WhenToBird

Rallus crepitans · Rallidae

When Do Clapper Rails Arrive in Delaware?

Adult Clapper Rail
Photo: Kathy Richardson, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Clapper Rails reach Delaware in early April, are common by mid April, peak in late May (10% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of September.

When to look

First arrivalsApr 1-7early April
Common byApr 15-21mid April
PeakMay 22-31late May
Most gone bySep 8-14the second week of September

Best: late May. First arrivals early April; most are gone by the second week of September. Peak: on about 10% of Delaware checklists.

  1. Janrare
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marrare
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Decrare

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 0.7% of 5901 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.3% of 4091 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.3% of 3841 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.4% of 5084 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.3% of 3705 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.4% of 3991 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.1% of 6056 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.2% of 4036 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.2% of 3822 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.3% of 3873 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.3% of 3856 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.4% of 5702 checklistsApr 1-7: 1.0% of 4104 checklistsApr 8-14: 2.0% of 4456 checklistsApr 15-21: 4.7% of 4871 checklistsApr 22-30: 6.7% of 7249 checklistsMay 1-7: 7.4% of 6806 checklistsMay 8-14: 8.3% of 7229 checklistsMay 15-21: 10% of 6466 checklistsMay 22-31: 11% of 7437 checklistsJun 1-7: 7.6% of 3596 checklistsJun 8-14: 6.3% of 2847 checklistsJun 15-21: 8.0% of 2901 checklistsJun 22-30: 8.0% of 3644 checklistsJul 1-7: 9.1% of 3142 checklistsJul 8-14: 7.5% of 2767 checklistsJul 15-21: 7.4% of 2882 checklistsJul 22-31: 8.3% of 4175 checklistsAug 1-7: 8.7% of 3482 checklistsAug 8-14: 9.2% of 3477 checklistsAug 15-21: 8.9% of 3386 checklistsAug 22-31: 7.2% of 5028 checklistsSep 1-7: 5.4% of 3631 checklistsSep 8-14: 4.5% of 3507 checklistsSep 15-21: 3.0% of 3404 checklistsSep 22-30: 3.7% of 4252 checklistsOct 1-7: 2.7% of 3563 checklistsOct 8-14: 2.0% of 3440 checklistsOct 15-21: 2.3% of 3282 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.8% of 4025 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.1% of 3030 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.8% of 3141 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.0% of 2858 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.1% of 4104 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.8% of 2472 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.7% of 2415 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.1% of 3306 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.0% of 5527 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 Delaware 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 Delaware

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Sussex CountyBest mid May · 2927 checklists that week, 91,027 in all16%
  2. Kent CountyBest early August · 778 checklists that week, 36,693 in all14%
  3. New Castle CountyBest early May · 3005 checklists that week, 72,140 in all0.6%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Delaware Seashore State ParkSussex County, best the second week of May · 32 checklists that week, 1,997 in all66%
  2. Great MarshSussex County, best early May · 95 checklists that week, 2,080 in all64%
  3. Milford Neck Preserve (Clarks Ditch (historical))Kent County, best late April · 26 checklists that week, 282 in all57%
  4. Mispillion LightSussex County, best early June · 83 checklists that week, 2,628 in all54%
  5. Station CoveSussex County, best early July · 23 checklists that week, 522 in all54%
  6. Mare Marsh (Murray Marsh Cove)Sussex County, best the second week of May · 20 checklists that week, 238 in all47%

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

Best time of day

In Delaware, the Clapper Rail is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (6.0% of those checklists).

0%5%10%12 am: too few checklists (129) to judge1 am: too few checklists (122) to judge2 am: too few checklists (102) to judge3 am: too few checklists (114) to judge4 am: too few checklists (210) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1334) to judge6 am: 9.1% of 8055 checklists7 am: 4.9% of 21367 checklists8 am: 4.0% of 25648 checklists9 am: 3.8% of 22669 checklists10 am: 3.2% of 20679 checklists11 am: 3.0% of 17516 checklists12 pm: 2.6% of 15361 checklists1 pm: 3.1% of 14319 checklists2 pm: 3.1% of 13726 checklists3 pm: 3.4% of 12793 checklists4 pm: 3.5% of 10392 checklists5 pm: 5.5% of 6859 checklists6 pm: 6.3% of 4542 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (2633) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (831) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (211) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (150) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (98) 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
January0.7%0.3%0.3%0.4%
February0.3%0.4%0.1%0.2%
March0.2%0.3%0.3%0.4%
April1.0%2.0%4.7%6.7%
May7.4%8.3%10%11%
June7.6%6.3%8.0%8.0%
July9.1%7.5%7.4%8.3%
August8.7%9.2%8.9%7.2%
September5.4%4.5%3.0%3.7%
October2.7%2.0%2.3%1.8%
November1.1%1.8%1.0%1.1%
December0.8%0.7%1.1%1.0%

Neighboring states

  • New Jersey: arrives the second week of April, 1 week later than Delaware
  • Virginia: arrives the second week of April, 1 week later than Delaware
  • New York: arrives early May, 4 weeks later than Delaware
  • Connecticut: arrives late April, 3 weeks later than Delaware

Common questions

When do Clapper Rails arrive in Delaware?
Clapper Rails reach Delaware in early April, are common by mid April, peak in late May (10% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of September.
When do Clapper Rails leave Delaware?
Most Clapper Rails have left Delaware by the second week of September, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until mid November.
When is the best time to see a Clapper Rail in Delaware?
The Clapper Rail is reported most often in late May, on about 10% of Delaware checklists.
Where in Delaware are Clapper Rails seen most often?
By county, Sussex County, Kent County, and New Castle County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Clapper Rail (counties with at least 200 checklists).