WhenToBird

Certhia americana · Certhiidae

When Do Brown Creepers Arrive in Ohio?

Adult Brown Creeper
Photo: Melanie Gaddy, CC0 1.0 via iNaturalist

Brown Creepers reach Ohio in late September, are common by early October, peak in the second week of April (7.9% of checklists), and most are gone by late April.

When to look

First arrivalsSep 22-30late September
Common byOct 1-7early October
PeakApr 8-14the second week of April
Most gone byApr 22-30late April

Best: the second week of April. First arrivals late September; most are gone by late April. Peak: on about 7.9% of Ohio checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Junrare
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%5%10%Jan 1-7: 4.6% of 46637 checklistsJan 8-14: 4.3% of 31056 checklistsJan 15-21: 4.1% of 30129 checklistsJan 22-31: 4.5% of 38665 checklistsFeb 1-7: 4.3% of 27203 checklistsFeb 8-14: 4.1% of 30626 checklistsFeb 15-21: 3.4% of 40705 checklistsFeb 22-28: 3.7% of 31391 checklistsMar 1-7: 3.5% of 32914 checklistsMar 8-14: 3.3% of 33973 checklistsMar 15-21: 3.7% of 33678 checklistsMar 22-31: 6.0% of 49889 checklistsApr 1-7: 9.3% of 41225 checklistsApr 8-14: 8.7% of 47174 checklistsApr 15-21: 6.0% of 47017 checklistsApr 22-30: 2.6% of 73055 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.9% of 80637 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.5% of 102552 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.3% of 64582 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.4% of 52766 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.3% of 29279 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.4% of 25773 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.3% of 23163 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.2% of 27794 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.2% of 23334 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.2% 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: 0.1% of 21972 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.1% of 22215 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.1% of 35087 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.1% of 29148 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.3% of 28042 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.5% of 26751 checklistsSep 22-30: 2.0% of 32398 checklistsOct 1-7: 3.9% of 26209 checklistsOct 8-14: 5.1% of 26809 checklistsOct 15-21: 5.7% of 23504 checklistsOct 22-31: 6.5% of 33269 checklistsNov 1-7: 6.5% of 25563 checklistsNov 8-14: 6.1% of 23810 checklistsNov 15-21: 5.5% of 22127 checklistsNov 22-30: 5.5% of 29449 checklistsDec 1-7: 5.1% of 22370 checklistsDec 8-14: 5.5% of 21581 checklistsDec 15-21: 6.3% of 24232 checklistsDec 22-31: 6.0% 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. Lake CountyBest the second week of April · 1941 checklists that week, 59,983 in all25%
  2. Putnam CountyBest late December · 11 checklists that week, 927 in all25%
  3. Perry CountyBest early February · 153 checklists that week, 6,489 in all22%
  4. Jackson CountyBest mid December · 12 checklists that week, 896 in all21%
  5. Harrison CountyBest mid December · 16 checklists that week, 3,150 in all19%
  6. Shelby CountyBest early December · 21 checklists that week, 1,659 in all17%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Jeffrey ParkFranklin County, best early April · 32 checklists that week, 477 in all82%
  2. Shipman PondLake County, best the second week of April · 39 checklists that week, 852 in all67%
  3. Mill Creek ParkMahoning County, best early April · 27 checklists that week, 516 in all64%
  4. Ohio to Erie TrailDelaware County, best late April · 25 checklists that week, 454 in all61%
  5. Chagrin River PropertyLake County, best the second week of April · 134 checklists that week, 4,233 in all56%
  6. Plaza at Huron PointCuyahoga County, best late October · 54 checklists that week, 1,714 in all53%

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

Best time of day

In Ohio, the Brown Creeper is most often listed on checklists started between 8 and 10 am (3.7% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%4%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: 1.3% of 43093 checklists7 am: 3.2% of 142017 checklists8 am: 3.8% of 205296 checklists9 am: 3.6% of 196322 checklists10 am: 3.5% of 170882 checklists11 am: 3.3% of 144567 checklists12 pm: 3.3% of 126551 checklists1 pm: 3.3% of 117855 checklists2 pm: 3.4% of 112869 checklists3 pm: 3.3% of 109786 checklists4 pm: 2.7% of 103116 checklists5 pm: 1.9% of 78409 checklists6 pm: 1.2% of 56785 checklists7 pm: 0.4% 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
January4.6%4.3%4.1%4.5%
February4.3%4.1%3.4%3.7%
March3.5%3.3%3.7%6.0%
April9.3%8.7%6.0%2.6%
May0.9%0.5%0.3%0.4%
June0.3%0.4%0.3%0.2%
July0.2%0.2%0.1%0.1%
August0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
September0.1%0.3%0.5%2.0%
October3.9%5.1%5.7%6.5%
November6.5%6.1%5.5%5.5%
December5.1%5.5%6.3%6.0%

Neighboring states

  • West Virginia: arrives late September, in the same week than Ohio
  • Indiana: arrives late September, in the same week than Ohio
  • Michigan: arrives early September, 3 weeks earlier than Ohio
  • Kentucky: arrives early October, 1 week later than Ohio

Common questions

When do Brown Creepers arrive in Ohio?
Brown Creepers reach Ohio in late September, are common by early October, peak in the second week of April (7.9% of checklists), and most are gone by late April.
When do Brown Creepers leave Ohio?
Most Brown Creepers have left Ohio by late April, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until early May.
When is the best time to see a Brown Creeper in Ohio?
The Brown Creeper is reported most often in the second week of April, on about 7.9% of Ohio checklists.
Where in Ohio are Brown Creepers seen most often?
By county, Lake County, Putnam County, and Perry County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Brown Creeper (counties with at least 200 checklists).