WhenToBird

Strix varia · Strigidae

When Do Barred Owls Arrive in South Carolina?

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

Barred Owls reach South Carolina in the second week of December, are common by late January, peak in mid April (5.0% 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 15-21mid April
Most gone byOct 15-21mid October

Best: mid April. First arrivals the second week of December; most are gone by mid October. Peak: on about 5.0% of South Carolina checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marpeak season
  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: 1.8% of 15487 checklistsJan 8-14: 2.0% of 11691 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.8% of 11994 checklistsJan 22-31: 2.3% of 16225 checklistsFeb 1-7: 2.4% of 12192 checklistsFeb 8-14: 2.1% of 14044 checklistsFeb 15-21: 2.1% of 18483 checklistsFeb 22-28: 2.9% of 12045 checklistsMar 1-7: 3.1% of 11511 checklistsMar 8-14: 3.5% of 11704 checklistsMar 15-21: 3.6% of 11526 checklistsMar 22-31: 4.2% of 17386 checklistsApr 1-7: 4.9% of 13148 checklistsApr 8-14: 4.9% of 13193 checklistsApr 15-21: 4.8% of 13936 checklistsApr 22-30: 5.1% of 19002 checklistsMay 1-7: 4.6% of 14133 checklistsMay 8-14: 3.9% of 13668 checklistsMay 15-21: 3.3% of 11064 checklistsMay 22-31: 2.9% of 14461 checklistsJun 1-7: 2.7% of 10231 checklistsJun 8-14: 2.5% of 9417 checklistsJun 15-21: 2.6% of 8012 checklistsJun 22-30: 2.4% of 9720 checklistsJul 1-7: 2.6% of 7907 checklistsJul 8-14: 2.6% of 7338 checklistsJul 15-21: 2.2% of 7312 checklistsJul 22-31: 2.0% of 10877 checklistsAug 1-7: 2.3% of 7816 checklistsAug 8-14: 2.3% of 7655 checklistsAug 15-21: 2.6% of 7797 checklistsAug 22-31: 3.0% of 11246 checklistsSep 1-7: 3.5% of 8956 checklistsSep 8-14: 3.6% of 8929 checklistsSep 15-21: 3.5% of 9389 checklistsSep 22-30: 3.8% of 13028 checklistsOct 1-7: 3.1% of 11063 checklistsOct 8-14: 2.7% of 10968 checklistsOct 15-21: 2.3% of 10264 checklistsOct 22-31: 2.1% of 12917 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.9% of 8802 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.6% of 8339 checklistsNov 15-21: 2.0% of 8798 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.7% of 12925 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.8% of 8541 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.8% of 8609 checklistsDec 15-21: 2.0% of 9961 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.8% of 17541 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 South 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 South Carolina

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Dorchester CountyBest early April · 328 checklists that week, 11,368 in all18%
  2. Allendale CountyBest early September · 13 checklists that week, 1,172 in all18%
  3. Marion CountyBest mid April · 16 checklists that week, 327 in all17%
  4. Calhoun CountyBest the second week of May · 27 checklists that week, 1,061 in all16%
  5. Barnwell CountyBest early October · 12 checklists that week, 1,096 in all15%
  6. Greenwood CountyBest mid August · 41 checklists that week, 3,752 in all14%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Big LakeRichland County, best late April · 40 checklists that week, 919 in all69%
  2. Weston LakeRichland County, best mid April · 49 checklists that week, 1,471 in all56%
  3. Francis Marion National Forest (northwest)Charleston County, best late March · 24 checklists that week, 180 in all50%
  4. Congaree Creek Heritage PreserveLexington County, best late March · 27 checklists that week, 624 in all34%
  5. Fant's Grove Wildlife Management AreaAnderson County, best the second week of March · 42 checklists that week, 2,159 in all33%

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

Best time of day

In South Carolina, the Barred Owl is most often listed on checklists started between 5 and 7 pm (3.9% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%8%12 am: too few checklists (222) to judge1 am: too few checklists (160) to judge2 am: too few checklists (132) to judge3 am: too few checklists (212) to judge4 am: too few checklists (267) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1898) to judge6 am: 7.0% of 19280 checklists7 am: 2.7% of 66492 checklists8 am: 2.5% of 73941 checklists9 am: 2.6% of 63039 checklists10 am: 2.0% of 52652 checklists11 am: 1.8% of 41908 checklists12 pm: 1.7% of 36782 checklists1 pm: 2.1% of 33300 checklists2 pm: 2.5% of 32248 checklists3 pm: 2.6% of 35451 checklists4 pm: 3.3% of 34410 checklists5 pm: 3.7% of 27073 checklists6 pm: 4.2% of 17375 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (10313) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (2756) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (672) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (412) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (256) 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
January1.8%2.0%1.8%2.3%
February2.4%2.1%2.1%2.9%
March3.1%3.5%3.6%4.2%
April4.9%4.9%4.8%5.1%
May4.6%3.9%3.3%2.9%
June2.7%2.5%2.6%2.4%
July2.6%2.6%2.2%2.0%
August2.3%2.3%2.6%3.0%
September3.5%3.6%3.5%3.8%
October3.1%2.7%2.3%2.1%
November1.9%1.6%2.0%1.7%
December1.8%1.8%2.0%1.8%

Neighboring states

  • North Carolina: arrives mid January, 5 weeks later than South Carolina
  • Georgia: arrives mid January, 5 weeks later than South Carolina
  • Tennessee: arrives mid January, 5 weeks later than South Carolina
  • Virginia: arrives the second week of December, in the same week than South Carolina

Common questions

When do Barred Owls arrive in South Carolina?
Barred Owls reach South Carolina in the second week of December, are common by late January, peak in mid April (5.0% of checklists), and most are gone by mid October.
When do Barred Owls leave South Carolina?
Most Barred Owls have left South Carolina by mid October, 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 South Carolina?
The Barred Owl is reported most often in mid April, on about 5.0% of South Carolina checklists.
Where in South Carolina are Barred Owls seen most often?
By county, Dorchester County, Allendale County, and Marion County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Barred Owl (counties with at least 200 checklists).