WhenToBird

Zonotrichia querula · Passerellidae

When Do Harris's Sparrows Arrive in North Dakota?

Adult Harris's Sparrow
Photo: Carol Ann Vermeer, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Harris's Sparrows mostly pass through North Dakota: they arrive in the second week of September, peak in the second week of October (20% of checklists), and most are gone by late February.

When to look

First arrivalsSep 8-14the second week of September
Common bySep 8-14the second week of September
PeakOct 8-14the second week of October
Most gone byFeb 22-28late February

Best: the second week of October. First arrivals the second week of September; most are gone by late February. Peak: on about 20% of North Dakota checklists.

  1. Janrare
  2. Febrare
  3. Marnot usually seen
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Decrare

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

0%10%20%30%Jan 1-7: 1.0% of 1694 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.8% of 1210 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.2% of 1263 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.7% of 1984 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.2% of 1209 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.9% of 1307 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.4% of 1655 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.5% of 1619 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.4% of 1653 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.4% of 1818 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.4% of 2103 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.4% of 3714 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.3% of 2955 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.4% of 3550 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.3% of 4104 checklistsApr 22-30: 1.0% of 5712 checklistsMay 1-7: 10% of 5328 checklistsMay 8-14: 23% of 5885 checklistsMay 15-21: 11% of 5344 checklistsMay 22-31: 1.0% of 7512 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 4329 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 4287 checklistsJun 15-21: 0% of 3798 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 4361 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 2939 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 2407 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 2254 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 2852 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 2119 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 2044 checklistsAug 15-21: 0% of 2124 checklistsAug 22-31: 0% of 3168 checklistsSep 1-7: 0% of 2449 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.3% of 2310 checklistsSep 15-21: 2.5% of 2092 checklistsSep 22-30: 12% of 2565 checklistsOct 1-7: 22% of 2071 checklistsOct 8-14: 23% of 1918 checklistsOct 15-21: 14% of 1907 checklistsOct 22-31: 9.4% of 2589 checklistsNov 1-7: 3.3% of 1858 checklistsNov 8-14: 2.6% of 1753 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.7% of 1483 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.7% of 1928 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.6% of 1337 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.8% of 1309 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.5% of 1642 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.2% of 1830 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 North Dakota 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 North Dakota

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Bottineau CountyBest early October · 45 checklists that week, 1,949 in all51%
  2. Steele CountyBest the second week of May · 133 checklists that week, 6,291 in all34%
  3. Walsh CountyBest early May · 18 checklists that week, 441 in all32%
  4. Towner CountyBest early October · 13 checklists that week, 223 in all32%
  5. Grant CountyBest the second week of October · 10 checklists that week, 605 in all29%
  6. Ward CountyBest the second week of October · 75 checklists that week, 5,793 in all28%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Sakakawea Recreation Area (northwest)Mountrail County, best late October · 20 checklists that week, 595 in all50%
  2. Sertoma Park (southeast)Grand Forks County, best the second week of May · 70 checklists that week, 403 in all38%
  3. Valley City National Fish HatcheryBarnes County, best the second week of May · 20 checklists that week, 171 in all27%

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

Best time of day

In North Dakota, the Harris's Sparrow is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (5.3% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%12 am: too few checklists (74) to judge1 am: too few checklists (45) to judge2 am: too few checklists (42) to judge3 am: too few checklists (68) to judge4 am: too few checklists (274) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1538) to judge6 am: 5.5% of 4242 checklists7 am: 5.2% of 9520 checklists8 am: 4.1% of 13065 checklists9 am: 4.2% of 13356 checklists10 am: 3.8% of 12128 checklists11 am: 3.4% of 10772 checklists12 pm: 3.3% of 10316 checklists1 pm: 3.3% of 9169 checklists2 pm: 3.4% of 8880 checklists3 pm: 3.2% of 8688 checklists4 pm: 3.5% of 8201 checklists5 pm: 3.9% of 6687 checklists6 pm: 3.4% of 5455 checklists7 pm: 2.9% of 3926 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (2024) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (602) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (181) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (89) 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
January1.0%1.8%1.2%0.7%
February1.2%0.9%1.4%0.5%
March0.4%0.4%0.4%0.4%
April0.3%0.4%0.3%1.0%
May10%23%11%1.0%
June0.1%0.1%0%0%
July0%0%0%0%
August0%0%0%0%
September0%0.3%2.5%12%
October22%23%14%9.4%
November3.3%2.6%0.7%0.7%
December0.6%0.8%0.5%1.2%

Neighboring states

  • South Dakota: arrives mid September, 1 week later than North Dakota
  • Minnesota: arrives the second week of September, in the same week than North Dakota
  • Nebraska: arrives late September, 2 weeks later than North Dakota
  • Iowa: arrives late September, 2 weeks later than North Dakota

Common questions

When do Harris's Sparrows arrive in North Dakota?
Harris's Sparrows mostly pass through North Dakota: they arrive in the second week of September, peak in the second week of October (20% of checklists), and most are gone by late February.
When do Harris's Sparrows leave North Dakota?
Most Harris's Sparrows have left North Dakota by late February, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Harris's Sparrow in North Dakota?
The Harris's Sparrow is reported most often in the second week of October, on about 20% of North Dakota checklists.
Where in North Dakota are Harris's Sparrows seen most often?
By county, Bottineau County, Steele County, and Walsh County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Harris's Sparrow (counties with at least 200 checklists).