WhenToBird

Catharus minimus · Turdidae

When Do Gray-cheeked Thrushes Arrive in Pennsylvania?

Adult Gray-cheeked Thrush
Photo: Jonathan Layman, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Gray-cheeked Thrushes mostly pass through Pennsylvania: they arrive in the second week of September, peak in late September (1.0% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of October.

When to look

First arrivalsSep 8-14the second week of September
Common bySep 8-14the second week of September
PeakSep 22-30late September
Most gone byOct 8-14the second week of October

Best: late September. First arrivals the second week of September; most are gone by the second week of October. Peak: on about 1.0% of Pennsylvania checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marnot usually seen
  4. Aprnot usually seen
  5. Maycommon
  6. Jununcommon
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novnot usually seen
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%0.5%1%1.5%Jan 1-7: 0% of 47145 checklistsJan 8-14: 0% of 35840 checklistsJan 15-21: 0% of 35423 checklistsJan 22-31: 0% of 49126 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0% of 36366 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0% of 42248 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0% of 55888 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0% of 42050 checklistsMar 1-7: 0% of 42709 checklistsMar 8-14: 0% of 43985 checklistsMar 15-21: 0% of 44547 checklistsMar 22-31: 0% of 66940 checklistsApr 1-7: 0% of 51147 checklistsApr 8-14: 0% of 54868 checklistsApr 15-21: 0% of 57252 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.1% of 81727 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.1% of 76472 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.3% of 79341 checklistsMay 15-21: 1.0% of 61724 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.4% of 70722 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 45652 checklistsJun 8-14: 0% of 41810 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.1% of 38973 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 44255 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 34822 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 31104 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 29262 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 41436 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 29189 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 28840 checklistsAug 15-21: 0% of 29948 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.1% of 48235 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.1% of 37175 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.3% of 36527 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.9% of 37261 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.3% of 43583 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.9% of 35352 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.3% of 35560 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.1% of 33119 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.1% of 44654 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.1% of 32965 checklistsNov 8-14: 0% of 31305 checklistsNov 15-21: 0% of 29471 checklistsNov 22-30: 0% of 38642 checklistsDec 1-7: 0% of 28779 checklistsDec 8-14: 0% of 29486 checklistsDec 15-21: 0% of 37465 checklistsDec 22-31: 0% of 50651 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 Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Warren CountyBest late September · 60 checklists that week, 5,449 in all5.5%
  2. Erie CountyBest late September · 978 checklists that week, 49,012 in all5.4%
  3. Beaver CountyBest late September · 155 checklists that week, 8,775 in all4.4%
  4. Potter CountyBest mid September · 148 checklists that week, 9,677 in all3.2%
  5. Clarion CountyBest late September · 154 checklists that week, 9,153 in all3.1%
  6. Clearfield CountyBest late September · 166 checklists that week, 9,768 in all3.1%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Horseshoe PondErie County, best mid September · 33 checklists that week, 992 in all21%
  2. Seeickley Heights Borough ParkAllegheny County, best early October · 38 checklists that week, 1,374 in all20%
  3. Locust Lake State ParkSchuylkill County, best late May · 43 checklists that week, 919 in all19%
  4. Blue Spruce ParkIndiana County, best early October · 34 checklists that week, 667 in all18%
  5. Pleasant Valley ParkWestmoreland County, best late September · 33 checklists that week, 386 in all15%
  6. Hartwood Acres Park (southwest)Allegheny County, best mid September · 21 checklists that week, 334 in all15%

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

Best time of day

In Pennsylvania, the Gray-cheeked Thrush is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (0.2% of those checklists).

0%0.5%12 am: too few checklists (1558) to judge1 am: too few checklists (1136) to judge2 am: too few checklists (839) to judge3 am: too few checklists (842) to judge4 am: too few checklists (2550) to judge5 am: too few checklists (18294) to judge6 am: 0.4% of 92903 checklists7 am: 0.2% of 241233 checklists8 am: 0.2% of 271994 checklists9 am: 0.1% of 236842 checklists10 am: 0.1% of 199508 checklists11 am: 0.1% of 161893 checklists12 pm: 0.1% of 143945 checklists1 pm: 0.1% of 134352 checklists2 pm: 0.1% of 129692 checklists3 pm: 0.1% of 126132 checklists4 pm: 0.1% of 115055 checklists5 pm: 0.1% of 90719 checklists6 pm: 0.1% of 67534 checklists7 pm: 0.1% of 43004 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (13966) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (3913) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1989) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (1146) 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%0%0.1%
May0.1%0.3%1.0%0.4%
June0.1%0%0.1%0%
July0%0%0%0%
August0%0%0%0.1%
September0.1%0.3%0.9%1.3%
October0.9%0.3%0.1%0.1%
November0.1%0%0%0%
December0%0%0%0%

Neighboring states

  • Maryland: arrives the second week of September, in the same week than Pennsylvania
  • District of Columbia: arrives early May, 17 weeks earlier than Pennsylvania
  • New York: arrives the second week of September, in the same week than Pennsylvania
  • Virginia: arrives mid September, 1 week later than Pennsylvania

Common questions

When do Gray-cheeked Thrushes arrive in Pennsylvania?
Gray-cheeked Thrushes mostly pass through Pennsylvania: they arrive in the second week of September, peak in late September (1.0% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of October.
When do Gray-cheeked Thrushes leave Pennsylvania?
Most Gray-cheeked Thrushes have left Pennsylvania by the second week of October, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Gray-cheeked Thrush in Pennsylvania?
The Gray-cheeked Thrush is reported most often in late September, on about 1.0% of Pennsylvania checklists.
Where in Pennsylvania are Gray-cheeked Thrushes seen most often?
By county, Warren County, Erie County, and Beaver County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Gray-cheeked Thrush (counties with at least 200 checklists).