WhenToBird

Thryothorus ludovicianus · Troglodytidae

When Do Carolina Wrens Arrive in Michigan?

Adult Carolina Wren
Photo: northerly, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

The Carolina Wren is in Michigan all year. It turns up on about 11% of checklists at its peak (mid September) and on 5.0% in its quietest week (the second week of June).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekSep 15-21mid September
Quietest weekJun 8-14the second week of June

Best: mid September. Here all year. Peak: on about 11% of Michigan checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Deccommon

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 5.8% of 38160 checklistsJan 8-14: 6.0% of 24696 checklistsJan 15-21: 5.6% of 23771 checklistsJan 22-31: 7.0% of 31347 checklistsFeb 1-7: 7.4% of 23225 checklistsFeb 8-14: 7.2% of 27398 checklistsFeb 15-21: 6.4% of 36606 checklistsFeb 22-28: 6.9% of 27127 checklistsMar 1-7: 6.1% of 29700 checklistsMar 8-14: 6.0% of 31587 checklistsMar 15-21: 5.7% of 32118 checklistsMar 22-31: 6.0% of 47777 checklistsApr 1-7: 6.9% of 38557 checklistsApr 8-14: 7.6% of 42207 checklistsApr 15-21: 8.0% of 42759 checklistsApr 22-30: 9.1% of 64458 checklistsMay 1-7: 9.3% of 60998 checklistsMay 8-14: 8.1% of 72091 checklistsMay 15-21: 6.6% of 59058 checklistsMay 22-31: 5.5% of 64724 checklistsJun 1-7: 5.1% of 35990 checklistsJun 8-14: 4.7% of 32595 checklistsJun 15-21: 5.1% of 30017 checklistsJun 22-30: 5.6% of 33988 checklistsJul 1-7: 6.7% of 28708 checklistsJul 8-14: 6.3% of 25175 checklistsJul 15-21: 7.4% of 24084 checklistsJul 22-31: 7.5% of 33522 checklistsAug 1-7: 7.6% of 25098 checklistsAug 8-14: 8.0% of 24353 checklistsAug 15-21: 8.1% of 25059 checklistsAug 22-31: 9.3% of 37489 checklistsSep 1-7: 10% of 28410 checklistsSep 8-14: 11% of 27887 checklistsSep 15-21: 11% of 26614 checklistsSep 22-30: 11% of 32557 checklistsOct 1-7: 9.5% of 25844 checklistsOct 8-14: 8.6% of 27741 checklistsOct 15-21: 8.1% of 24693 checklistsOct 22-31: 8.5% of 32460 checklistsNov 1-7: 8.7% of 23660 checklistsNov 8-14: 8.3% of 21542 checklistsNov 15-21: 8.1% of 19922 checklistsNov 22-30: 7.8% of 25069 checklistsDec 1-7: 7.3% of 18272 checklistsDec 8-14: 7.3% of 18961 checklistsDec 15-21: 7.9% of 24171 checklistsDec 22-31: 8.0% of 30908 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 Michigan 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 Michigan

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. St. Joseph CountyBest early October · 75 checklists that week, 6,972 in all36%
  2. Washtenaw CountyBest mid September · 2236 checklists that week, 145,231 in all32%
  3. Jackson CountyBest the second week of September · 484 checklists that week, 34,259 in all27%
  4. Lenawee CountyBest late July · 219 checklists that week, 11,588 in all24%
  5. Ingham CountyBest mid August · 602 checklists that week, 51,223 in all24%
  6. Hillsdale CountyBest the second week of September · 121 checklists that week, 9,510 in all24%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Arbor Hills Nature AreaWashtenaw County, best late January · 27 checklists that week, 559 in all64%
  2. Thurston Nature AreaWashtenaw County, best mid August · 27 checklists that week, 1,608 in all63%
  3. Meridian Riverfront ParkIngham County, best late August · 29 checklists that week, 901 in all63%
  4. Redbud Nature AreaWashtenaw County, best the second week of May · 20 checklists that week, 284 in all62%
  5. Burns-Stokes PreserveWashtenaw County, best early May · 41 checklists that week, 327 in all61%

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

Best time of day

In Michigan, the Carolina Wren is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (12% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%12 am: too few checklists (712) to judge1 am: too few checklists (592) to judge2 am: too few checklists (532) to judge3 am: too few checklists (516) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1592) to judge5 am: too few checklists (6849) to judge6 am: 13% of 39298 checklists7 am: 12% of 120344 checklists8 am: 11% of 180109 checklists9 am: 9.6% of 171966 checklists10 am: 7.6% of 156332 checklists11 am: 6.4% of 134964 checklists12 pm: 5.9% of 120967 checklists1 pm: 5.7% of 113852 checklists2 pm: 5.2% of 110773 checklists3 pm: 5.0% of 105530 checklists4 pm: 4.9% of 100958 checklists5 pm: 5.0% of 80085 checklists6 pm: 5.3% of 62883 checklists7 pm: 5.2% of 44912 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (21062) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (5920) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1629) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (775) 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
January5.8%6.0%5.6%7.0%
February7.4%7.2%6.4%6.9%
March6.1%6.0%5.7%6.0%
April6.9%7.6%8.0%9.1%
May9.3%8.1%6.6%5.5%
June5.1%4.7%5.1%5.6%
July6.7%6.3%7.4%7.5%
August7.6%8.0%8.1%9.3%
September10%11%11%11%
October9.5%8.6%8.1%8.5%
November8.7%8.3%8.1%7.8%
December7.3%7.3%7.9%8.0%

Neighboring states

  • Ohio: year-round, peaks mid September
  • Indiana: year-round, peaks mid September
  • Illinois: year-round, peaks the second week of September
  • Kentucky: year-round, peaks late September

Common questions

When do Carolina Wrens arrive in Michigan?
The Carolina Wren is in Michigan all year. It turns up on about 11% of checklists at its peak (mid September) and on 5.0% in its quietest week (the second week of June).
When do Carolina Wrens leave Michigan?
The Carolina Wren does not leave Michigan: it is reported all year, from 5.0% of checklists in the second week of June to 11% in mid September.
When is the best time to see a Carolina Wren in Michigan?
The Carolina Wren is reported most often in mid September, on about 11% of Michigan checklists.
Where in Michigan are Carolina Wrens seen most often?
By county, St. Joseph County, Washtenaw County, and Jackson County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Carolina Wren (counties with at least 200 checklists).