WhenToBird

Ammodramus savannarum · Passerellidae

When Do Grasshopper Sparrows Arrive in Wisconsin?

Adult Grasshopper Sparrow
Photo: Cole Wolf, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Grasshopper Sparrows arrive in Wisconsin in the second week of May, peak in the second week of June (1.8% of checklists), and most are gone by late July.

When to look

First arrivalsMay 8-14the second week of May
Common byMay 8-14the second week of May
PeakJun 8-14the second week of June
Most gone byJul 22-31late July

Best: the second week of June. First arrivals the second week of May; most are gone by late July. Peak: on about 1.8% of Wisconsin checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marnot usually seen
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Sepnot usually seen
  10. Octnot usually seen
  11. Novnot usually seen
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%0.5%1%1.5%2%Jan 1-7: 0% of 27925 checklistsJan 8-14: 0% of 18337 checklistsJan 15-21: 0% of 17370 checklistsJan 22-31: 0% of 23777 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0% of 16656 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0% of 18286 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0% of 24739 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0% of 20113 checklistsMar 1-7: 0% of 24024 checklistsMar 8-14: 0% of 26722 checklistsMar 15-21: 0% of 27238 checklistsMar 22-31: 0% of 40171 checklistsApr 1-7: 0% of 34961 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.1% of 39128 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.1% of 38887 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.2% of 57231 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.5% of 55115 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.7% of 63098 checklistsMay 15-21: 1.1% of 49821 checklistsMay 22-31: 1.5% of 56796 checklistsJun 1-7: 1.9% of 33621 checklistsJun 8-14: 1.9% of 31282 checklistsJun 15-21: 1.5% of 30186 checklistsJun 22-30: 1.5% of 35128 checklistsJul 1-7: 1.5% of 27088 checklistsJul 8-14: 1.4% of 23293 checklistsJul 15-21: 1.2% of 20933 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.8% of 27595 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.5% of 19147 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.3% of 18286 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.1% of 19195 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.1% of 28229 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.1% of 22408 checklistsSep 8-14: 0% of 20857 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.1% of 20707 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.1% of 26469 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.1% of 21069 checklistsOct 8-14: 0% of 21011 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.1% of 20006 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.1% of 26362 checklistsNov 1-7: 0% of 18928 checklistsNov 8-14: 0% of 17052 checklistsNov 15-21: 0% of 16291 checklistsNov 22-30: 0% of 20564 checklistsDec 1-7: 0% of 15354 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.1% of 16294 checklistsDec 15-21: 0% of 21430 checklistsDec 22-31: 0% 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. Portage CountyBest mid June · 562 checklists that week, 32,201 in all14%
  2. Iowa CountyBest the second week of June · 444 checklists that week, 18,836 in all12%
  3. Sauk CountyBest the second week of June · 921 checklists that week, 32,158 in all11%
  4. Green CountyBest the second week of July · 98 checklists that week, 4,387 in all8.1%
  5. Dunn CountyBest late May · 385 checklists that week, 8,247 in all7.7%
  6. Lafayette CountyBest mid July · 44 checklists that week, 1,911 in all7.6%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Spring Green PreserveSauk County, best late June · 70 checklists that week, 1,179 in all91%
  2. Buena Vista Wildlife AreaPortage County, best late May · 22 checklists that week, 519 in all67%
  3. Thomson Memorial PrairieDane County, best late May · 132 checklists that week, 758 in all63%
  4. Kettle Moraine State Forest-Southern Unit (southwest 4)Jefferson County, best mid May · 24 checklists that week, 187 in all46%
  5. Kettle Moraine State Forest-Southern Unit (Cranby Marsh)Waukesha County, best mid July · 20 checklists that week, 172 in all39%

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

Best time of day

In Wisconsin, the Grasshopper Sparrow is most often listed on checklists started between 5 and 7 am (1.0% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%2%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: 1.6% of 27016 checklists6 am: 0.9% of 83973 checklists7 am: 0.5% of 160717 checklists8 am: 0.5% of 160531 checklists9 am: 0.5% of 136968 checklists10 am: 0.4% of 119110 checklists11 am: 0.4% of 99116 checklists12 pm: 0.3% of 85078 checklists1 pm: 0.3% of 80688 checklists2 pm: 0.3% of 79140 checklists3 pm: 0.2% of 78599 checklists4 pm: 0.2% of 69767 checklists5 pm: 0.3% of 53229 checklists6 pm: 0.4% 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
January0%0%0%0%
February0%0%0%0%
March0%0%0%0%
April0%0.1%0.1%0.2%
May0.5%0.7%1.1%1.5%
June1.9%1.9%1.5%1.5%
July1.5%1.4%1.2%0.8%
August0.5%0.3%0.1%0.1%
September0.1%0%0.1%0.1%
October0.1%0%0.1%0.1%
November0%0%0%0%
December0%0.1%0%0%

Neighboring states

  • Illinois: arrives the second week of May, in the same week than Wisconsin
  • Iowa: arrives early May, 1 week earlier than Wisconsin
  • Michigan: arrives the second week of May, in the same week than Wisconsin
  • Minnesota: arrives the second week of May, in the same week than Wisconsin

Common questions

When do Grasshopper Sparrows arrive in Wisconsin?
Grasshopper Sparrows arrive in Wisconsin in the second week of May, peak in the second week of June (1.8% of checklists), and most are gone by late July.
When do Grasshopper Sparrows leave Wisconsin?
Most Grasshopper Sparrows have left Wisconsin by late July, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Grasshopper Sparrow in Wisconsin?
The Grasshopper Sparrow is reported most often in the second week of June, on about 1.8% of Wisconsin checklists.
Where in Wisconsin are Grasshopper Sparrows seen most often?
By county, Portage County, Iowa County, and Sauk County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Grasshopper Sparrow (counties with at least 200 checklists).