WhenToBird

Ardea alba · Ardeidae

Great Egret: When and Where to See It

Adult Great Egret
Photo: Marcelo Maux, CC BY-SA 4.0 via iNaturalist

The Great Egret reaches Delaware first, around the second week of March, and District of Columbia last, around mid May.

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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0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 8.0% of 1114036 checklistsJan 8-14: 8.3% of 824708 checklistsJan 15-21: 8.4% of 825978 checklistsJan 22-31: 8.2% of 1105853 checklistsFeb 1-7: 7.8% of 779772 checklistsFeb 8-14: 7.1% of 864504 checklistsFeb 15-21: 6.1% of 1127933 checklistsFeb 22-28: 7.3% of 840124 checklistsMar 1-7: 6.7% of 839610 checklistsMar 8-14: 6.4% of 870138 checklistsMar 15-21: 6.4% of 898456 checklistsMar 22-31: 6.9% of 1335637 checklistsApr 1-7: 7.6% of 1030617 checklistsApr 8-14: 8.3% of 1124024 checklistsApr 15-21: 9.0% of 1194575 checklistsApr 22-30: 8.7% of 1675723 checklistsMay 1-7: 8.3% of 1449080 checklistsMay 8-14: 8.5% of 1538353 checklistsMay 15-21: 8.2% of 1219898 checklistsMay 22-31: 7.7% of 1452282 checklistsJun 1-7: 7.7% of 900636 checklistsJun 8-14: 7.6% of 829907 checklistsJun 15-21: 7.8% of 773255 checklistsJun 22-30: 8.3% of 916255 checklistsJul 1-7: 9.0% of 717733 checklistsJul 8-14: 10% of 658223 checklistsJul 15-21: 11% of 638752 checklistsJul 22-31: 13% of 895727 checklistsAug 1-7: 14% of 655651 checklistsAug 8-14: 14% of 650038 checklistsAug 15-21: 15% of 654639 checklistsAug 22-31: 15% of 974928 checklistsSep 1-7: 14% of 765914 checklistsSep 8-14: 14% of 738674 checklistsSep 15-21: 13% of 750433 checklistsSep 22-30: 13% of 944196 checklistsOct 1-7: 13% of 760106 checklistsOct 8-14: 12% of 793131 checklistsOct 15-21: 11% of 728727 checklistsOct 22-31: 10% of 959954 checklistsNov 1-7: 9.2% of 709464 checklistsNov 8-14: 9.2% of 693424 checklistsNov 15-21: 8.9% of 653952 checklistsNov 22-30: 9.1% of 871137 checklistsDec 1-7: 8.8% of 627591 checklistsDec 8-14: 8.4% of 642427 checklistsDec 15-21: 7.7% of 775638 checklistsDec 22-31: 8.6% of 1132751 checklistsJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Share of complete checklists reporting it, by week (4 per month). Grey bars: fewer than 10 checklists, not counted.

Pooled across every state in the data, so it leans toward states with the most birders.

States, in order of first arrivals

StatePatternFirst arrivalsPeakMost gone byPeak %
DelawareSummer visitorMar 8-14Aug 8-14Oct 22-3130%
New JerseySummer visitorMar 8-14Aug 8-14Nov 1-726%
TennesseeSummer visitorMar 8-14Aug 22-31Nov 8-1415%
Rhode IslandSummer visitorMar 15-21Jul 15-21Oct 15-2135%
OklahomaSummer visitorMar 15-21Sep 15-21Oct 22-3128%
ArkansasSummer visitorMar 15-21Aug 22-31Dec 15-2122%
ConnecticutSummer visitorMar 15-21Aug 15-21Oct 22-3122%
OhioSummer visitorMar 15-21May 8-14Oct 8-1422%
KentuckySummer visitorMar 15-21Aug 22-31Nov 1-716%
MassachusettsSummer visitorMar 15-21Aug 8-14Oct 15-2116%
MarylandSummer visitorMar 15-21Aug 8-14Oct 15-2114%
New YorkSummer visitorMar 15-21Aug 8-14Oct 15-2115%
IllinoisSummer visitorMar 22-31Aug 8-14Oct 15-2124%
IndianaSummer visitorMar 22-31Aug 15-21Oct 22-3120%
MissouriSummer visitorMar 22-31Aug 8-14Oct 15-2115%
MichiganSummer visitorMar 22-31Aug 15-21Oct 22-3113%
MaineSummer visitorMar 22-31Aug 15-21Oct 15-2111%
IdahoSummer visitorMar 22-31Sep 1-7Oct 15-217.9%
PennsylvaniaSummer visitorMar 22-31Aug 8-14Oct 15-219.7%
KansasSummer visitorApr 1-7Aug 15-21Oct 15-2115%
IowaSummer visitorApr 1-7Aug 15-21Oct 22-3112%
MinnesotaSummer visitorApr 1-7Aug 8-14Oct 8-1412%
WisconsinSummer visitorApr 1-7Aug 15-21Oct 15-2111%
South DakotaSummer visitorApr 1-7Sep 8-14Oct 15-216.3%
NebraskaSummer visitorApr 1-7Apr 15-21May 15-214.3%
VermontSummer visitorApr 8-14Aug 22-31Oct 8-1410%
ColoradoSummer visitorApr 8-14Sep 8-14Oct 8-142.8%
WashingtonSummer visitorApr 8-14Sep 15-21Jan 1-73.4%
North DakotaSummer visitorApr 15-21Sep 15-21Oct 8-145.0%
New HampshireSummer visitorApr 15-21Aug 15-21Oct 8-146.9%
District of ColumbiaSummer visitorMay 15-21Aug 1-7Oct 22-3125%
GeorgiaAll year, most in summerJul 1-7Aug 1-7Oct 1-718%
VirginiaAll year, most in summerJul 8-14Aug 15-21Oct 8-1417%
West VirginiaSummer visitorJul 8-14Aug 15-21Oct 15-214.3%
North CarolinaAll year, most in fallJul 15-21Aug 15-21Oct 15-2117%
New MexicoSummer visitorDec 15-21Apr 15-21Jun 1-72.9%
UtahWinter visitorJul 22-31Jan 8-14Jun 15-212.3%
NevadaAll year, most in fallAug 8-14Sep 8-14Jan 8-1413%
OregonAll year, most in fallAug 8-14Sep 8-14Dec 1-714%
ArizonaAll year, most in winterSep 15-21Nov 22-30Mar 8-1412%
LouisianaYear-round–Nov 1-7–41%
FloridaYear-round–Nov 22-30–37%
South CarolinaYear-round–Aug 8-14–30%
MississippiYear-round–Sep 1-7–27%
TexasYear-round–Nov 1-7–27%
AlabamaYear-round–Jul 22-31–21%
CaliforniaYear-round–Nov 22-30–22%

Winter visitor in: Utah, Arizona, Nevada, Oregon

Summer visitor in: Ohio, Nebraska, New Mexico, Georgia, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina