WhenToBird

Icterus galbula · Icteridae

When Do Baltimore Orioles Arrive in Michigan?

Adult male Baltimore Oriole
Photo: Daughter Dad, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Baltimore Orioles reach Michigan in mid April, are common by late April, peak in mid May (44% of checklists), and most are gone by late August.

When to look

First arrivalsApr 15-21mid April
Common byApr 22-30late April
PeakMay 15-21mid May
Most gone byAug 22-31late August

Best: mid May. First arrivals mid April; most are gone by late August. Peak: on about 44% of Michigan checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marnot usually seen
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Juncommon
  7. Juluncommon
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Seprare
  10. Octnot usually seen
  11. Novnot usually seen
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%20%40%60%Jan 1-7: 0.1% of 38160 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.1% 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% of 36606 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0% of 27127 checklistsMar 1-7: 0% of 29700 checklistsMar 8-14: 0% of 31587 checklistsMar 15-21: 0% of 32118 checklistsMar 22-31: 0% of 47777 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.1% of 38557 checklistsApr 8-14: 0% of 42207 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.1% of 42759 checklistsApr 22-30: 5.6% of 64458 checklistsMay 1-7: 32% of 60998 checklistsMay 8-14: 48% of 72091 checklistsMay 15-21: 47% of 59058 checklistsMay 22-31: 36% of 64724 checklistsJun 1-7: 28% of 35990 checklistsJun 8-14: 28% of 32595 checklistsJun 15-21: 25% of 30017 checklistsJun 22-30: 19% of 33988 checklistsJul 1-7: 15% of 28708 checklistsJul 8-14: 12% of 25175 checklistsJul 15-21: 9.5% of 24084 checklistsJul 22-31: 8.9% of 33522 checklistsAug 1-7: 10% of 25098 checklistsAug 8-14: 14% of 24353 checklistsAug 15-21: 16% of 25059 checklistsAug 22-31: 11% of 37489 checklistsSep 1-7: 4.0% of 28410 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.8% of 27887 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.2% of 26614 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.1% of 32557 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.1% of 25844 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.1% of 27741 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.1% of 24693 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.1% 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: 0.1% of 18272 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.1% of 18961 checklistsDec 15-21: 0% of 24171 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.1% 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. Van Buren CountyBest the second week of May · 590 checklists that week, 14,183 in all63%
  2. Ionia CountyBest mid May · 151 checklists that week, 5,509 in all63%
  3. St. Clair CountyBest mid May · 709 checklists that week, 24,098 in all61%
  4. Clinton CountyBest mid May · 354 checklists that week, 10,597 in all59%
  5. Macomb CountyBest mid May · 1902 checklists that week, 61,232 in all58%
  6. Lenawee CountyBest mid May · 318 checklists that week, 11,588 in all58%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. For-Mar Nature Preserve and ArboretumGenesee County, best late May · 27 checklists that week, 810 in all98%
  2. Furstenberg Nature AreaWashtenaw County, best mid May · 94 checklists that week, 2,552 in all94%
  3. Plaster Creek TrailKent County, best late May · 55 checklists that week, 1,094 in all94%
  4. Muskegon Nature PreserveMuskegon County, best mid May · 53 checklists that week, 1,351 in all93%
  5. Tawas Point State ParkIosco County, best late May · 828 checklists that week, 8,006 in all93%
  6. Arboretum Nature AreaWashtenaw County, best mid May · 463 checklists that week, 6,118 in all93%

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

Best time of day

In Michigan, the Baltimore Oriole is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (22% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%40%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: 31% of 39298 checklists7 am: 19% of 120344 checklists8 am: 13% of 180109 checklists9 am: 11% of 171966 checklists10 am: 9.5% of 156332 checklists11 am: 8.0% of 134964 checklists12 pm: 7.6% of 120967 checklists1 pm: 7.1% of 113852 checklists2 pm: 6.9% of 110773 checklists3 pm: 6.8% of 105530 checklists4 pm: 7.5% of 100958 checklists5 pm: 9.6% of 80085 checklists6 pm: 13% of 62883 checklists7 pm: 14% 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
January0.1%0.1%0%0%
February0%0%0%0%
March0%0%0%0%
April0.1%0%0.1%5.6%
May32%48%47%36%
June28%28%25%19%
July15%12%9.5%8.9%
August10%14%16%11%
September4.0%0.8%0.2%0.1%
October0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
November0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
December0.1%0.1%0%0.1%

Neighboring states

  • Ohio: arrives mid April, in the same week than Michigan
  • Indiana: arrives mid April, in the same week than Michigan
  • Illinois: arrives mid April, in the same week than Michigan
  • Wisconsin: arrives late April, 1 week later than Michigan

Common questions

When do Baltimore Orioles arrive in Michigan?
Baltimore Orioles reach Michigan in mid April, are common by late April, peak in mid May (44% of checklists), and most are gone by late August.
When do Baltimore Orioles leave Michigan?
Most Baltimore Orioles have left Michigan by late August, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until early September.
When is the best time to see a Baltimore Oriole in Michigan?
The Baltimore Oriole is reported most often in mid May, on about 44% of Michigan checklists.
Where in Michigan are Baltimore Orioles seen most often?
By county, Van Buren County, Ionia County, and St. Clair County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Baltimore Oriole (counties with at least 200 checklists).