WhenToBird

Dryobates pubescens · Picidae

When Do Downy Woodpeckers Arrive in South Carolina?

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

The Downy Woodpecker is in South Carolina all year. It turns up on about 41% of checklists at its peak (early October) and on 26% in its quietest week (late July).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekOct 1-7early October
Quietest weekJul 22-31late July

Best: early October. Here all year. Peak: on about 41% of South Carolina checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  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: 32% of 15487 checklistsJan 8-14: 31% of 11691 checklistsJan 15-21: 31% of 11994 checklistsJan 22-31: 30% of 16225 checklistsFeb 1-7: 31% of 12192 checklistsFeb 8-14: 31% of 14044 checklistsFeb 15-21: 34% of 18483 checklistsFeb 22-28: 32% of 12045 checklistsMar 1-7: 34% of 11511 checklistsMar 8-14: 33% of 11704 checklistsMar 15-21: 33% of 11526 checklistsMar 22-31: 32% of 17386 checklistsApr 1-7: 29% of 13148 checklistsApr 8-14: 27% of 13193 checklistsApr 15-21: 28% of 13936 checklistsApr 22-30: 29% of 19002 checklistsMay 1-7: 29% of 14133 checklistsMay 8-14: 30% of 13668 checklistsMay 15-21: 29% of 11064 checklistsMay 22-31: 29% of 14461 checklistsJun 1-7: 27% of 10231 checklistsJun 8-14: 26% of 9417 checklistsJun 15-21: 28% of 8012 checklistsJun 22-30: 29% of 9720 checklistsJul 1-7: 28% of 7907 checklistsJul 8-14: 27% of 7338 checklistsJul 15-21: 26% of 7312 checklistsJul 22-31: 25% of 10877 checklistsAug 1-7: 27% of 7816 checklistsAug 8-14: 27% of 7655 checklistsAug 15-21: 29% of 7797 checklistsAug 22-31: 32% of 11246 checklistsSep 1-7: 35% of 8956 checklistsSep 8-14: 38% of 8929 checklistsSep 15-21: 41% of 9389 checklistsSep 22-30: 41% of 13028 checklistsOct 1-7: 42% of 11063 checklistsOct 8-14: 41% of 10968 checklistsOct 15-21: 40% of 10264 checklistsOct 22-31: 36% of 12917 checklistsNov 1-7: 33% of 8802 checklistsNov 8-14: 31% of 8339 checklistsNov 15-21: 31% of 8798 checklistsNov 22-30: 31% of 12925 checklistsDec 1-7: 33% of 8541 checklistsDec 8-14: 33% of 8609 checklistsDec 15-21: 34% of 9961 checklistsDec 22-31: 33% 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. Dorchester CountyBest late September · 255 checklists that week, 11,368 in all63%
  2. Cherokee CountyBest early December · 36 checklists that week, 2,823 in all59%
  3. Lexington CountyBest early October · 571 checklists that week, 27,992 in all57%
  4. Clarendon CountyBest early October · 186 checklists that week, 9,189 in all57%
  5. Lee CountyBest late September · 25 checklists that week, 1,310 in all55%
  6. York CountyBest the second week of December · 183 checklists that week, 12,176 in all53%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Cedar Falls ParkGreenville County, best late September · 20 checklists that week, 651 in all91%
  2. Bluehouse SwampCharleston County, best mid September · 21 checklists that week, 501 in all90%
  3. Cox Ferry LakeHorry County, best early October · 33 checklists that week, 1,304 in all88%
  4. Charles Towne Landing State Historic SiteCharleston County, best late September · 29 checklists that week, 762 in all88%
  5. Caw Caw Interpretive CenterCharleston County, best late September · 127 checklists that week, 4,450 in all86%

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

Best time of day

In South Carolina, the Downy Woodpecker is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (43% of those checklists).

0%20%40%60%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: 39% of 19280 checklists7 am: 45% of 66492 checklists8 am: 40% of 73941 checklists9 am: 36% of 63039 checklists10 am: 30% of 52652 checklists11 am: 26% of 41908 checklists12 pm: 24% of 36782 checklists1 pm: 25% of 33300 checklists2 pm: 25% of 32248 checklists3 pm: 28% of 35451 checklists4 pm: 29% of 34410 checklists5 pm: 26% of 27073 checklists6 pm: 23% 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
January32%31%31%30%
February31%31%34%32%
March34%33%33%32%
April29%27%28%29%
May29%30%29%29%
June27%26%28%29%
July28%27%26%25%
August27%27%29%32%
September35%38%41%41%
October42%41%40%36%
November33%31%31%31%
December33%33%34%33%

Neighboring states

Common questions

When do Downy Woodpeckers arrive in South Carolina?
The Downy Woodpecker is in South Carolina all year. It turns up on about 41% of checklists at its peak (early October) and on 26% in its quietest week (late July).
When do Downy Woodpeckers leave South Carolina?
The Downy Woodpecker does not leave South Carolina: it is reported all year, from 26% of checklists in late July to 41% in early October.
When is the best time to see a Downy Woodpecker in South Carolina?
The Downy Woodpecker is reported most often in early October, on about 41% of South Carolina checklists.
Where in South Carolina are Downy Woodpeckers seen most often?
By county, Dorchester County, Cherokee County, and Lexington County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Downy Woodpecker (counties with at least 200 checklists).