WhenToBird

Calidris alpina · Scolopacidae

When Do Dunlins Arrive in Indiana?

Adult Dunlin
Photo: Paulo Martins, CC BY-SA 4.0 via iNaturalist

Dunlins are winter birds in Indiana: they arrive in early October, peak in early November (2.7% of checklists), and most are gone by early December.

When to look

First arrivalsOct 1-7early October
Common byOct 1-7early October
PeakNov 1-7early November
Most gone byDec 1-7early December

Best: early November. First arrivals early October; most are gone by early December. Peak: on about 2.7% of Indiana checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marrare
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Jununcommon
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepnot usually seen
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decrare

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

0%1%2%3%4%Jan 1-7: 0.1% of 18123 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.1% of 12006 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.1% of 12403 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.1% of 16181 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0% of 12546 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0% of 14250 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0% of 18077 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0% of 13590 checklistsMar 1-7: 0% of 14545 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.1% of 14594 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.1% of 13894 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.1% of 22400 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.3% of 18069 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.7% of 19579 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.9% of 19518 checklistsApr 22-30: 1.0% of 30544 checklistsMay 1-7: 1.0% of 28430 checklistsMay 8-14: 1.3% of 30624 checklistsMay 15-21: 2.8% of 22920 checklistsMay 22-31: 1.3% of 21234 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.2% of 12279 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 10904 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.1% of 9488 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 11362 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 9947 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 9585 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 8929 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.1% of 12639 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 9528 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 9451 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.1% of 9442 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.1% of 14969 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.1% of 12628 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.1% of 11793 checklistsSep 15-21: 0% of 11396 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.1% of 14203 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.2% of 11365 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.6% of 12092 checklistsOct 15-21: 1.3% of 10440 checklistsOct 22-31: 3.0% of 13883 checklistsNov 1-7: 3.1% of 10476 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.9% of 9776 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.8% of 9035 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.4% of 12547 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.1% of 9078 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.1% of 8732 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.1% of 11024 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.1% of 15432 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 Indiana 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 Indiana

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Benton CountyBest the second week of May · 21 checklists that week, 993 in all32%
  2. Jay CountyBest early November · 26 checklists that week, 1,334 in all25%
  3. Union CountyBest early November · 144 checklists that week, 4,811 in all23%
  4. Starke CountyBest late May · 31 checklists that week, 2,111 in all22%
  5. Gibson CountyBest early November · 156 checklists that week, 10,754 in all14%
  6. Miami CountyBest late November · 23 checklists that week, 1,203 in all14%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Kankakee Sands (north)Newton County, best late May · 23 checklists that week, 262 in all67%
  2. Goose Pond (historical)Greene County, best the second week of May · 55 checklists that week, 1,225 in all51%
  3. Patoka River National Wildlife RefugeGibson County, best mid May · 37 checklists that week, 708 in all45%
  4. Kingsbury Fish and Wildlife Area (southeast)LaPorte County, best mid May · 25 checklists that week, 183 in all43%
  5. Goose Pond Fish and Wildlife Area (northwest 3)Greene County, best late October · 20 checklists that week, 498 in all40%

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

Best time of day

In Indiana, the Dunlin is most often listed on checklists started between 3 and 5 pm (0.6% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%12 am: too few checklists (240) to judge1 am: too few checklists (231) to judge2 am: too few checklists (222) to judge3 am: too few checklists (202) to judge4 am: too few checklists (674) to judge5 am: too few checklists (4329) to judge6 am: 0.6% of 20589 checklists7 am: 0.5% of 58470 checklists8 am: 0.4% of 86931 checklists9 am: 0.4% of 78239 checklists10 am: 0.5% of 66080 checklists11 am: 0.6% of 54904 checklists12 pm: 0.6% of 47610 checklists1 pm: 0.6% of 44814 checklists2 pm: 0.6% of 43790 checklists3 pm: 0.6% of 42983 checklists4 pm: 0.7% of 45349 checklists5 pm: 0.6% of 35993 checklists6 pm: 0.6% of 26447 checklists7 pm: 0.6% of 17740 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (7603) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1721) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (517) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (272) 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
January0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
February0%0%0%0%
March0%0.1%0.1%0.1%
April0.3%0.7%0.9%1.0%
May1.0%1.3%2.8%1.3%
June0.2%0.1%0.1%0%
July0%0%0%0.1%
August0%0%0.1%0.1%
September0.1%0.1%0%0.1%
October0.2%0.6%1.3%3.0%
November3.1%1.9%0.8%0.4%
December0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%

Neighboring states

  • Illinois: arrives the second week of April, 23 weeks earlier than Indiana
  • Kentucky: arrives early October, in the same week than Indiana
  • Ohio: arrives early April, 24 weeks earlier than Indiana
  • Michigan: arrives early April, 24 weeks earlier than Indiana

Common questions

When do Dunlins arrive in Indiana?
Dunlins are winter birds in Indiana: they arrive in early October, peak in early November (2.7% of checklists), and most are gone by early December.
When do Dunlins leave Indiana?
Most Dunlins have left Indiana by early December, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Dunlin in Indiana?
The Dunlin is reported most often in early November, on about 2.7% of Indiana checklists.
Where in Indiana are Dunlins seen most often?
By county, Benton County, Jay County, and Union County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Dunlin (counties with at least 200 checklists).