WhenToBird

Pluvialis squatarola · Charadriidae

When Do Black-bellied Plovers Arrive in Maryland?

Adult Black-bellied Plover
Photo: Евгений Маринкин, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Black-bellied Plovers are winter birds in Maryland: they arrive in late July, peak in early November (1.1% of checklists), and most are gone by early December.

When to look

First arrivalsJul 22-31late July
Common byJul 22-31late July
PeakNov 1-7early November
Most gone byDec 1-7early December

Best: early November. First arrivals late July; most are gone by early December. Peak: on about 1.1% of Maryland checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marrare
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Jununcommon
  7. Juluncommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%0.5%1%1.5%2%Jan 1-7: 0.3% of 28716 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.3% of 21449 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.2% of 21267 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.1% of 29144 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.3% of 21347 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.2% of 22166 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.2% of 29986 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.2% of 22427 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.1% of 21389 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.1% of 22192 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.1% of 22823 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.1% of 33720 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.1% of 25513 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.1% of 27718 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.2% of 29328 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.4% of 42595 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.5% of 38532 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.7% of 42722 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.9% of 31936 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.7% of 36903 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.2% of 23191 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 21853 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.1% of 21000 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.1% of 25133 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.1% of 18715 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.1% of 16376 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.1% of 15793 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.2% of 21969 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.3% of 16013 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.7% of 15249 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.7% of 15674 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.6% of 24925 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.6% of 19808 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.5% of 18513 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.6% of 21901 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.9% of 22901 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.7% of 19111 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.7% of 18482 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.8% of 17380 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.9% of 23992 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.0% of 17915 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.5% of 18905 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.4% of 16259 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.4% of 22852 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.3% of 16108 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.1% of 16512 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.1% of 18952 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.3% 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. Worcester CountyBest the second week of May · 1336 checklists that week, 44,596 in all12%
  2. Somerset CountyBest late October · 169 checklists that week, 9,451 in all11%
  3. Kent CountyBest the second week of May · 434 checklists that week, 13,396 in all5.2%
  4. Dorchester CountyBest early October · 283 checklists that week, 26,161 in all4.7%
  5. Wicomico CountyBest early October · 231 checklists that week, 12,356 in all3.5%
  6. Queen Anne's CountyBest early September · 545 checklists that week, 26,875 in all2.0%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Coffins PointWorcester County, best the second week of November · 46 checklists that week, 559 in all82%
  2. Rumbly PointSomerset County, best early November · 23 checklists that week, 412 in all55%
  3. Brockatonorton BayWorcester County, best the second week of May · 34 checklists that week, 702 in all52%
  4. Assateague Island National SeashoreWorcester County, best early November · 53 checklists that week, 1,717 in all44%

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

Best time of day

In Maryland, the Black-bellied Plover is most often listed on checklists started between 10 am and 12 pm (0.5% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%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: 0.5% of 56604 checklists7 am: 0.3% of 139255 checklists8 am: 0.3% of 148626 checklists9 am: 0.4% of 126820 checklists10 am: 0.4% of 106973 checklists11 am: 0.5% of 87483 checklists12 pm: 0.4% of 74808 checklists1 pm: 0.4% of 69428 checklists2 pm: 0.4% of 67800 checklists3 pm: 0.4% of 67688 checklists4 pm: 0.4% of 60927 checklists5 pm: 0.4% of 43876 checklists6 pm: 0.3% 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
January0.3%0.3%0.2%0.1%
February0.3%0.2%0.2%0.2%
March0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
April0.1%0.1%0.2%0.4%
May0.5%0.7%0.9%0.7%
June0.2%0.1%0.1%0.1%
July0.1%0.1%0.1%0.2%
August0.3%0.7%0.7%0.6%
September0.6%0.5%0.6%0.9%
October0.7%0.7%0.8%0.9%
November1.0%1.5%0.4%0.4%
December0.3%0.1%0.1%0.3%

Neighboring states

  • Delaware: arrives mid March, 17 weeks earlier than Maryland
  • Virginia: arrives late July, in the same week than Maryland
  • New Jersey: arrives late July, in the same week than Maryland
  • New York: arrives late July, in the same week than Maryland

Common questions

When do Black-bellied Plovers arrive in Maryland?
Black-bellied Plovers are winter birds in Maryland: they arrive in late July, peak in early November (1.1% of checklists), and most are gone by early December.
When do Black-bellied Plovers leave Maryland?
Most Black-bellied Plovers have left Maryland by early December, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Black-bellied Plover in Maryland?
The Black-bellied Plover is reported most often in early November, on about 1.1% of Maryland checklists.
Where in Maryland are Black-bellied Plovers seen most often?
By county, Worcester County, Somerset County, and Kent County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Black-bellied Plover (counties with at least 200 checklists).