WhenToBird

Bombycilla cedrorum · Bombycillidae

When Do Cedar Waxwings Arrive in Michigan?

Adult Cedar Waxwing
Photo: Sean Frey, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Cedar Waxwings are in Michigan all year, but most are here in summer: numbers build from early June, peak in the second week of July (31% of checklists), and fall back by mid September. In the quietest week (mid March) they are still on about 2.6% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildJun 1-7early June
PeakJul 8-14the second week of July
Fall back bySep 15-21mid September
FewestMar 15-21mid March

Best: the second week of July. Here all year; numbers build from early June and fall back by mid September. Peak: on about 31% of Michigan checklists.

  1. Janrare
  2. Febrare
  3. Marrare
  4. Aprrare
  5. Maycommon
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Decrare

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

0%10%20%30%40%Jan 1-7: 2.7% of 38160 checklistsJan 8-14: 3.1% of 24696 checklistsJan 15-21: 3.2% of 23771 checklistsJan 22-31: 3.3% of 31347 checklistsFeb 1-7: 3.5% of 23225 checklistsFeb 8-14: 3.0% of 27398 checklistsFeb 15-21: 2.7% of 36606 checklistsFeb 22-28: 3.0% of 27127 checklistsMar 1-7: 2.8% of 29700 checklistsMar 8-14: 2.8% of 31587 checklistsMar 15-21: 2.6% of 32118 checklistsMar 22-31: 2.4% of 47777 checklistsApr 1-7: 2.8% of 38557 checklistsApr 8-14: 3.3% of 42207 checklistsApr 15-21: 2.8% of 42759 checklistsApr 22-30: 3.1% of 64458 checklistsMay 1-7: 3.6% of 60998 checklistsMay 8-14: 5.3% of 72091 checklistsMay 15-21: 10% of 59058 checklistsMay 22-31: 18% of 64724 checklistsJun 1-7: 24% of 35990 checklistsJun 8-14: 26% of 32595 checklistsJun 15-21: 28% of 30017 checklistsJun 22-30: 29% of 33988 checklistsJul 1-7: 31% of 28708 checklistsJul 8-14: 31% of 25175 checklistsJul 15-21: 30% of 24084 checklistsJul 22-31: 30% of 33522 checklistsAug 1-7: 30% of 25098 checklistsAug 8-14: 29% of 24353 checklistsAug 15-21: 29% of 25059 checklistsAug 22-31: 28% of 37489 checklistsSep 1-7: 25% of 28410 checklistsSep 8-14: 22% of 27887 checklistsSep 15-21: 17% of 26614 checklistsSep 22-30: 13% of 32557 checklistsOct 1-7: 11% of 25844 checklistsOct 8-14: 9.2% of 27741 checklistsOct 15-21: 9.3% of 24693 checklistsOct 22-31: 9.4% of 32460 checklistsNov 1-7: 7.6% of 23660 checklistsNov 8-14: 4.8% of 21542 checklistsNov 15-21: 4.0% of 19922 checklistsNov 22-30: 3.7% of 25069 checklistsDec 1-7: 3.2% of 18272 checklistsDec 8-14: 3.1% of 18961 checklistsDec 15-21: 3.6% of 24171 checklistsDec 22-31: 3.3% 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. Ogemaw CountyBest late July · 105 checklists that week, 4,675 in all67%
  2. Clinton CountyBest mid August · 176 checklists that week, 10,597 in all56%
  3. Ionia CountyBest mid August · 54 checklists that week, 5,509 in all53%
  4. Benzie CountyBest the second week of July · 380 checklists that week, 14,114 in all52%
  5. Schoolcraft CountyBest late July · 158 checklists that week, 3,719 in all51%
  6. Ontonagon CountyBest the second week of July · 79 checklists that week, 3,548 in all50%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Flushing Township ParkGenesee County, best mid August · 27 checklists that week, 1,247 in all97%
  2. Wolf LakeVan Buren County, best the second week of August · 29 checklists that week, 2,451 in all93%
  3. Stage Coach ParkBarry County, best mid August · 22 checklists that week, 1,301 in all92%
  4. Roselle ParkKent County, best early August · 26 checklists that week, 2,211 in all88%
  5. Matthaei Botanical GardensWashtenaw County, best mid August · 95 checklists that week, 3,412 in all88%

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

Best time of day

In Michigan, the Cedar Waxwing is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (18% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%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: 21% of 39298 checklists7 am: 17% of 120344 checklists8 am: 15% of 180109 checklists9 am: 13% of 171966 checklists10 am: 11% of 156332 checklists11 am: 9.4% of 134964 checklists12 pm: 8.7% of 120967 checklists1 pm: 8.4% of 113852 checklists2 pm: 8.1% of 110773 checklists3 pm: 8.5% of 105530 checklists4 pm: 8.3% of 100958 checklists5 pm: 9.8% of 80085 checklists6 pm: 13% of 62883 checklists7 pm: 16% 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
January2.7%3.1%3.2%3.3%
February3.5%3.0%2.7%3.0%
March2.8%2.8%2.6%2.4%
April2.8%3.3%2.8%3.1%
May3.6%5.3%10%18%
June24%26%28%29%
July31%31%30%30%
August30%29%29%28%
September25%22%17%13%
October11%9.2%9.3%9.4%
November7.6%4.8%4.0%3.7%
December3.2%3.1%3.6%3.3%

Neighboring states

  • Ohio: arrives early May, 4 weeks earlier than Michigan
  • Indiana: arrives late April, 5 weeks earlier than Michigan
  • Illinois: arrives early May, 4 weeks earlier than Michigan
  • Wisconsin: arrives early June, in the same week than Michigan

Common questions

When do Cedar Waxwings arrive in Michigan?
Cedar Waxwings are in Michigan all year, but most are here in summer: numbers build from early June, peak in the second week of July (31% of checklists), and fall back by mid September. In the quietest week (mid March) they are still on about 2.6% of checklists.
When do Cedar Waxwings leave Michigan?
Cedar Waxwings never fully leave Michigan: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by mid September, but some are still reported in every week, about 2.6% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Cedar Waxwing in Michigan?
The Cedar Waxwing is reported most often in the second week of July, on about 31% of Michigan checklists.
Where in Michigan are Cedar Waxwings seen most often?
By county, Ogemaw County, Clinton County, and Ionia County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Cedar Waxwing (counties with at least 200 checklists).