WhenToBird

Branta bernicla · Anatidae

When Do Brants Arrive in Maryland?

Adult Brant
Photo: Donald Hobern, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Brants are winter birds in Maryland: they arrive in early November, peak in mid November (1.6% of checklists), and most are gone by mid March.

When to look

First arrivalsNov 1-7early November
Common byNov 1-7early November
PeakNov 15-21mid November
Most gone byMar 15-21mid March

Best: mid November. First arrivals early November; most are gone by mid March. Peak: on about 1.6% of Maryland checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Mayrare
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepnot usually seen
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Deccommon

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

0%1%2%3%Jan 1-7: 1.0% of 28716 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.8% of 21449 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.9% of 21267 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.8% of 29144 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.1% of 21347 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.8% of 22166 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.8% of 29986 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.9% of 22427 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.6% of 21389 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.6% of 22192 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.6% of 22823 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.4% of 33720 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.3% of 25513 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.3% of 27718 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.2% of 29328 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.1% of 42595 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.1% of 38532 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.1% of 42722 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 31936 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 36903 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 23191 checklistsJun 8-14: 0% of 21853 checklistsJun 15-21: 0% of 21000 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 25133 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 18715 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.1% of 16376 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.1% of 15793 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 21969 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 16013 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 15249 checklistsAug 15-21: 0% of 15674 checklistsAug 22-31: 0% of 24925 checklistsSep 1-7: 0% of 19808 checklistsSep 8-14: 0% of 18513 checklistsSep 15-21: 0% of 21901 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.1% of 22901 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.1% of 19111 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.1% of 18482 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.1% of 17380 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.4% of 23992 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.6% of 17915 checklistsNov 8-14: 2.3% of 18905 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.3% of 16259 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.3% of 22852 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.6% of 16108 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.6% of 16512 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.4% of 18952 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.2% 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.

Embed this map on your site

Where in Maryland

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Worcester CountyBest the second week of January · 757 checklists that week, 44,596 in all24%
  2. Baltimore CountyBest mid November · 2114 checklists that week, 136,139 in all1.1%
  3. Cecil CountyBest the second week of November · 357 checklists that week, 18,620 in all0.6%
  4. Kent CountyBest mid November · 315 checklists that week, 13,396 in all0.3%
  5. Anne Arundel CountyBest the second week of November · 1396 checklists that week, 93,516 in all0.3%
  6. Montgomery CountyBest the second week of January · 4131 checklists that week, 219,548 in all0.1%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Sinepuxent Bay WmaWorcester County, best early January · 30 checklists that week, 995 in all72%
  2. Ocean City InletWorcester County, best late November · 214 checklists that week, 5,187 in all63%
  3. Coffins PointWorcester County, best the second week of January · 24 checklists that week, 559 in all62%
  4. Ocean City Inlet (north)Worcester County, best late November · 116 checklists that week, 2,472 in all44%
  5. Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic ShrineBaltimore County, best late November · 77 checklists that week, 1,613 in all41%

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

Best time of day

In Maryland, the Brant is most often listed on checklists started between 12 and 2 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: 0.3% of 56604 checklists7 am: 0.3% of 139255 checklists8 am: 0.4% of 148626 checklists9 am: 0.5% of 126820 checklists10 am: 0.4% of 106973 checklists11 am: 0.5% of 87483 checklists12 pm: 0.5% of 74808 checklists1 pm: 0.5% of 69428 checklists2 pm: 0.5% of 67800 checklists3 pm: 0.4% of 67688 checklists4 pm: 0.3% of 60927 checklists5 pm: 0.1% of 43876 checklists6 pm: 0.1% 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
January1.0%0.8%0.9%0.8%
February1.1%0.8%0.8%0.9%
March0.6%0.6%0.6%0.4%
April0.3%0.3%0.2%0.1%
May0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
June0.1%0%0%0%
July0%0.1%0.1%0%
August0%0%0%0%
September0%0%0%0.1%
October0.1%0.1%0.1%0.4%
November0.6%2.3%1.3%1.3%
December0.6%0.6%0.4%1.2%

Neighboring states

  • Delaware: arrives late October, 1 week earlier than Maryland
  • New Jersey: arrives the second week of October, 3 weeks earlier than Maryland
  • New York: arrives the second week of October, 3 weeks earlier than Maryland
  • Connecticut: arrives the second week of October, 3 weeks earlier than Maryland

Common questions

When do Brants arrive in Maryland?
Brants are winter birds in Maryland: they arrive in early November, peak in mid November (1.6% of checklists), and most are gone by mid March.
When do Brants leave Maryland?
Most Brants have left Maryland by mid March, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Brant in Maryland?
The Brant is reported most often in mid November, on about 1.6% of Maryland checklists.
Where in Maryland are Brants seen most often?
By county, Worcester County, Baltimore County, and Cecil County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Brant (counties with at least 200 checklists).