WhenToBird

Megaceryle alcyon · Alcedinidae

When Do Belted Kingfishers Arrive in Maryland?

Adult female Belted Kingfisher
Photo: Jonathan Eisen, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Belted Kingfishers are in Maryland all year, but most are here in fall: numbers build from the second week of August, peak in the second week of October (17% of checklists), and fall back by early January. In the quietest week (the second week of June) they are still on about 4.9% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildAug 8-14the second week of August
PeakOct 8-14the second week of October
Fall back byJan 1-7early January
FewestJun 8-14the second week of June

Best: the second week of October. Here all year; numbers build from the second week of August and fall back by early January. Peak: on about 17% of Maryland checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Jununcommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%5%10%15%20%Jan 1-7: 12% of 28716 checklistsJan 8-14: 9.8% of 21449 checklistsJan 15-21: 9.1% of 21267 checklistsJan 22-31: 9.3% of 29144 checklistsFeb 1-7: 9.5% of 21347 checklistsFeb 8-14: 8.5% of 22166 checklistsFeb 15-21: 7.7% of 29986 checklistsFeb 22-28: 11% of 22427 checklistsMar 1-7: 9.3% of 21389 checklistsMar 8-14: 9.3% of 22192 checklistsMar 15-21: 9.6% of 22823 checklistsMar 22-31: 11% of 33720 checklistsApr 1-7: 12% of 25513 checklistsApr 8-14: 12% of 27718 checklistsApr 15-21: 11% of 29328 checklistsApr 22-30: 9.0% of 42595 checklistsMay 1-7: 7.4% of 38532 checklistsMay 8-14: 6.6% of 42722 checklistsMay 15-21: 6.0% of 31936 checklistsMay 22-31: 5.8% of 36903 checklistsJun 1-7: 4.8% of 23191 checklistsJun 8-14: 4.7% of 21853 checklistsJun 15-21: 5.2% of 21000 checklistsJun 22-30: 6.0% of 25133 checklistsJul 1-7: 7.1% of 18715 checklistsJul 8-14: 7.3% of 16376 checklistsJul 15-21: 8.8% of 15793 checklistsJul 22-31: 9.7% of 21969 checklistsAug 1-7: 11% of 16013 checklistsAug 8-14: 12% of 15249 checklistsAug 15-21: 13% of 15674 checklistsAug 22-31: 13% of 24925 checklistsSep 1-7: 14% of 19808 checklistsSep 8-14: 14% of 18513 checklistsSep 15-21: 16% of 21901 checklistsSep 22-30: 17% of 22901 checklistsOct 1-7: 17% of 19111 checklistsOct 8-14: 17% of 18482 checklistsOct 15-21: 17% of 17380 checklistsOct 22-31: 17% of 23992 checklistsNov 1-7: 16% of 17915 checklistsNov 8-14: 16% of 18905 checklistsNov 15-21: 16% of 16259 checklistsNov 22-30: 15% of 22852 checklistsDec 1-7: 15% of 16108 checklistsDec 8-14: 14% of 16512 checklistsDec 15-21: 13% of 18952 checklistsDec 22-31: 14% 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. Somerset CountyBest early November · 157 checklists that week, 9,451 in all32%
  2. St. Mary's CountyBest the second week of October · 315 checklists that week, 20,572 in all23%
  3. Queen Anne's CountyBest mid October · 395 checklists that week, 26,875 in all22%
  4. Prince George's CountyBest mid November · 1486 checklists that week, 87,907 in all21%
  5. Wicomico CountyBest the second week of October · 122 checklists that week, 12,356 in all21%
  6. Montgomery CountyBest late September · 4709 checklists that week, 219,548 in all21%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Fairmount WmaSomerset County, best late December · 24 checklists that week, 123 in all93%
  2. Forest Estates ParkMontgomery County, best late September · 98 checklists that week, 3,230 in all86%
  3. Lake ChurchillMontgomery County, best late August · 22 checklists that week, 804 in all86%
  4. SelbysportGarrett County, best the second week of August · 25 checklists that week, 682 in all84%
  5. Bladensburg Dueling GroundsPrince George's County, best mid December · 20 checklists that week, 951 in all83%
  6. Spring BranchBaltimore County, best late December · 28 checklists that week, 446 in all81%

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

Best time of day

In Maryland, the Belted Kingfisher is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (14% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%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: 15% of 56604 checklists7 am: 14% of 139255 checklists8 am: 12% of 148626 checklists9 am: 11% of 126820 checklists10 am: 10% of 106973 checklists11 am: 9.3% of 87483 checklists12 pm: 9.0% of 74808 checklists1 pm: 9.4% of 69428 checklists2 pm: 9.9% of 67800 checklists3 pm: 10% of 67688 checklists4 pm: 10% of 60927 checklists5 pm: 9.0% of 43876 checklists6 pm: 7.9% 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
January12%9.8%9.1%9.3%
February9.5%8.5%7.7%11%
March9.3%9.3%9.6%11%
April12%12%11%9.0%
May7.4%6.6%6.0%5.8%
June4.8%4.7%5.2%6.0%
July7.1%7.3%8.8%9.7%
August11%12%13%13%
September14%14%16%17%
October17%17%17%17%
November16%16%16%15%
December15%14%13%14%

Neighboring states

  • District of Columbia: arrives late September, 6 weeks later than Maryland
  • Delaware: arrives the second week of July, 4 weeks earlier than Maryland
  • Virginia: arrives the second week of August, in the same week than Maryland
  • Pennsylvania: arrives mid July, 3 weeks earlier than Maryland

Common questions

When do Belted Kingfishers arrive in Maryland?
Belted Kingfishers are in Maryland all year, but most are here in fall: numbers build from the second week of August, peak in the second week of October (17% of checklists), and fall back by early January. In the quietest week (the second week of June) they are still on about 4.9% of checklists.
When do Belted Kingfishers leave Maryland?
Belted Kingfishers never fully leave Maryland: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by early January, but some are still reported in every week, about 4.9% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Belted Kingfisher in Maryland?
The Belted Kingfisher is reported most often in the second week of October, on about 17% of Maryland checklists.
Where in Maryland are Belted Kingfishers seen most often?
By county, Somerset County, St. Mary's County, and Queen Anne's County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Belted Kingfisher (counties with at least 200 checklists).