WhenToBird

Sturnella magna · Icteridae

When Do Eastern Meadowlarks Arrive in Alabama?

Adult Eastern Meadowlark
Photo: Matt Schultz, CC0 1.0 via iNaturalist

Eastern Meadowlarks are in Alabama all year, but most are here in summer: numbers build from late April, peak in mid May (8.7% of checklists), and fall back by late July. In the quietest week (mid September) they are still on about 2.2% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildApr 22-30late April
PeakMay 15-21mid May
Fall back byJul 22-31late July
FewestSep 15-21mid September

Best: mid May. Here all year; numbers build from late April and fall back by late July. Peak: on about 8.7% of Alabama checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%5%10%Jan 1-7: 5.5% of 8642 checklistsJan 8-14: 4.9% of 6607 checklistsJan 15-21: 4.4% of 6680 checklistsJan 22-31: 4.7% of 9008 checklistsFeb 1-7: 6.0% of 6642 checklistsFeb 8-14: 4.9% of 7568 checklistsFeb 15-21: 4.1% of 9929 checklistsFeb 22-28: 6.4% of 6490 checklistsMar 1-7: 7.0% of 6458 checklistsMar 8-14: 7.5% of 6570 checklistsMar 15-21: 6.9% of 6773 checklistsMar 22-31: 6.4% of 10830 checklistsApr 1-7: 5.8% of 8995 checklistsApr 8-14: 5.3% of 10390 checklistsApr 15-21: 4.5% of 12700 checklistsApr 22-30: 5.5% of 14225 checklistsMay 1-7: 8.2% of 9140 checklistsMay 8-14: 8.7% of 8111 checklistsMay 15-21: 9.1% of 6353 checklistsMay 22-31: 8.4% of 8318 checklistsJun 1-7: 7.9% of 5231 checklistsJun 8-14: 8.5% of 4757 checklistsJun 15-21: 8.4% of 4646 checklistsJun 22-30: 7.4% of 5740 checklistsJul 1-7: 8.0% of 4694 checklistsJul 8-14: 6.5% of 4178 checklistsJul 15-21: 6.7% of 4109 checklistsJul 22-31: 6.3% of 6000 checklistsAug 1-7: 5.4% of 4666 checklistsAug 8-14: 3.6% of 4468 checklistsAug 15-21: 3.0% of 4474 checklistsAug 22-31: 2.5% of 6494 checklistsSep 1-7: 2.3% of 5434 checklistsSep 8-14: 2.1% of 5216 checklistsSep 15-21: 2.2% of 5162 checklistsSep 22-30: 2.2% of 7474 checklistsOct 1-7: 2.2% of 6916 checklistsOct 8-14: 3.3% of 7332 checklistsOct 15-21: 4.2% of 6038 checklistsOct 22-31: 5.6% of 7071 checklistsNov 1-7: 6.5% of 5207 checklistsNov 8-14: 5.5% of 4883 checklistsNov 15-21: 5.2% of 5122 checklistsNov 22-30: 5.4% of 7130 checklistsDec 1-7: 4.9% of 4897 checklistsDec 8-14: 4.6% of 4738 checklistsDec 15-21: 5.6% of 5321 checklistsDec 22-31: 4.7% of 9158 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 Alabama 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 Alabama

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Perry CountyBest mid February · 25 checklists that week, 1,066 in all66%
  2. Dallas CountyBest late June · 28 checklists that week, 608 in all53%
  3. Hale CountyBest the second week of March · 24 checklists that week, 2,977 in all46%
  4. Calhoun CountyBest late June · 41 checklists that week, 4,218 in all45%
  5. Sumter CountyBest mid May · 11 checklists that week, 782 in all43%
  6. Chilton CountyBest mid October · 24 checklists that week, 1,513 in all42%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Choccolocco ParkCalhoun County, best late June · 22 checklists that week, 1,073 in all98%
  2. State Cattle Ranch LakesHale County, best early August · 20 checklists that week, 154 in all62%

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

Best time of day

In Alabama, the Eastern Meadowlark is most often listed on checklists started between 7 and 9 am (5.9% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%12 am: too few checklists (109) to judge1 am: too few checklists (111) to judge2 am: too few checklists (112) to judge3 am: too few checklists (143) to judge4 am: too few checklists (303) to judge5 am: too few checklists (4125) to judge6 am: 5.3% of 26677 checklists7 am: 6.0% of 42599 checklists8 am: 5.7% of 39919 checklists9 am: 5.4% of 34699 checklists10 am: 5.3% of 28551 checklists11 am: 5.6% of 23505 checklists12 pm: 5.1% of 20345 checklists1 pm: 5.4% of 18964 checklists2 pm: 5.6% of 20110 checklists3 pm: 5.5% of 20685 checklists4 pm: 5.6% of 19041 checklists5 pm: 6.0% of 13807 checklists6 pm: 5.5% of 8507 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (3367) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (637) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (295) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (233) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (141) 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
January5.5%4.9%4.4%4.7%
February6.0%4.9%4.1%6.4%
March7.0%7.5%6.9%6.4%
April5.8%5.3%4.5%5.5%
May8.2%8.7%9.1%8.4%
June7.9%8.5%8.4%7.4%
July8.0%6.5%6.7%6.3%
August5.4%3.6%3.0%2.5%
September2.3%2.1%2.2%2.2%
October2.2%3.3%4.2%5.6%
November6.5%5.5%5.2%5.4%
December4.9%4.6%5.6%4.7%

Neighboring states

  • Mississippi: arrives late September, 20 weeks later than Alabama
  • Georgia: arrives late September, 20 weeks later than Alabama
  • Tennessee: arrives mid February, 9 weeks earlier than Alabama
  • Louisiana: arrives mid September, 19 weeks later than Alabama

Common questions

When do Eastern Meadowlarks arrive in Alabama?
Eastern Meadowlarks are in Alabama all year, but most are here in summer: numbers build from late April, peak in mid May (8.7% of checklists), and fall back by late July. In the quietest week (mid September) they are still on about 2.2% of checklists.
When do Eastern Meadowlarks leave Alabama?
Eastern Meadowlarks never fully leave Alabama: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by late July, but some are still reported in every week, about 2.2% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Eastern Meadowlark in Alabama?
The Eastern Meadowlark is reported most often in mid May, on about 8.7% of Alabama checklists.
Where in Alabama are Eastern Meadowlarks seen most often?
By county, Perry County, Dallas County, and Hale County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Eastern Meadowlark (counties with at least 200 checklists).