WhenToBird

Corvus ossifragus · Corvidae

When Do Fish Crows Arrive in Maryland?

Adult Fish Crow
Photo: Laura Mae, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Fish Crows are in Maryland all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from the second week of March, peak in the second week of April (33% of checklists), and fall back by the second week of May. In the quietest week (the second week of January) they are still on about 12% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildMar 8-14the second week of March
PeakApr 8-14the second week of April
Fall back byMay 8-14the second week of May
FewestJan 8-14the second week of January

Best: the second week of April. Here all year; numbers build from the second week of March and fall back by the second week of May. Peak: on about 33% of Maryland checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%10%20%30%40%Jan 1-7: 13% of 28716 checklistsJan 8-14: 12% of 21449 checklistsJan 15-21: 11% of 21267 checklistsJan 22-31: 13% of 29144 checklistsFeb 1-7: 14% of 21347 checklistsFeb 8-14: 13% of 22166 checklistsFeb 15-21: 12% of 29986 checklistsFeb 22-28: 19% of 22427 checklistsMar 1-7: 20% of 21389 checklistsMar 8-14: 23% of 22192 checklistsMar 15-21: 25% of 22823 checklistsMar 22-31: 30% of 33720 checklistsApr 1-7: 33% of 25513 checklistsApr 8-14: 34% of 27718 checklistsApr 15-21: 32% of 29328 checklistsApr 22-30: 28% of 42595 checklistsMay 1-7: 25% of 38532 checklistsMay 8-14: 22% of 42722 checklistsMay 15-21: 22% of 31936 checklistsMay 22-31: 21% of 36903 checklistsJun 1-7: 22% of 23191 checklistsJun 8-14: 21% of 21853 checklistsJun 15-21: 23% of 21000 checklistsJun 22-30: 23% of 25133 checklistsJul 1-7: 23% of 18715 checklistsJul 8-14: 23% of 16376 checklistsJul 15-21: 22% of 15793 checklistsJul 22-31: 21% of 21969 checklistsAug 1-7: 20% of 16013 checklistsAug 8-14: 19% of 15249 checklistsAug 15-21: 17% of 15674 checklistsAug 22-31: 15% of 24925 checklistsSep 1-7: 14% of 19808 checklistsSep 8-14: 13% of 18513 checklistsSep 15-21: 12% of 21901 checklistsSep 22-30: 13% of 22901 checklistsOct 1-7: 14% of 19111 checklistsOct 8-14: 14% of 18482 checklistsOct 15-21: 15% of 17380 checklistsOct 22-31: 17% of 23992 checklistsNov 1-7: 18% of 17915 checklistsNov 8-14: 15% of 18905 checklistsNov 15-21: 16% of 16259 checklistsNov 22-30: 15% of 22852 checklistsDec 1-7: 15% of 16108 checklistsDec 8-14: 14% of 16512 checklistsDec 15-21: 14% of 18952 checklistsDec 22-31: 14% of 29728 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 Maryland 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 Maryland

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Queen Anne's CountyBest the second week of April · 561 checklists that week, 26,875 in all48%
  2. Prince George's CountyBest the second week of April · 2105 checklists that week, 87,907 in all42%
  3. Calvert CountyBest the second week of April · 1009 checklists that week, 43,807 in all40%
  4. Montgomery CountyBest the second week of April · 5885 checklists that week, 219,548 in all39%
  5. Cecil CountyBest the second week of April · 434 checklists that week, 18,620 in all36%
  6. Anne Arundel CountyBest the second week of April · 2239 checklists that week, 93,516 in all36%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Thoms CoveBaltimore County, best late January · 60 checklists that week, 101 in all92%
  2. Gerber KnollHoward County, best late February · 22 checklists that week, 922 in all90%
  3. Coxs Point ParkBaltimore County, best mid March · 55 checklists that week, 599 in all88%
  4. Martin Luther King Recreational ParkMontgomery County, best early April · 27 checklists that week, 602 in all85%
  5. Fort George G Mead JunctionAnne Arundel County, best early January · 37 checklists that week, 136 in all85%

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

Best time of day

In Maryland, the Fish Crow is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (30% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%40%12 am: too few checklists (486) to judge1 am: too few checklists (451) to judge2 am: too few checklists (447) to judge3 am: too few checklists (766) to judge4 am: too few checklists (2076) to judge5 am: too few checklists (11098) to judge6 am: 35% of 56604 checklists7 am: 29% of 139255 checklists8 am: 23% of 148626 checklists9 am: 21% of 126820 checklists10 am: 18% of 106973 checklists11 am: 16% of 87483 checklists12 pm: 15% of 74808 checklists1 pm: 15% of 69428 checklists2 pm: 15% of 67800 checklists3 pm: 14% of 67688 checklists4 pm: 14% of 60927 checklists5 pm: 15% of 43876 checklists6 pm: 14% of 32930 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (19051) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (5708) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1977) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1170) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (635) 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
January13%12%11%13%
February14%13%12%19%
March20%23%25%30%
April33%34%32%28%
May25%22%22%21%
June22%21%23%23%
July23%23%22%21%
August20%19%17%15%
September14%13%12%13%
October14%14%15%17%
November18%15%16%15%
December15%14%14%14%

Neighboring states

  • District of Columbia: arrives early March, 1 week earlier than Maryland
  • Delaware: arrives mid March, 1 week later than Maryland
  • Virginia: arrives early March, 1 week earlier than Maryland
  • Pennsylvania: arrives the second week of March, in the same week than Maryland

Common questions

When do Fish Crows arrive in Maryland?
Fish Crows are in Maryland all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from the second week of March, peak in the second week of April (33% of checklists), and fall back by the second week of May. In the quietest week (the second week of January) they are still on about 12% of checklists.
When do Fish Crows leave Maryland?
Fish Crows never fully leave Maryland: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by the second week of May, but some are still reported in every week, about 12% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Fish Crow in Maryland?
The Fish Crow is reported most often in the second week of April, on about 33% of Maryland checklists.
Where in Maryland are Fish Crows seen most often?
By county, Queen Anne's County, Prince George's County, and Calvert County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Fish Crow (counties with at least 200 checklists).