of 17987 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.1% of 17307 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.1% of 17080 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.1% of 25844 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.1% of 20818 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.1% of 20070 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.1% of 21984 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.1% of 26979 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.1% of 22605 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.1% of 22677 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.1% of 21407 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.1% of 25927 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.1% of 18830 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.2% of 18418 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.2% of 19101 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.3% of 25709 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.3% of 18856 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.4% of 18745 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.7% of 22478 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.7% of 34796 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 North Carolina 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 North Carolina

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Rockingham CountyBest the second week of March · 230 checklists that week, 11,764 in all9.6%
  2. Caswell CountyBest the second week of February · 55 checklists that week, 2,804 in all9.5%
  3. Halifax CountyBest early February · 13 checklists that week, 2,587 in all8.7%
  4. Hoke CountyBest the second week of January · 34 checklists that week, 2,460 in all8.7%
  5. Mitchell CountyBest the second week of April · 53 checklists that week, 2,981 in all6.6%
  6. Jones CountyBest mid December · 60 checklists that week, 2,012 in all6.4%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Dan River Game LandRockingham County, best mid March · 20 checklists that week, 411 in all79%
  2. City of Winston-Salem Open Space - JamisonForsyth County, best late January · 39 checklists that week, 991 in all29%
  3. Carl Alwin Schenck Memorial ForestWake County, best early February · 51 checklists that week, 1,918 in all29%
  4. Mecklenburg County Open Space - Clark's Creek Nature PreserveMecklenburg County, best mid January · 26 checklists that week, 1,456 in all28%
  5. Bass Pond (Rooul Branch)Buncombe County, best mid February · 20 checklists that week, 223 in all25%
  6. Triangle Land Conservancy PreserveOrange County, best late February · 66 checklists that week, 6,987 in all22%

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

Best time of day

In North Carolina, the American Woodcock is most often listed on checklists started between 5 and 7 pm (1.7% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%2%12 am: too few checklists (520) to judge1 am: too few checklists (489) to judge2 am: too few checklists (442) to judge3 am: too few checklists (544) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1621) to judge5 am: too few checklists (9671) to judge6 am: 1.8% of 50335 checklists7 am: 0.1% of 150152 checklists8 am: 0.1% of 182902 checklists9 am: 0.1% of 158933 checklists10 am: 0.1% of 128398 checklists11 am: 0.1% of 98671 checklists12 pm: 0.1% of 78640 checklists1 pm: 0.1% of 72510 checklists2 pm: 0.1% of 69179 checklists3 pm: 0.2% of 67669 checklists4 pm: 0.5% of 63964 checklists5 pm: 1.5% of 48520 checklists6 pm: 2.0% of 33196 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (19700) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (6160) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1943) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1119) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (651) 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
January0.9%0.7%0.7%0.8%
February1.1%1.0%0.8%1.3%
March1.1%0.8%0.5%0.3%
April0.2%0.2%0.2%0.1%
May0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
June0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
July0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
August0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
September0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
October0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
November0.1%0.2%0.2%0.3%
December0.3%0.4%0.7%0.7%

Neighboring states

  • Virginia: arrives the second week of December, in the same week than North Carolina
  • West Virginia: arrives mid February, 9 weeks later than North Carolina
  • District of Columbia: arrives mid February, 9 weeks later than North Carolina
  • Maryland: arrives mid February, 9 weeks later than North Carolina

Common questions

When do American Woodcocks arrive in North Carolina?
American Woodcocks are winter birds in North Carolina: they arrive in the second week of December, peak in early March (1.1% of checklists), and most are gone by mid March.
When do American Woodcocks leave North Carolina?
Most American Woodcocks have left North Carolina by mid March, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a American Woodcock in North Carolina?
The American Woodcock is reported most often in early March, on about 1.1% of North Carolina checklists.
Where in North Carolina are American Woodcocks seen most often?
By county, Rockingham County, Caswell County, and Halifax County have the highest peak reporting rates for the American Woodcock (counties with at least 200 checklists).