WhenToBird

Megascops asio · Strigidae

When Do Eastern Screech-Owls Arrive in Kentucky?

Adult Eastern Screech-Owl
Photo: Justin Bull, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Eastern Screech-Owls reach Kentucky in late June, are common by early July, peak in the second week of September (1.9% of checklists), and most are gone by late May.

When to look

First arrivalsJun 22-30late June
Common byJul 1-7early July
PeakSep 8-14the second week of September
Most gone byMay 22-31late May

Best: the second week of September. First arrivals late June; most are gone by late May. Peak: on about 1.9% of Kentucky checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Jununcommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%1%2%3%Jan 1-7: 0.8% of 6923 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.5% of 4900 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.4% of 5016 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.5% of 6611 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.9% of 4986 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.6% of 5677 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.7% of 8880 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.8% of 5567 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.1% of 5397 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.9% of 5462 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.8% of 5733 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.7% of 9043 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.5% of 6763 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.5% of 7498 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.4% of 8486 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.7% of 13396 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.6% of 10825 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.8% of 11495 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.7% of 7363 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.6% of 8800 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.5% of 5381 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.4% of 5244 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.5% of 4730 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.3% of 5470 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.6% of 4567 checklistsJul 8-14: 1.0% of 4287 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.8% of 4097 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.8% of 6044 checklistsAug 1-7: 1.2% of 4647 checklistsAug 8-14: 1.1% of 4256 checklistsAug 15-21: 1.0% of 4484 checklistsAug 22-31: 1.6% of 6434 checklistsSep 1-7: 1.8% of 5450 checklistsSep 8-14: 1.6% of 5157 checklistsSep 15-21: 2.3% of 5530 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.6% of 6710 checklistsOct 1-7: 1.7% of 5403 checklistsOct 8-14: 1.5% of 5943 checklistsOct 15-21: 1.4% of 4873 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.0% of 6584 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.0% of 5008 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.7% of 4677 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.9% of 4419 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.6% of 5933 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.6% of 4479 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.7% of 4687 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.6% of 6239 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.0% of 7976 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 Kentucky 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 Kentucky

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Bath CountyBest mid October · 10 checklists that week, 427 in all17%
  2. Nicholas CountyBest early October · 16 checklists that week, 280 in all16%
  3. Owen CountyBest early November · 15 checklists that week, 554 in all14%
  4. Boyle CountyBest mid September · 11 checklists that week, 883 in all14%
  5. Carter CountyBest the second week of August · 15 checklists that week, 780 in all12%
  6. Mercer CountyBest late August · 29 checklists that week, 1,919 in all12%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. University of Kentucky & Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government ArboretumFayette County, best mid March · 33 checklists that week, 2,100 in all29%
  2. Veterns ParkFayette County, best late March · 29 checklists that week, 1,003 in all23%
  3. Harrods Creek ParkJefferson County, best late September · 34 checklists that week, 699 in all18%
  4. Long Run ParkJefferson County, best the second week of November · 22 checklists that week, 855 in all16%
  5. E.P. Tom Sawyer State ParkJefferson County, best mid June · 24 checklists that week, 1,240 in all16%

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

Best time of day

In Kentucky, the Eastern Screech-Owl is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 pm (1.7% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%12 am: too few checklists (140) to judge1 am: too few checklists (120) to judge2 am: too few checklists (88) to judge3 am: too few checklists (95) to judge4 am: too few checklists (151) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1289) to judge6 am: 1.8% of 8227 checklists7 am: 0.8% of 24608 checklists8 am: 0.7% of 36577 checklists9 am: 0.7% of 34626 checklists10 am: 0.6% of 28796 checklists11 am: 0.5% of 22781 checklists12 pm: 0.4% of 19848 checklists1 pm: 0.6% of 19369 checklists2 pm: 0.7% of 19367 checklists3 pm: 0.6% of 19618 checklists4 pm: 0.7% of 19464 checklists5 pm: 1.0% of 16639 checklists6 pm: 1.5% of 12714 checklists7 pm: 2.1% of 8457 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (3447) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (684) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (267) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (158) 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
January0.8%0.5%0.4%0.5%
February0.9%0.6%0.7%0.8%
March1.1%0.9%0.8%0.7%
April0.5%0.5%0.4%0.7%
May0.6%0.8%0.7%0.6%
June0.5%0.4%0.5%0.3%
July0.6%1.0%0.8%0.8%
August1.2%1.1%1.0%1.6%
September1.8%1.6%2.3%1.6%
October1.7%1.5%1.4%1.0%
November1.0%0.7%0.9%0.6%
December0.6%0.7%1.6%1.0%

Neighboring states

  • Tennessee: arrives the second week of July, 2 weeks later than Kentucky
  • Indiana: arrives late July, 4 weeks later than Kentucky
  • Ohio: arrives late April, 8 weeks earlier than Kentucky
  • Illinois: arrives late July, 4 weeks later than Kentucky

Common questions

When do Eastern Screech-Owls arrive in Kentucky?
Eastern Screech-Owls reach Kentucky in late June, are common by early July, peak in the second week of September (1.9% of checklists), and most are gone by late May.
When do Eastern Screech-Owls leave Kentucky?
Most Eastern Screech-Owls have left Kentucky by late May, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until the second week of June.
When is the best time to see a Eastern Screech-Owl in Kentucky?
The Eastern Screech-Owl is reported most often in the second week of September, on about 1.9% of Kentucky checklists.
Where in Kentucky are Eastern Screech-Owls seen most often?
By county, Bath County, Nicholas County, and Owen County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Eastern Screech-Owl (counties with at least 200 checklists).