WhenToBird

Pluvialis squatarola · Charadriidae

When Do Black-bellied Plovers Arrive in Ohio?

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

Black-bellied Plovers arrive in Ohio in early May, peak in mid May (1.2% of checklists), and most are gone by early June.

When to look

First arrivalsMay 1-7early May
Common byMay 1-7early May
PeakMay 15-21mid May
Most gone byJun 1-7early June

Best: mid May. First arrivals early May; most are gone by early June. Peak: on about 1.2% of Ohio checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marnot usually seen
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julrare
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%0.5%1%1.5%Jan 1-7: 0% of 46637 checklistsJan 8-14: 0% of 31056 checklistsJan 15-21: 0% of 30129 checklistsJan 22-31: 0% of 38665 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0% of 27203 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0% of 30626 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0% of 40705 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0% of 31391 checklistsMar 1-7: 0% of 32914 checklistsMar 8-14: 0% of 33973 checklistsMar 15-21: 0% of 33678 checklistsMar 22-31: 0% of 49889 checklistsApr 1-7: 0% of 41225 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.1% of 47174 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.1% of 47017 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.1% of 73055 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.4% of 80637 checklistsMay 8-14: 1.2% of 102552 checklistsMay 15-21: 1.4% of 64582 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.8% of 52766 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.2% of 29279 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 25773 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.1% of 23163 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.1% of 27794 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.1% of 23334 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.1% of 22147 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.1% of 20998 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.1% of 29749 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.1% of 22899 checklistsAug 8-14: 1.0% of 21972 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.8% of 22215 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.9% of 35087 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.8% of 29148 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.8% of 28042 checklistsSep 15-21: 1.2% of 26751 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.3% of 32398 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.8% of 26209 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.5% of 26809 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.4% of 23504 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.4% of 33269 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.2% of 25563 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.1% of 23810 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.1% of 22127 checklistsNov 22-30: 0% of 29449 checklistsDec 1-7: 0% of 22370 checklistsDec 8-14: 0% of 21581 checklistsDec 15-21: 0% of 24232 checklistsDec 22-31: 0% of 36084 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 Ohio 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 Ohio

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Ashtabula CountyBest mid September · 208 checklists that week, 12,390 in all13%
  2. Wayne CountyBest late May · 1246 checklists that week, 37,443 in all7.7%
  3. Mercer CountyBest early June · 30 checklists that week, 2,091 in all5.8%
  4. Sandusky CountyBest mid September · 233 checklists that week, 14,537 in all5.6%
  5. Erie CountyBest mid August · 390 checklists that week, 30,456 in all5.4%
  6. Hancock CountyBest the second week of September · 152 checklists that week, 9,040 in all4.8%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Huron RangeErie County, best late September · 27 checklists that week, 944 in all54%
  2. Turtle Creek BayOttawa County, best early May · 128 checklists that week, 1,062 in all41%
  3. Conneaut HarborAshtabula County, best early October · 29 checklists that week, 1,284 in all38%
  4. Douglas MarshLucas County, best early September · 45 checklists that week, 4,595 in all37%
  5. Walnut Beach ParkAshtabula County, best late September · 38 checklists that week, 942 in all32%
  6. Mohicanville ReservoirWayne County, best mid May · 111 checklists that week, 4,208 in all31%

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

Best time of day

In Ohio, the Black-bellied Plover is most often listed on checklists started between 1 and 3 pm (0.5% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%12 am: too few checklists (574) to judge1 am: too few checklists (609) to judge2 am: too few checklists (466) to judge3 am: too few checklists (478) to judge4 am: too few checklists (662) to judge5 am: too few checklists (4366) to judge6 am: 0.5% of 43093 checklists7 am: 0.3% of 142017 checklists8 am: 0.3% of 205296 checklists9 am: 0.2% of 196322 checklists10 am: 0.3% of 170882 checklists11 am: 0.3% of 144567 checklists12 pm: 0.3% of 126551 checklists1 pm: 0.4% of 117855 checklists2 pm: 0.5% of 112869 checklists3 pm: 0.4% of 109786 checklists4 pm: 0.4% of 103116 checklists5 pm: 0.4% of 78409 checklists6 pm: 0.4% of 56785 checklists7 pm: 0.3% of 37923 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (14954) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2710) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (854) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (486) 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%0%0%0%
February0%0%0%0%
March0%0%0%0%
April0%0.1%0.1%0.1%
May0.4%1.2%1.4%0.8%
June0.2%0.1%0.1%0.1%
July0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
August0.1%1.0%0.8%0.9%
September0.8%0.8%1.2%1.3%
October0.8%0.5%0.4%0.4%
November0.2%0.1%0.1%0%
December0%0%0%0%

Neighboring states

  • Michigan: arrives the second week of August, 13 weeks later than Ohio
  • Illinois: arrives early August, 12 weeks later than Ohio
  • Virginia: arrives late July, 11 weeks later than Ohio
  • Maryland: arrives late July, 11 weeks later than Ohio

Common questions

When do Black-bellied Plovers arrive in Ohio?
Black-bellied Plovers arrive in Ohio in early May, peak in mid May (1.2% of checklists), and most are gone by early June.
When do Black-bellied Plovers leave Ohio?
Most Black-bellied Plovers have left Ohio by early June, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Black-bellied Plover in Ohio?
The Black-bellied Plover is reported most often in mid May, on about 1.2% of Ohio checklists.
Where in Ohio are Black-bellied Plovers seen most often?
By county, Ashtabula County, Wayne County, and Mercer County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Black-bellied Plover (counties with at least 200 checklists).