WhenToBird

Scolopax minor · Scolopacidae

When Do American Woodcocks Arrive in Ohio?

Adult American Woodcock
Photo: jeffcherry, CC0 1.0 via iNaturalist

American Woodcocks are winter birds in Ohio: they arrive in late February, peak in the second week of March (2.9% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of April.

When to look

First arrivalsFeb 22-28late February
Common byFeb 22-28late February
PeakMar 8-14the second week of March
Most gone byApr 8-14the second week of April

Best: the second week of March. First arrivals late February; most are gone by the second week of April. Peak: on about 2.9% of Ohio checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maypeak season
  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%4%Jan 1-7: 0.1% of 46637 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.1% of 31056 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.1% of 30129 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.1% of 38665 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.1% of 27203 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.3% of 30626 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.6% of 40705 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.8% of 31391 checklistsMar 1-7: 2.7% of 32914 checklistsMar 8-14: 3.3% of 33973 checklistsMar 15-21: 2.6% of 33678 checklistsMar 22-31: 1.9% of 49889 checklistsApr 1-7: 1.2% of 41225 checklistsApr 8-14: 1.1% of 47174 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.8% of 47017 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.8% of 73055 checklistsMay 1-7: 2.2% of 80637 checklistsMay 8-14: 2.9% of 102552 checklistsMay 15-21: 2.0% of 64582 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.8% of 52766 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.4% of 29279 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.4% of 25773 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.4% of 23163 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.5% of 27794 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.5% of 23334 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.5% of 22147 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.3% of 20998 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.3% of 29749 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.1% of 22899 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.1% of 21972 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.1% of 22215 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.1% of 35087 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.3% of 29148 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.2% of 28042 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.3% of 26751 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.2% of 32398 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.3% of 26209 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.3% of 26809 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.3% of 23504 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.4% of 33269 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.3% of 25563 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.2% of 23810 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.1% of 22127 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.1% of 29449 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.1% of 22370 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.1% of 21581 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.1% of 24232 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.1% of 36084 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 Ohio 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 Ohio

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Brown CountyBest the second week of March · 20 checklists that week, 1,793 in all13%
  2. Union CountyBest early July · 243 checklists that week, 12,023 in all12%
  3. Darke CountyBest the second week of March · 79 checklists that week, 3,495 in all11%
  4. Adams CountyBest early May · 239 checklists that week, 4,054 in all11%
  5. Gallia CountyBest mid October · 14 checklists that week, 1,061 in all10%
  6. Pike CountyBest late March · 14 checklists that week, 595 in all8.3%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Plaza at Huron PointCuyahoga County, best the second week of March · 44 checklists that week, 1,714 in all76%
  2. Richardson Road ParklandFranklin County, best the second week of March · 66 checklists that week, 1,927 in all44%
  3. Sharon Woods Metropark (west)Franklin County, best early March · 31 checklists that week, 414 in all40%
  4. Maumee Bay State Park (southwest 2)Lucas County, best early May · 32 checklists that week, 178 in all40%
  5. Grand River Wildlife AreaTrumbull County, best the second week of October · 27 checklists that week, 1,401 in all39%
  6. Glacier Ridge MetroparkUnion County, best early July · 65 checklists that week, 1,828 in all39%

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

Best time of day

In Ohio, the American Woodcock is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 pm (3.7% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%12 am: too few checklists (574) to judge1 am: too few checklists (609) to judge2 am: too few checklists (466) to judge3 am: too few checklists (478) to judge4 am: too few checklists (662) to judge5 am: too few checklists (4366) to judge6 am: 2.4% of 43093 checklists7 am: 0.9% of 142017 checklists8 am: 0.6% of 205296 checklists9 am: 0.5% of 196322 checklists10 am: 0.4% of 170882 checklists11 am: 0.4% of 144567 checklists12 pm: 0.4% of 126551 checklists1 pm: 0.5% of 117855 checklists2 pm: 0.4% of 112869 checklists3 pm: 0.5% of 109786 checklists4 pm: 0.6% of 103116 checklists5 pm: 1.2% of 78409 checklists6 pm: 3.2% of 56785 checklists7 pm: 4.5% of 37923 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (14954) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2710) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (854) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (486) 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
January0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
February0.1%0.3%0.6%1.8%
March2.7%3.3%2.6%1.9%
April1.2%1.1%0.8%0.8%
May2.2%2.9%2.0%0.8%
June0.4%0.4%0.4%0.5%
July0.5%0.5%0.3%0.3%
August0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
September0.3%0.2%0.3%0.2%
October0.3%0.3%0.3%0.4%
November0.3%0.2%0.1%0.1%
December0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%

Neighboring states

  • West Virginia: arrives mid February, 1 week earlier than Ohio
  • Indiana: arrives mid February, 1 week earlier than Ohio
  • Michigan: arrives early March, 1 week later than Ohio
  • Kentucky: arrives mid February, 1 week earlier than Ohio

Common questions

When do American Woodcocks arrive in Ohio?
American Woodcocks are winter birds in Ohio: they arrive in late February, peak in the second week of March (2.9% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of April.
When do American Woodcocks leave Ohio?
Most American Woodcocks have left Ohio by the second week of April, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a American Woodcock in Ohio?
The American Woodcock is reported most often in the second week of March, on about 2.9% of Ohio checklists.
Where in Ohio are American Woodcocks seen most often?
By county, Brown County, Union County, and Darke County have the highest peak reporting rates for the American Woodcock (counties with at least 200 checklists).