WhenToBird

Strix varia · Strigidae

When Do Barred Owls Arrive in Maryland?

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

Barred Owls reach Maryland in the second week of December, are common by late January, peak in late April (4.5% of checklists), and most are gone by mid October.

When to look

First arrivalsDec 8-14the second week of December
Common byJan 22-31late January
PeakApr 22-30late April
Most gone byOct 15-21mid October

Best: late April. First arrivals the second week of December; most are gone by mid October. Peak: on about 4.5% of Maryland checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%2%4%6%Jan 1-7: 1.2% of 28716 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.2% of 21449 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.4% of 21267 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.6% of 29144 checklistsFeb 1-7: 2.1% of 21347 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.8% of 22166 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.9% of 29986 checklistsFeb 22-28: 3.1% of 22427 checklistsMar 1-7: 3.1% of 21389 checklistsMar 8-14: 3.2% of 22192 checklistsMar 15-21: 3.2% of 22823 checklistsMar 22-31: 3.3% of 33720 checklistsApr 1-7: 3.1% of 25513 checklistsApr 8-14: 4.0% of 27718 checklistsApr 15-21: 4.3% of 29328 checklistsApr 22-30: 4.6% of 42595 checklistsMay 1-7: 4.4% of 38532 checklistsMay 8-14: 4.2% of 42722 checklistsMay 15-21: 3.6% of 31936 checklistsMay 22-31: 3.2% of 36903 checklistsJun 1-7: 2.9% of 23191 checklistsJun 8-14: 2.4% of 21853 checklistsJun 15-21: 2.5% of 21000 checklistsJun 22-30: 2.2% of 25133 checklistsJul 1-7: 2.2% of 18715 checklistsJul 8-14: 2.0% of 16376 checklistsJul 15-21: 1.9% of 15793 checklistsJul 22-31: 1.5% of 21969 checklistsAug 1-7: 1.7% of 16013 checklistsAug 8-14: 1.9% of 15249 checklistsAug 15-21: 1.9% of 15674 checklistsAug 22-31: 2.1% of 24925 checklistsSep 1-7: 2.4% of 19808 checklistsSep 8-14: 2.5% of 18513 checklistsSep 15-21: 2.5% of 21901 checklistsSep 22-30: 2.4% of 22901 checklistsOct 1-7: 2.1% of 19111 checklistsOct 8-14: 1.9% of 18482 checklistsOct 15-21: 1.8% of 17380 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.5% of 23992 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.4% of 17915 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.0% of 18905 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.0% of 16259 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.1% of 22852 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.0% of 16108 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.0% of 16512 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.5% of 18952 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.2% of 29728 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 Maryland 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 Maryland

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Montgomery CountyBest mid April · 6126 checklists that week, 219,548 in all8.7%
  2. Kent CountyBest late April · 387 checklists that week, 13,396 in all8.0%
  3. Charles CountyBest early June · 230 checklists that week, 10,064 in all6.6%
  4. Caroline CountyBest early May · 315 checklists that week, 11,067 in all6.4%
  5. Carroll CountyBest the second week of March · 588 checklists that week, 26,728 in all6.2%
  6. Frederick CountyBest mid April · 1352 checklists that week, 57,576 in all5.1%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Font Hill Wetlands ParkHoward County, best early January · 41 checklists that week, 613 in all63%
  2. Walton PondMontgomery County, best early May · 20 checklists that week, 396 in all59%
  3. Mckee Beshers Wma (west)Montgomery County, best mid March · 37 checklists that week, 943 in all43%
  4. Rivermist Park (City of Frederick)Frederick County, best late March · 32 checklists that week, 501 in all42%
  5. Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park (Muddy Branch)Montgomery County, best late February · 36 checklists that week, 2,919 in all40%

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

Best time of day

In Maryland, the Barred Owl is most often listed on checklists started between 5 and 7 pm (5.0% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%12 am: too few checklists (486) to judge1 am: too few checklists (451) to judge2 am: too few checklists (447) to judge3 am: too few checklists (766) to judge4 am: too few checklists (2076) to judge5 am: too few checklists (11098) to judge6 am: 4.4% of 56604 checklists7 am: 2.0% of 139255 checklists8 am: 1.6% of 148626 checklists9 am: 1.6% of 126820 checklists10 am: 1.5% of 106973 checklists11 am: 1.3% of 87483 checklists12 pm: 1.2% of 74808 checklists1 pm: 1.5% of 69428 checklists2 pm: 2.0% of 67800 checklists3 pm: 2.4% of 67688 checklists4 pm: 3.4% of 60927 checklists5 pm: 4.9% of 43876 checklists6 pm: 5.2% of 32930 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (19051) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (5708) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1977) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1170) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (635) 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
January1.2%1.2%1.4%1.6%
February2.1%1.8%1.9%3.1%
March3.1%3.2%3.2%3.3%
April3.1%4.0%4.3%4.6%
May4.4%4.2%3.6%3.2%
June2.9%2.4%2.5%2.2%
July2.2%2.0%1.9%1.5%
August1.7%1.9%1.9%2.1%
September2.4%2.5%2.5%2.4%
October2.1%1.9%1.8%1.5%
November1.4%1.0%1.0%1.1%
December1.0%1.0%1.5%1.2%

Neighboring states

  • District of Columbia: arrives mid January, 5 weeks later than Maryland
  • Delaware: arrives mid January, 5 weeks later than Maryland
  • Virginia: arrives the second week of December, in the same week than Maryland
  • Pennsylvania: arrives mid January, 5 weeks later than Maryland

Common questions

When do Barred Owls arrive in Maryland?
Barred Owls reach Maryland in the second week of December, are common by late January, peak in late April (4.5% of checklists), and most are gone by mid October.
When do Barred Owls leave Maryland?
Most Barred Owls have left Maryland by mid October, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until early November.
When is the best time to see a Barred Owl in Maryland?
The Barred Owl is reported most often in late April, on about 4.5% of Maryland checklists.
Where in Maryland are Barred Owls seen most often?
By county, Montgomery County, Kent County, and Charles County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Barred Owl (counties with at least 200 checklists).