WhenToBird

Spizella passerina · Passerellidae

When Do Chipping Sparrows Arrive in South Carolina?

Adult Chipping Sparrow
Photo: Shirley Zundell, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Chipping Sparrows are in South Carolina all year, but most are here in winter: numbers build from mid November, peak in late March (30% of checklists), and fall back by the second week of May. In the quietest week (early October) they are still on about 7.0% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildNov 15-21mid November
PeakMar 22-31late March
Fall back byMay 8-14the second week of May
FewestOct 1-7early October

Best: late March. Here all year; numbers build from mid November and fall back by the second week of May. Peak: on about 30% of South Carolina checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%10%20%30%40%Jan 1-7: 21% of 15487 checklistsJan 8-14: 21% of 11691 checklistsJan 15-21: 22% of 11994 checklistsJan 22-31: 21% of 16225 checklistsFeb 1-7: 21% of 12192 checklistsFeb 8-14: 22% of 14044 checklistsFeb 15-21: 25% of 18483 checklistsFeb 22-28: 23% of 12045 checklistsMar 1-7: 26% of 11511 checklistsMar 8-14: 27% of 11704 checklistsMar 15-21: 30% of 11526 checklistsMar 22-31: 31% of 17386 checklistsApr 1-7: 30% of 13148 checklistsApr 8-14: 27% of 13193 checklistsApr 15-21: 24% of 13936 checklistsApr 22-30: 21% of 19002 checklistsMay 1-7: 20% of 14133 checklistsMay 8-14: 19% of 13668 checklistsMay 15-21: 18% of 11064 checklistsMay 22-31: 17% of 14461 checklistsJun 1-7: 16% of 10231 checklistsJun 8-14: 15% of 9417 checklistsJun 15-21: 15% of 8012 checklistsJun 22-30: 16% of 9720 checklistsJul 1-7: 16% of 7907 checklistsJul 8-14: 16% of 7338 checklistsJul 15-21: 14% of 7312 checklistsJul 22-31: 13% of 10877 checklistsAug 1-7: 11% of 7816 checklistsAug 8-14: 10% of 7655 checklistsAug 15-21: 9.2% of 7797 checklistsAug 22-31: 8.0% of 11246 checklistsSep 1-7: 7.0% of 8956 checklistsSep 8-14: 7.0% of 8929 checklistsSep 15-21: 7.4% of 9389 checklistsSep 22-30: 6.7% of 13028 checklistsOct 1-7: 7.5% of 11063 checklistsOct 8-14: 6.8% of 10968 checklistsOct 15-21: 7.7% of 10264 checklistsOct 22-31: 11% of 12917 checklistsNov 1-7: 16% of 8802 checklistsNov 8-14: 17% of 8339 checklistsNov 15-21: 20% of 8798 checklistsNov 22-30: 20% of 12925 checklistsDec 1-7: 20% of 8541 checklistsDec 8-14: 20% of 8609 checklistsDec 15-21: 22% of 9961 checklistsDec 22-31: 19% of 17541 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 South Carolina 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 South Carolina

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Saluda CountyBest mid April · 64 checklists that week, 1,965 in all68%
  2. Cherokee CountyBest late March · 83 checklists that week, 2,823 in all67%
  3. Laurens CountyBest early April · 49 checklists that week, 2,316 in all65%
  4. Orangeburg CountyBest late January · 253 checklists that week, 8,992 in all63%
  5. Greenwood CountyBest late April · 148 checklists that week, 3,752 in all62%
  6. Edgefield CountyBest mid February · 52 checklists that week, 1,096 in all60%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Cedar Falls ParkGreenville County, best late March · 35 checklists that week, 651 in all97%
  2. Cowpens National BattlefieldCherokee County, best mid May · 30 checklists that week, 925 in all88%
  3. Forty Acre Rock Heritage Preserve / Wildlife Management AreaLancaster County, best mid April · 21 checklists that week, 135 in all82%
  4. Lake JohnsonSpartanburg County, best the second week of May · 37 checklists that week, 688 in all81%
  5. Fant's Grove Wildlife Management AreaAnderson County, best late May · 71 checklists that week, 2,159 in all77%

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

Best time of day

In South Carolina, the Chipping Sparrow is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (24% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%12 am: too few checklists (222) to judge1 am: too few checklists (160) to judge2 am: too few checklists (132) to judge3 am: too few checklists (212) to judge4 am: too few checklists (267) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1898) to judge6 am: 26% of 19280 checklists7 am: 23% of 66492 checklists8 am: 21% of 73941 checklists9 am: 20% of 63039 checklists10 am: 17% of 52652 checklists11 am: 16% of 41908 checklists12 pm: 15% of 36782 checklists1 pm: 15% of 33300 checklists2 pm: 15% of 32248 checklists3 pm: 18% of 35451 checklists4 pm: 18% of 34410 checklists5 pm: 15% of 27073 checklists6 pm: 16% of 17375 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (10313) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (2756) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (672) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (412) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (256) 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
January21%21%22%21%
February21%22%25%23%
March26%27%30%31%
April30%27%24%21%
May20%19%18%17%
June16%15%15%16%
July16%16%14%13%
August11%10%9.2%8.0%
September7.0%7.0%7.4%6.7%
October7.5%6.8%7.7%11%
November16%17%20%20%
December20%20%22%19%

Neighboring states

  • North Carolina: arrives the second week of March, 15 weeks later than South Carolina
  • Georgia: year-round, peaks late March
  • Tennessee: arrives mid March, 16 weeks later than South Carolina
  • Virginia: arrives late March, 17 weeks later than South Carolina

Common questions

When do Chipping Sparrows arrive in South Carolina?
Chipping Sparrows are in South Carolina all year, but most are here in winter: numbers build from mid November, peak in late March (30% of checklists), and fall back by the second week of May. In the quietest week (early October) they are still on about 7.0% of checklists.
When do Chipping Sparrows leave South Carolina?
Chipping Sparrows never fully leave South Carolina: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by the second week of May, but some are still reported in every week, about 7.0% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Chipping Sparrow in South Carolina?
The Chipping Sparrow is reported most often in late March, on about 30% of South Carolina checklists.
Where in South Carolina are Chipping Sparrows seen most often?
By county, Saluda County, Cherokee County, and Laurens County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Chipping Sparrow (counties with at least 200 checklists).