WhenToBird

Polioptila caerulea · Polioptilidae

When Do Blue-gray Gnatcatchers Arrive in Ohio?

Adult Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Photo: Laura Clark, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Blue-gray Gnatcatchers reach Ohio in early April, are common by the second week of April, peak in early May (32% of checklists), and most are gone by early August.

When to look

First arrivalsApr 1-7early April
Common byApr 8-14the second week of April
PeakMay 1-7early May
Most gone byAug 1-7early August

Best: early May. First arrivals early April; most are gone by early August. Peak: on about 32% of Ohio checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marnot usually seen
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Juncommon
  7. Juluncommon
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octnot usually seen
  11. Novnot usually seen
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%10%20%30%40%Jan 1-7: 0.1% of 46637 checklistsJan 8-14: 0% of 31056 checklistsJan 15-21: 0% of 30129 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.1% of 38665 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0% of 27203 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0% of 30626 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0% of 40705 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.1% of 31391 checklistsMar 1-7: 0% of 32914 checklistsMar 8-14: 0% of 33973 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.1% of 33678 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.1% of 49889 checklistsApr 1-7: 1.6% of 41225 checklistsApr 8-14: 9.1% of 47174 checklistsApr 15-21: 22% of 47017 checklistsApr 22-30: 33% of 73055 checklistsMay 1-7: 34% of 80637 checklistsMay 8-14: 30% of 102552 checklistsMay 15-21: 26% of 64582 checklistsMay 22-31: 20% of 52766 checklistsJun 1-7: 16% of 29279 checklistsJun 8-14: 15% of 25773 checklistsJun 15-21: 14% of 23163 checklistsJun 22-30: 13% of 27794 checklistsJul 1-7: 11% of 23334 checklistsJul 8-14: 11% of 22147 checklistsJul 15-21: 9.9% of 20998 checklistsJul 22-31: 8.6% of 29749 checklistsAug 1-7: 8.2% of 22899 checklistsAug 8-14: 6.8% of 21972 checklistsAug 15-21: 6.6% of 22215 checklistsAug 22-31: 7.4% of 35087 checklistsSep 1-7: 6.7% of 29148 checklistsSep 8-14: 3.9% of 28042 checklistsSep 15-21: 1.4% of 26751 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.6% of 32398 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.4% of 26209 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.2% of 26809 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.1% of 23504 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.1% of 33269 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.1% of 25563 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.1% of 23810 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.1% of 22127 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.1% of 29449 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.1% of 22370 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.1% of 21581 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.1% of 24232 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.1% 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. Greene CountyBest early May · 1010 checklists that week, 23,199 in all56%
  2. Hamilton CountyBest early May · 3019 checklists that week, 67,536 in all56%
  3. Champaign CountyBest the second week of May · 113 checklists that week, 2,549 in all53%
  4. Clark CountyBest early May · 477 checklists that week, 14,637 in all52%
  5. Preble CountyBest late April · 478 checklists that week, 8,090 in all50%
  6. Montgomery CountyBest early May · 2009 checklists that week, 46,673 in all49%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Dillon Recreation Area (Toboso)Licking County, best late April · 26 checklists that week, 237 in all96%
  2. Huffman MetroparkGreene County, best early May · 48 checklists that week, 1,231 in all95%
  3. William H Harsha LakeClermont County, best late April · 28 checklists that week, 183 in all95%
  4. Gallagher / Springfield FenClark County, best the second week of May · 53 checklists that week, 532 in all94%
  5. Sharon Woods (southwest)Hamilton County, best mid April · 35 checklists that week, 477 in all94%

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

Best time of day

In Ohio, the Blue-gray Gnatcatcher is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (17% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%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: 21% of 43093 checklists7 am: 15% of 142017 checklists8 am: 11% of 205296 checklists9 am: 9.5% of 196322 checklists10 am: 8.7% of 170882 checklists11 am: 7.8% of 144567 checklists12 pm: 7.9% of 126551 checklists1 pm: 7.4% of 117855 checklists2 pm: 7.1% of 112869 checklists3 pm: 7.1% of 109786 checklists4 pm: 7.6% of 103116 checklists5 pm: 9.3% of 78409 checklists6 pm: 12% of 56785 checklists7 pm: 10% 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
January0.1%0%0%0.1%
February0%0%0%0.1%
March0%0%0.1%0.1%
April1.6%9.1%22%33%
May34%30%26%20%
June16%15%14%13%
July11%11%9.9%8.6%
August8.2%6.8%6.6%7.4%
September6.7%3.9%1.4%0.6%
October0.4%0.2%0.1%0.1%
November0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
December0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%

Neighboring states

  • West Virginia: arrives late March, 1 week earlier than Ohio
  • Indiana: arrives early April, in the same week than Ohio
  • Michigan: arrives the second week of April, 1 week later than Ohio
  • Kentucky: arrives late March, 1 week earlier than Ohio

Common questions

When do Blue-gray Gnatcatchers arrive in Ohio?
Blue-gray Gnatcatchers reach Ohio in early April, are common by the second week of April, peak in early May (32% of checklists), and most are gone by early August.
When do Blue-gray Gnatcatchers leave Ohio?
Most Blue-gray Gnatcatchers have left Ohio by early August, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until mid September.
When is the best time to see a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher in Ohio?
The Blue-gray Gnatcatcher is reported most often in early May, on about 32% of Ohio checklists.
Where in Ohio are Blue-gray Gnatcatchers seen most often?
By county, Greene County, Hamilton County, and Champaign County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (counties with at least 200 checklists).