WhenToBird

Dryobates pubescens · Picidae

When Do Downy Woodpeckers Arrive in Maryland?

Adult female Downy Woodpecker
Photo: joy4birds, CC0 1.0 via iNaturalist

The Downy Woodpecker is in Maryland all year. It turns up on about 45% of checklists at its peak (late September) and on 28% in its quietest week (early August).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekSep 22-30late September
Quietest weekAug 1-7early August

Best: late September. Here all year. Peak: on about 45% of Maryland checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%20%40%60%Jan 1-7: 38% of 28716 checklistsJan 8-14: 38% of 21449 checklistsJan 15-21: 38% of 21267 checklistsJan 22-31: 40% of 29144 checklistsFeb 1-7: 37% of 21347 checklistsFeb 8-14: 39% of 22166 checklistsFeb 15-21: 39% of 29986 checklistsFeb 22-28: 36% of 22427 checklistsMar 1-7: 37% of 21389 checklistsMar 8-14: 37% of 22192 checklistsMar 15-21: 39% of 22823 checklistsMar 22-31: 40% of 33720 checklistsApr 1-7: 40% of 25513 checklistsApr 8-14: 40% of 27718 checklistsApr 15-21: 38% of 29328 checklistsApr 22-30: 36% of 42595 checklistsMay 1-7: 34% of 38532 checklistsMay 8-14: 32% of 42722 checklistsMay 15-21: 32% of 31936 checklistsMay 22-31: 29% of 36903 checklistsJun 1-7: 28% of 23191 checklistsJun 8-14: 29% of 21853 checklistsJun 15-21: 30% of 21000 checklistsJun 22-30: 32% of 25133 checklistsJul 1-7: 32% of 18715 checklistsJul 8-14: 31% of 16376 checklistsJul 15-21: 30% of 15793 checklistsJul 22-31: 28% of 21969 checklistsAug 1-7: 28% of 16013 checklistsAug 8-14: 28% of 15249 checklistsAug 15-21: 31% of 15674 checklistsAug 22-31: 35% of 24925 checklistsSep 1-7: 41% of 19808 checklistsSep 8-14: 43% of 18513 checklistsSep 15-21: 44% of 21901 checklistsSep 22-30: 45% of 22901 checklistsOct 1-7: 45% of 19111 checklistsOct 8-14: 44% of 18482 checklistsOct 15-21: 42% of 17380 checklistsOct 22-31: 42% of 23992 checklistsNov 1-7: 41% of 17915 checklistsNov 8-14: 38% of 18905 checklistsNov 15-21: 42% of 16259 checklistsNov 22-30: 41% of 22852 checklistsDec 1-7: 42% of 16108 checklistsDec 8-14: 43% of 16512 checklistsDec 15-21: 43% of 18952 checklistsDec 22-31: 41% of 29728 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 Maryland 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 Maryland

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Montgomery CountyBest early December · 3026 checklists that week, 219,548 in all57%
  2. Charles CountyBest late September · 160 checklists that week, 10,064 in all57%
  3. Howard CountyBest the second week of October · 1787 checklists that week, 118,290 in all57%
  4. Washington CountyBest late January · 776 checklists that week, 24,020 in all57%
  5. Cecil CountyBest mid September · 308 checklists that week, 18,620 in all54%
  6. Carroll CountyBest the second week of November · 364 checklists that week, 26,728 in all53%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Brookmont Neighborhood ParkMontgomery County, best late December · 55 checklists that week, 129 in all99%
  2. Layhill VillageMontgomery County, best late February · 25 checklists that week, 1,211 in all97%
  3. Gerber KnollHoward County, best the second week of November · 21 checklists that week, 922 in all94%

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

Best time of day

In Maryland, the Downy Woodpecker is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (48% of those checklists).

0%20%40%60%12 am: too few checklists (486) to judge1 am: too few checklists (451) to judge2 am: too few checklists (447) to judge3 am: too few checklists (766) to judge4 am: too few checklists (2076) to judge5 am: too few checklists (11098) to judge6 am: 46% of 56604 checklists7 am: 49% of 139255 checklists8 am: 46% of 148626 checklists9 am: 39% of 126820 checklists10 am: 35% of 106973 checklists11 am: 32% of 87483 checklists12 pm: 32% of 74808 checklists1 pm: 32% of 69428 checklists2 pm: 32% of 67800 checklists3 pm: 33% of 67688 checklists4 pm: 32% of 60927 checklists5 pm: 30% of 43876 checklists6 pm: 27% of 32930 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (19051) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (5708) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1977) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1170) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (635) 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
January38%38%38%40%
February37%39%39%36%
March37%37%39%40%
April40%40%38%36%
May34%32%32%29%
June28%29%30%32%
July32%31%30%28%
August28%28%31%35%
September41%43%44%45%
October45%44%42%42%
November41%38%42%41%
December42%43%43%41%

Neighboring states

Common questions

When do Downy Woodpeckers arrive in Maryland?
The Downy Woodpecker is in Maryland all year. It turns up on about 45% of checklists at its peak (late September) and on 28% in its quietest week (early August).
When do Downy Woodpeckers leave Maryland?
The Downy Woodpecker does not leave Maryland: it is reported all year, from 28% of checklists in early August to 45% in late September.
When is the best time to see a Downy Woodpecker in Maryland?
The Downy Woodpecker is reported most often in late September, on about 45% of Maryland checklists.
Where in Maryland are Downy Woodpeckers seen most often?
By county, Montgomery County, Charles County, and Howard County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Downy Woodpecker (counties with at least 200 checklists).