WhenToBird

Strix varia · Strigidae

When Do Barred Owls Arrive in Alabama?

Adult Barred Owl
Photo: David Bird, CC0 1.0 via iNaturalist

Barred Owls reach Alabama in mid January, are common by early February, peak in the second week of May (3.5% of checklists), and most are gone by early November.

When to look

First arrivalsJan 15-21mid January
Common byFeb 1-7early February
PeakMay 8-14the second week of May
Most gone byNov 1-7early November

Best: the second week of May. First arrivals mid January; most are gone by early November. Peak: on about 3.5% of Alabama checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%2%4%6%Jan 1-7: 1.4% of 8642 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.2% of 6607 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.4% of 6680 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.6% of 9008 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.9% of 6642 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.8% of 7568 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.5% of 9929 checklistsFeb 22-28: 2.2% of 6490 checklistsMar 1-7: 2.5% of 6458 checklistsMar 8-14: 2.4% of 6570 checklistsMar 15-21: 2.4% of 6773 checklistsMar 22-31: 3.1% of 10830 checklistsApr 1-7: 3.6% of 8995 checklistsApr 8-14: 3.1% of 10390 checklistsApr 15-21: 2.7% of 12700 checklistsApr 22-30: 3.1% of 14225 checklistsMay 1-7: 3.5% of 9140 checklistsMay 8-14: 4.1% of 8111 checklistsMay 15-21: 2.8% of 6353 checklistsMay 22-31: 2.8% of 8318 checklistsJun 1-7: 2.7% of 5231 checklistsJun 8-14: 2.0% of 4757 checklistsJun 15-21: 2.3% of 4646 checklistsJun 22-30: 1.6% of 5740 checklistsJul 1-7: 1.4% of 4694 checklistsJul 8-14: 1.7% of 4178 checklistsJul 15-21: 1.3% of 4109 checklistsJul 22-31: 1.5% of 6000 checklistsAug 1-7: 1.5% of 4666 checklistsAug 8-14: 1.9% of 4468 checklistsAug 15-21: 2.2% of 4474 checklistsAug 22-31: 2.1% of 6494 checklistsSep 1-7: 2.5% of 5434 checklistsSep 8-14: 2.9% of 5216 checklistsSep 15-21: 3.0% of 5162 checklistsSep 22-30: 2.9% of 7474 checklistsOct 1-7: 2.5% of 6916 checklistsOct 8-14: 2.6% of 7332 checklistsOct 15-21: 2.0% of 6038 checklistsOct 22-31: 2.1% of 7071 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.6% of 5207 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.4% of 4883 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.3% of 5122 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.3% of 7130 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.4% of 4897 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.3% of 4738 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.5% of 5321 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.3% of 9158 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 Alabama 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 Alabama

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Choctaw CountyBest mid March · 12 checklists that week, 554 in all29%
  2. Morgan CountyBest the second week of September · 31 checklists that week, 6,256 in all25%
  3. Bullock CountyBest late October · 45 checklists that week, 1,737 in all23%
  4. Perry CountyBest early April · 27 checklists that week, 1,066 in all22%
  5. Wilcox CountyBest the second week of January · 12 checklists that week, 564 in all20%
  6. Geneva CountyBest mid November · 69 checklists that week, 3,203 in all17%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Ebenezer Swamp Ecological PreserveShelby County, best late March · 34 checklists that week, 827 in all37%
  2. Buckeye PondMadison County, best mid April · 31 checklists that week, 892 in all33%
  3. J.D. & Annie S. Hays Nature PreserveMadison County, best late April · 48 checklists that week, 1,047 in all31%
  4. Wehle Nature PreserveBullock County, best late October · 44 checklists that week, 1,327 in all24%
  5. Town Creek ParkLee County, best early May · 27 checklists that week, 334 in all16%

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

Best time of day

In Alabama, the Barred Owl is most often listed on checklists started between 5 and 7 pm (3.5% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%4%12 am: too few checklists (109) to judge1 am: too few checklists (111) to judge2 am: too few checklists (112) to judge3 am: too few checklists (143) to judge4 am: too few checklists (303) to judge5 am: too few checklists (4125) to judge6 am: 3.7% of 26677 checklists7 am: 1.9% of 42599 checklists8 am: 1.6% of 39919 checklists9 am: 1.5% of 34699 checklists10 am: 1.2% of 28551 checklists11 am: 1.3% of 23505 checklists12 pm: 1.2% of 20345 checklists1 pm: 1.5% of 18964 checklists2 pm: 1.9% of 20110 checklists3 pm: 2.3% of 20685 checklists4 pm: 2.8% of 19041 checklists5 pm: 3.3% of 13807 checklists6 pm: 3.9% of 8507 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (3367) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (637) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (295) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (233) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (141) 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
January1.4%1.2%1.4%1.6%
February1.9%1.8%1.5%2.2%
March2.5%2.4%2.4%3.1%
April3.6%3.1%2.7%3.1%
May3.5%4.1%2.8%2.8%
June2.7%2.0%2.3%1.6%
July1.4%1.7%1.3%1.5%
August1.5%1.9%2.2%2.1%
September2.5%2.9%3.0%2.9%
October2.5%2.6%2.0%2.1%
November1.6%1.4%1.3%1.3%
December1.4%1.3%1.5%1.3%

Neighboring states

  • Mississippi: arrives mid July, 24 weeks earlier than Alabama
  • Georgia: arrives mid January, in the same week than Alabama
  • Tennessee: arrives mid January, in the same week than Alabama
  • Louisiana: year-round, peaks late March

Common questions

When do Barred Owls arrive in Alabama?
Barred Owls reach Alabama in mid January, are common by early February, peak in the second week of May (3.5% of checklists), and most are gone by early November.
When do Barred Owls leave Alabama?
Most Barred Owls have left Alabama by early November, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until the second week of November.
When is the best time to see a Barred Owl in Alabama?
The Barred Owl is reported most often in the second week of May, on about 3.5% of Alabama checklists.
Where in Alabama are Barred Owls seen most often?
By county, Choctaw County, Morgan County, and Bullock County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Barred Owl (counties with at least 200 checklists).