WhenToBird

Setophaga striata · Parulidae

When Do Blackpoll Warblers Arrive in North Carolina?

Adult Blackpoll Warbler
Photo: John Rosford, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Blackpoll Warblers mostly pass through North Carolina: they arrive in late April, peak in the second week of May (5.8% of checklists), and most are gone by late May.

When to look

First arrivalsApr 22-30late April
Common byApr 22-30late April
PeakMay 8-14the second week of May
Most gone byMay 22-31late May

Best: the second week of May. First arrivals late April; most are gone by late May. Peak: on about 5.8% of North Carolina checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marnot usually seen
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junrare
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%5%10%Jan 1-7: 0% of 30085 checklistsJan 8-14: 0% of 22728 checklistsJan 15-21: 0% of 24292 checklistsJan 22-31: 0% of 34122 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0% of 26352 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0% of 29663 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0% of 41515 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0% of 24318 checklistsMar 1-7: 0% of 23408 checklistsMar 8-14: 0% of 22658 checklistsMar 15-21: 0% of 22784 checklistsMar 22-31: 0% of 36034 checklistsApr 1-7: 0% of 28131 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.1% of 29190 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.2% of 32847 checklistsApr 22-30: 1.2% of 47966 checklistsMay 1-7: 4.9% of 37076 checklistsMay 8-14: 8.1% of 36228 checklistsMay 15-21: 4.2% of 30378 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.6% of 40237 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 27551 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 26473 checklistsJun 15-21: 0% of 22789 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 27615 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 20022 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 19315 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 18934 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 25600 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 17987 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 17307 checklistsAug 15-21: 0% of 17080 checklistsAug 22-31: 0% of 25844 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.1% of 20818 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.1% of 20070 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.4% of 21984 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.1% of 26979 checklistsOct 1-7: 1.9% of 22605 checklistsOct 8-14: 2.8% of 22677 checklistsOct 15-21: 3.4% of 21407 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.9% of 25927 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.4% of 18830 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.1% of 18418 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.1% of 19101 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.1% of 25709 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.1% of 18856 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.1% of 18745 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.1% of 22478 checklistsDec 22-31: 0% of 34796 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 North 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 North Carolina

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Chatham CountyBest mid October · 688 checklists that week, 33,471 in all18%
  2. Rutherford CountyBest the second week of May · 71 checklists that week, 3,600 in all14%
  3. Stokes CountyBest the second week of May · 234 checklists that week, 5,660 in all13%
  4. Chowan CountyBest the second week of May · 74 checklists that week, 2,544 in all11%
  5. Transylvania CountyBest the second week of May · 614 checklists that week, 18,992 in all11%
  6. Forsyth CountyBest the second week of May · 1450 checklists that week, 44,762 in all11%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Town of Cary Open Space - Future ParkWake County, best mid May · 46 checklists that week, 551 in all51%
  2. Town of Duck - Duck Town Park BoardwalkDare County, best the second week of October · 153 checklists that week, 2,630 in all50%
  3. B. Everett Jordan LakeChatham County, best late October · 325 checklists that week, 3,318 in all48%
  4. River Park NorthPitt County, best the second week of May · 33 checklists that week, 1,036 in all46%
  5. Mayo River State ParkRockingham County, best the second week of May · 21 checklists that week, 258 in all45%

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

Best time of day

In North Carolina, the Blackpoll Warbler is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (1.6% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%2%12 am: too few checklists (520) to judge1 am: too few checklists (489) to judge2 am: too few checklists (442) to judge3 am: too few checklists (544) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1621) to judge5 am: too few checklists (9671) to judge6 am: 1.8% of 50335 checklists7 am: 1.5% of 150152 checklists8 am: 1.2% of 182902 checklists9 am: 0.8% of 158933 checklists10 am: 0.6% of 128398 checklists11 am: 0.5% of 98671 checklists12 pm: 0.4% of 78640 checklists1 pm: 0.4% of 72510 checklists2 pm: 0.4% of 69179 checklists3 pm: 0.3% of 67669 checklists4 pm: 0.4% of 63964 checklists5 pm: 0.4% of 48520 checklists6 pm: 0.3% of 33196 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (19700) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (6160) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1943) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1119) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (651) 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%0.2%1.2%
May4.9%8.1%4.2%0.6%
June0.1%0.1%0%0%
July0%0%0%0%
August0%0%0%0%
September0.1%0.1%0.4%1.1%
October1.9%2.8%3.4%1.9%
November0.4%0.1%0.1%0.1%
December0.1%0.1%0.1%0%

Neighboring states

  • South Carolina: arrives mid April, 1 week earlier than North Carolina
  • Virginia: arrives late April, in the same week than North Carolina
  • West Virginia: arrives early September, 17 weeks later than North Carolina
  • District of Columbia: arrives late April, in the same week than North Carolina

Common questions

When do Blackpoll Warblers arrive in North Carolina?
Blackpoll Warblers mostly pass through North Carolina: they arrive in late April, peak in the second week of May (5.8% of checklists), and most are gone by late May.
When do Blackpoll Warblers leave North Carolina?
Most Blackpoll Warblers have left North Carolina by late May, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Blackpoll Warbler in North Carolina?
The Blackpoll Warbler is reported most often in the second week of May, on about 5.8% of North Carolina checklists.
Where in North Carolina are Blackpoll Warblers seen most often?
By county, Chatham County, Rutherford County, and Stokes County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Blackpoll Warbler (counties with at least 200 checklists).