WhenToBird

Sialia sialis · Turdidae

When Do Eastern Bluebirds Arrive in Wisconsin?

Adult male Eastern Bluebird
Photo: Dan Vickers, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Eastern Bluebirds reach Wisconsin in late February, are common by mid March, peak in the second week of July (12% of checklists), and most are gone by early November.

When to look

First arrivalsFeb 22-28late February
Common byMar 15-21mid March
PeakJul 8-14the second week of July
Most gone byNov 1-7early November

Best: the second week of July. First arrivals late February; most are gone by early November. Peak: on about 12% of Wisconsin checklists.

  1. Janrare
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decrare

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 1.0% of 27925 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.9% of 18337 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.2% of 17370 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.0% of 23777 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.3% of 16656 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.3% of 18286 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.6% of 24739 checklistsFeb 22-28: 2.2% of 20113 checklistsMar 1-7: 3.5% of 24024 checklistsMar 8-14: 5.4% of 26722 checklistsMar 15-21: 6.2% of 27238 checklistsMar 22-31: 7.0% of 40171 checklistsApr 1-7: 8.3% of 34961 checklistsApr 8-14: 9.2% of 39128 checklistsApr 15-21: 9.0% of 38887 checklistsApr 22-30: 9.7% of 57231 checklistsMay 1-7: 11% of 55115 checklistsMay 8-14: 11% of 63098 checklistsMay 15-21: 11% of 49821 checklistsMay 22-31: 12% of 56796 checklistsJun 1-7: 12% of 33621 checklistsJun 8-14: 12% of 31282 checklistsJun 15-21: 11% of 30186 checklistsJun 22-30: 12% of 35128 checklistsJul 1-7: 12% of 27088 checklistsJul 8-14: 13% of 23293 checklistsJul 15-21: 12% of 20933 checklistsJul 22-31: 11% of 27595 checklistsAug 1-7: 9.9% of 19147 checklistsAug 8-14: 7.8% of 18286 checklistsAug 15-21: 7.3% of 19195 checklistsAug 22-31: 7.0% of 28229 checklistsSep 1-7: 7.2% of 22408 checklistsSep 8-14: 7.6% of 20857 checklistsSep 15-21: 8.0% of 20707 checklistsSep 22-30: 10% of 26469 checklistsOct 1-7: 11% of 21069 checklistsOct 8-14: 12% of 21011 checklistsOct 15-21: 11% of 20006 checklistsOct 22-31: 8.3% of 26362 checklistsNov 1-7: 4.8% of 18928 checklistsNov 8-14: 2.7% of 17052 checklistsNov 15-21: 2.0% of 16291 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.5% of 20564 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.1% of 15354 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.3% of 16294 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.6% of 21430 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.4% of 26314 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 Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Dunn CountyBest early October · 112 checklists that week, 8,247 in all37%
  2. Taylor CountyBest the second week of May · 104 checklists that week, 4,326 in all36%
  3. Crawford CountyBest the second week of July · 67 checklists that week, 4,271 in all33%
  4. Green CountyBest the second week of October · 57 checklists that week, 4,387 in all30%
  5. Green Lake CountyBest late July · 236 checklists that week, 15,345 in all29%
  6. Marquette CountyBest the second week of July · 56 checklists that week, 3,706 in all29%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Pope Farm ParkDane County, best late June · 27 checklists that week, 456 in all83%
  2. Indian LakeDane County, best early July · 23 checklists that week, 1,211 in all80%
  3. Kettle Moraine State Forest-Northern Unit-Iansr (New Prospect)Fond du Lac County, best late April · 24 checklists that week, 344 in all79%
  4. Retzer Nature CenterWaukesha County, best late May · 77 checklists that week, 1,678 in all76%
  5. Havenwoods Forest Preserve and Nature CenterMilwaukee County, best late May · 75 checklists that week, 1,148 in all76%

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

Best time of day

In Wisconsin, the Eastern Bluebird is most often listed on checklists started between 5 and 7 am (12% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%12 am: too few checklists (993) to judge1 am: too few checklists (844) to judge2 am: too few checklists (839) to judge3 am: too few checklists (1488) to judge4 am: too few checklists (5344) to judge5 am: 13% of 27016 checklists6 am: 12% of 83973 checklists7 am: 11% of 160717 checklists8 am: 9.4% of 160531 checklists9 am: 8.0% of 136968 checklists10 am: 6.9% of 119110 checklists11 am: 6.0% of 99116 checklists12 pm: 5.6% of 85078 checklists1 pm: 5.7% of 80688 checklists2 pm: 5.9% of 79140 checklists3 pm: 5.8% of 78599 checklists4 pm: 6.1% of 69767 checklists5 pm: 7.3% of 53229 checklists6 pm: 7.3% of 38769 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (24396) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (10155) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (4990) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (2463) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (1281) 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
January1.0%0.9%1.2%1.0%
February1.3%1.3%1.6%2.2%
March3.5%5.4%6.2%7.0%
April8.3%9.2%9.0%9.7%
May11%11%11%12%
June12%12%11%12%
July12%13%12%11%
August9.9%7.8%7.3%7.0%
September7.2%7.6%8.0%10%
October11%12%11%8.3%
November4.8%2.7%2.0%1.5%
December1.1%1.3%1.6%1.4%

Neighboring states

  • Illinois: arrives the second week of September, 22 weeks earlier than Wisconsin
  • Iowa: year-round, peaks mid October
  • Michigan: year-round, peaks early May
  • Minnesota: arrives late February, in the same week than Wisconsin

Common questions

When do Eastern Bluebirds arrive in Wisconsin?
Eastern Bluebirds reach Wisconsin in late February, are common by mid March, peak in the second week of July (12% of checklists), and most are gone by early November.
When do Eastern Bluebirds leave Wisconsin?
Most Eastern Bluebirds have left Wisconsin by early November, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until mid November.
When is the best time to see a Eastern Bluebird in Wisconsin?
The Eastern Bluebird is reported most often in the second week of July, on about 12% of Wisconsin checklists.
Where in Wisconsin are Eastern Bluebirds seen most often?
By county, Dunn County, Taylor County, and Crawford County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Eastern Bluebird (counties with at least 200 checklists).