WhenToBird

Chordeiles minor · Caprimulgidae

When Do Common Nighthawks Arrive in Michigan?

Adult Common Nighthawk
Photo: Donald Davesne, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Common Nighthawks arrive in Michigan in the second week of May, peak in late August (2.3% of checklists), and most are gone by mid September.

When to look

First arrivalsMay 8-14the second week of May
Common byMay 8-14the second week of May
PeakAug 22-31late August
Most gone bySep 15-21mid September

Best: late August. First arrivals the second week of May; most are gone by mid September. Peak: on about 2.3% of Michigan checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marnot usually seen
  4. Aprnot usually seen
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Juluncommon
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octrare
  11. Novnot usually seen
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%1%2%3%Jan 1-7: 0% of 38160 checklistsJan 8-14: 0% of 24696 checklistsJan 15-21: 0% of 23771 checklistsJan 22-31: 0% of 31347 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0% of 23225 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0% of 27398 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0% of 36606 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0% of 27127 checklistsMar 1-7: 0% of 29700 checklistsMar 8-14: 0% of 31587 checklistsMar 15-21: 0% of 32118 checklistsMar 22-31: 0% of 47777 checklistsApr 1-7: 0% of 38557 checklistsApr 8-14: 0% of 42207 checklistsApr 15-21: 0% of 42759 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.1% of 64458 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.1% of 60998 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.4% of 72091 checklistsMay 15-21: 1.6% of 59058 checklistsMay 22-31: 2.5% of 64724 checklistsJun 1-7: 1.6% of 35990 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.9% of 32595 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.9% of 30017 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.8% of 33988 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.7% of 28708 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.7% of 25175 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.7% of 24084 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.8% of 33522 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.8% of 25098 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.9% of 24353 checklistsAug 15-21: 1.7% of 25059 checklistsAug 22-31: 3.0% of 37489 checklistsSep 1-7: 2.0% of 28410 checklistsSep 8-14: 1.5% of 27887 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.9% of 26614 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.2% of 32557 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.1% of 25844 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.1% of 27741 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.1% of 24693 checklistsOct 22-31: 0% of 32460 checklistsNov 1-7: 0% of 23660 checklistsNov 8-14: 0% of 21542 checklistsNov 15-21: 0% of 19922 checklistsNov 22-30: 0% of 25069 checklistsDec 1-7: 0% of 18272 checklistsDec 8-14: 0% of 18961 checklistsDec 15-21: 0% of 24171 checklistsDec 22-31: 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.

Embed this map on your site

Where in Michigan

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Ogemaw CountyBest late August · 150 checklists that week, 4,675 in all26%
  2. Crawford CountyBest late July · 528 checklists that week, 16,949 in all16%
  3. Oscoda CountyBest late June · 119 checklists that week, 4,044 in all8.6%
  4. Menominee CountyBest late August · 69 checklists that week, 2,004 in all7.6%
  5. Schoolcraft CountyBest the second week of July · 118 checklists that week, 3,719 in all7.5%
  6. St. Joseph CountyBest late May · 255 checklists that week, 6,972 in all7.3%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Huron National Forest (west 2)Iosco County, best the second week of July · 20 checklists that week, 597 in all34%
  2. Kirtland Warbler Unit Clear LakeCrawford County, best early July · 25 checklists that week, 438 in all22%
  3. Shelldrake LakeChippewa County, best late May · 21 checklists that week, 158 in all20%
  4. Hines ParkwayWayne County, best late August · 21 checklists that week, 1,762 in all20%
  5. Kirtland Warbler Unit Manistee (northwest)Crawford County, best late May · 25 checklists that week, 131 in all19%

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

Best time of day

In Michigan, the Common Nighthawk is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 pm (2.5% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%4%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: 0.6% of 39298 checklists7 am: 0.2% of 120344 checklists8 am: 0.2% of 180109 checklists9 am: 0.2% of 171966 checklists10 am: 0.1% of 156332 checklists11 am: 0.1% of 134964 checklists12 pm: 0.1% of 120967 checklists1 pm: 0.1% of 113852 checklists2 pm: 0.2% of 110773 checklists3 pm: 0.2% of 105530 checklists4 pm: 0.3% of 100958 checklists5 pm: 0.8% of 80085 checklists6 pm: 1.9% of 62883 checklists7 pm: 3.3% 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
January0%0%0%0%
February0%0%0%0%
March0%0%0%0%
April0%0%0%0.1%
May0.1%0.4%1.6%2.5%
June1.6%0.9%0.9%0.8%
July0.7%0.7%0.7%0.8%
August0.8%0.9%1.7%3.0%
September2.0%1.5%0.9%0.2%
October0.1%0.1%0.1%0%
November0%0%0%0%
December0%0%0%0%

Neighboring states

  • Ohio: arrives early May, 1 week earlier than Michigan
  • Indiana: arrives early May, 1 week earlier than Michigan
  • Illinois: arrives the second week of May, in the same week than Michigan
  • Wisconsin: arrives the second week of August, 12 weeks later than Michigan

Common questions

When do Common Nighthawks arrive in Michigan?
Common Nighthawks arrive in Michigan in the second week of May, peak in late August (2.3% of checklists), and most are gone by mid September.
When do Common Nighthawks leave Michigan?
Most Common Nighthawks have left Michigan by mid September, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Common Nighthawk in Michigan?
The Common Nighthawk is reported most often in late August, on about 2.3% of Michigan checklists.
Where in Michigan are Common Nighthawks seen most often?
By county, Ogemaw County, Crawford County, and Oscoda County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Common Nighthawk (counties with at least 200 checklists).