WhenToBird

Megascops asio · Strigidae

When Do Eastern Screech-Owls Arrive in Tennessee?

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

Eastern Screech-Owls arrive in Tennessee in the second week of July, peak in mid September (1.9% of checklists), and most are gone by early June.

When to look

First arrivalsJul 8-14the second week of July
Common byJul 8-14the second week of July
PeakSep 15-21mid September
Most gone byJun 1-7early June

Best: mid September. First arrivals the second week of July; most are gone by early June. Peak: on about 1.9% of Tennessee checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Jununcommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%1%2%3%Jan 1-7: 0.8% of 16696 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.6% of 13056 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.7% of 13646 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.8% of 18071 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.7% of 13342 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.5% of 14316 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.5% of 20395 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.6% of 13129 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.7% of 12701 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.6% of 12789 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.4% of 13599 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.4% of 20293 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.4% of 15779 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.3% of 16646 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.4% of 18625 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.5% of 26689 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.6% of 21054 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.5% of 19954 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.6% of 14494 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.5% of 17790 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.3% of 11344 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.3% of 11049 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.2% of 9625 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.3% of 11522 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.4% of 9208 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.3% of 8814 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.6% of 8887 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.9% of 12739 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.9% of 9632 checklistsAug 8-14: 1.3% of 9514 checklistsAug 15-21: 1.2% of 9619 checklistsAug 22-31: 1.3% of 14227 checklistsSep 1-7: 1.6% of 11988 checklistsSep 8-14: 1.8% of 11660 checklistsSep 15-21: 2.0% of 11774 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.8% of 15658 checklistsOct 1-7: 1.5% of 12641 checklistsOct 8-14: 1.0% of 12389 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.8% of 10249 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.7% of 14085 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.8% of 10700 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.6% of 10709 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.6% of 9955 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.4% of 13423 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.5% of 10106 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.9% of 10478 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.2% of 12177 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.9% of 17397 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 Tennessee 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 Tennessee

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Hamblen CountyBest early October · 17 checklists that week, 1,320 in all17%
  2. Cocke CountyBest early November · 28 checklists that week, 2,051 in all15%
  3. Lauderdale CountyBest mid August · 17 checklists that week, 888 in all15%
  4. Hickman CountyBest early October · 12 checklists that week, 598 in all15%
  5. Clay CountyBest late August · 23 checklists that week, 704 in all14%
  6. Jackson CountyBest mid September · 12 checklists that week, 711 in all13%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Harpeth River Greenway - Warner - Morton Mill ParkDavidson County, best late July · 25 checklists that week, 466 in all29%
  2. Natchez Trace ParkwayWilliamson County, best late September · 27 checklists that week, 445 in all26%
  3. Point ParkHamilton County, best late August · 46 checklists that week, 1,087 in all20%
  4. River Bluff Small Wild AreaAnderson County, best late September · 76 checklists that week, 1,201 in all16%
  5. Old Cathole (historical)Humphreys County, best late August · 41 checklists that week, 343 in all16%

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

Best time of day

In Tennessee, the Eastern Screech-Owl is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (1.3% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%2%12 am: too few checklists (224) to judge1 am: too few checklists (253) to judge2 am: too few checklists (245) to judge3 am: too few checklists (267) to judge4 am: too few checklists (582) to judge5 am: too few checklists (5688) to judge6 am: 1.9% of 36828 checklists7 am: 1.0% of 72816 checklists8 am: 0.6% of 76910 checklists9 am: 0.5% of 69071 checklists10 am: 0.3% of 60943 checklists11 am: 0.3% of 52311 checklists12 pm: 0.3% of 46524 checklists1 pm: 0.3% of 41133 checklists2 pm: 0.3% of 40305 checklists3 pm: 0.5% of 41013 checklists4 pm: 0.7% of 40029 checklists5 pm: 0.8% of 29775 checklists6 pm: 0.8% of 20977 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (12529) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (4456) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1056) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (445) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (252) 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%0.6%0.7%0.8%
February0.7%0.5%0.5%0.6%
March0.7%0.6%0.4%0.4%
April0.4%0.3%0.4%0.5%
May0.6%0.5%0.6%0.5%
June0.3%0.3%0.2%0.3%
July0.4%0.3%0.6%0.9%
August0.9%1.3%1.2%1.3%
September1.6%1.8%2.0%1.8%
October1.5%1.0%0.8%0.7%
November0.8%0.6%0.6%0.4%
December0.5%0.9%1.2%0.9%

Neighboring states

  • Kentucky: arrives late June, 2 weeks earlier than Tennessee
  • Indiana: arrives late July, 2 weeks later than Tennessee
  • Ohio: arrives late April, 10 weeks earlier than Tennessee
  • West Virginia: arrives mid July, 1 week later than Tennessee

Common questions

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