WhenToBird

Catharus guttatus · Turdidae

When Do Hermit Thrushes Arrive in Michigan?

Adult Hermit Thrush
Photo: Amber M. King, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Hermit Thrushes are winter birds in Michigan: the first arrive in the second week of September, they are common by late September, peak in the second week of October (8.3% of checklists), and most are gone by early November.

When to look

First arrivalsSep 8-14the second week of September
Common bySep 22-30late September
PeakOct 8-14the second week of October
Most gone byNov 1-7early November

Best: the second week of October. First arrivals the second week of September; most are gone by early November. Peak: on about 8.3% of Michigan checklists.

  1. Janrare
  2. Febrare
  3. Marrare
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Decrare

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

0%5%10%Jan 1-7: 0.7% of 38160 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.5% of 24696 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.6% of 23771 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.7% of 31347 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.6% of 23225 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.4% of 27398 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.4% of 36606 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.4% of 27127 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.2% of 29700 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.3% of 31587 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.3% of 32118 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.6% of 47777 checklistsApr 1-7: 2.0% of 38557 checklistsApr 8-14: 5.2% of 42207 checklistsApr 15-21: 9.1% of 42759 checklistsApr 22-30: 9.2% of 64458 checklistsMay 1-7: 6.0% of 60998 checklistsMay 8-14: 3.6% of 72091 checklistsMay 15-21: 3.5% of 59058 checklistsMay 22-31: 3.9% of 64724 checklistsJun 1-7: 4.1% of 35990 checklistsJun 8-14: 5.3% of 32595 checklistsJun 15-21: 5.4% of 30017 checklistsJun 22-30: 5.8% of 33988 checklistsJul 1-7: 4.8% of 28708 checklistsJul 8-14: 4.8% of 25175 checklistsJul 15-21: 4.0% of 24084 checklistsJul 22-31: 3.3% of 33522 checklistsAug 1-7: 1.6% of 25098 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.9% of 24353 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.7% of 25059 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.6% of 37489 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.8% of 28410 checklistsSep 8-14: 1.2% of 27887 checklistsSep 15-21: 1.5% of 26614 checklistsSep 22-30: 3.0% of 32557 checklistsOct 1-7: 6.3% of 25844 checklistsOct 8-14: 9.5% of 27741 checklistsOct 15-21: 9.1% of 24693 checklistsOct 22-31: 4.8% of 32460 checklistsNov 1-7: 2.2% of 23660 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.1% of 21542 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.0% of 19922 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.7% of 25069 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.8% of 18272 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.8% of 18961 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.1% of 24171 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.9% of 30908 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 Michigan 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 Michigan

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Crawford CountyBest early July · 519 checklists that week, 16,949 in all40%
  2. Oscoda CountyBest the second week of July · 102 checklists that week, 4,044 in all37%
  3. Kalkaska CountyBest the second week of July · 177 checklists that week, 5,833 in all33%
  4. Marquette CountyBest early July · 365 checklists that week, 25,107 in all32%
  5. Baraga CountyBest early July · 113 checklists that week, 3,662 in all32%
  6. Keweenaw CountyBest the second week of July · 306 checklists that week, 12,437 in all29%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Hiawatha National ForestChippewa County, best mid June · 29 checklists that week, 178 in all84%
  2. Huron National Forest (west 2)Iosco County, best early July · 27 checklists that week, 597 in all76%
  3. Klienstuck PreserveKalamazoo County, best mid April · 149 checklists that week, 2,273 in all76%
  4. Pigeon River Country State Forest AreaOtsego County, best late June · 20 checklists that week, 455 in all74%
  5. Newberry State Forest AreaChippewa County, best late June · 20 checklists that week, 696 in all73%
  6. Huron National Forest (west)Crawford County, best early July · 31 checklists that week, 1,063 in all73%

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

Best time of day

In Michigan, the Hermit Thrush is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (4.9% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%8%12 am: too few checklists (712) to judge1 am: too few checklists (592) to judge2 am: too few checklists (532) to judge3 am: too few checklists (516) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1592) to judge5 am: too few checklists (6849) to judge6 am: 6.8% of 39298 checklists7 am: 4.3% of 120344 checklists8 am: 4.1% of 180109 checklists9 am: 3.7% of 171966 checklists10 am: 3.1% of 156332 checklists11 am: 2.7% of 134964 checklists12 pm: 2.4% of 120967 checklists1 pm: 2.6% of 113852 checklists2 pm: 2.4% of 110773 checklists3 pm: 2.3% of 105530 checklists4 pm: 2.3% of 100958 checklists5 pm: 2.4% of 80085 checklists6 pm: 2.5% of 62883 checklists7 pm: 2.4% of 44912 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (21062) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (5920) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1629) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (775) 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
January0.7%0.5%0.6%0.7%
February0.6%0.4%0.4%0.4%
March0.2%0.3%0.3%0.6%
April2.0%5.2%9.1%9.2%
May6.0%3.6%3.5%3.9%
June4.1%5.3%5.4%5.8%
July4.8%4.8%4.0%3.3%
August1.6%0.9%0.7%0.6%
September0.8%1.2%1.5%3.0%
October6.3%9.5%9.1%4.8%
November2.2%1.1%1.0%0.7%
December0.8%0.8%1.1%0.9%

Neighboring states

  • Ohio: arrives late March, 22 weeks earlier than Michigan
  • Indiana: arrives mid March, 23 weeks earlier than Michigan
  • Illinois: arrives mid September, 1 week later than Michigan
  • Wisconsin: arrives the second week of September, in the same week than Michigan

Common questions

When do Hermit Thrushes arrive in Michigan?
Hermit Thrushes are winter birds in Michigan: the first arrive in the second week of September, they are common by late September, peak in the second week of October (8.3% of checklists), and most are gone by early November.
When do Hermit Thrushes leave Michigan?
Most Hermit Thrushes have left Michigan by early November, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until the second week of November.
When is the best time to see a Hermit Thrush in Michigan?
The Hermit Thrush is reported most often in the second week of October, on about 8.3% of Michigan checklists.
Where in Michigan are Hermit Thrushes seen most often?
By county, Crawford County, Oscoda County, and Kalkaska County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Hermit Thrush (counties with at least 200 checklists).