WhenToBird

Catharus guttatus · Turdidae

When Do Hermit Thrushes Arrive in Ohio?

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

Hermit Thrushes arrive in Ohio in late March, peak in mid April (8.8% of checklists), and most are gone by mid May.

When to look

First arrivalsMar 22-31late March
Common byMar 22-31late March
PeakApr 15-21mid April
Most gone byMay 15-21mid May

Best: mid April. First arrivals late March; most are gone by mid May. Peak: on about 8.8% of Ohio checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febrare
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maycommon
  6. Junrare
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Seprare
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%5%10%Jan 1-7: 1.3% of 46637 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.4% of 31056 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.4% of 30129 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.5% of 38665 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.2% of 27203 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.1% of 30626 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.8% of 40705 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.6% of 31391 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.5% of 32914 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.6% of 33973 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.6% of 33678 checklistsMar 22-31: 1.1% of 49889 checklistsApr 1-7: 3.4% of 41225 checklistsApr 8-14: 7.5% of 47174 checklistsApr 15-21: 9.6% of 47017 checklistsApr 22-30: 9.1% of 73055 checklistsMay 1-7: 6.5% of 80637 checklistsMay 8-14: 2.4% of 102552 checklistsMay 15-21: 1.3% of 64582 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.5% of 52766 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.2% of 29279 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.3% of 25773 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.3% of 23163 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.2% of 27794 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.2% of 23334 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.1% of 22147 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.2% of 20998 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.2% of 29749 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.1% of 22899 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.1% of 21972 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.1% of 22215 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.1% of 35087 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.2% of 29148 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.4% of 28042 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.6% of 26751 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.0% of 32398 checklistsOct 1-7: 2.2% of 26209 checklistsOct 8-14: 5.9% of 26809 checklistsOct 15-21: 6.9% of 23504 checklistsOct 22-31: 5.8% of 33269 checklistsNov 1-7: 3.3% of 25563 checklistsNov 8-14: 2.3% of 23810 checklistsNov 15-21: 2.2% of 22127 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.9% of 29449 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.8% of 22370 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.9% of 21581 checklistsDec 15-21: 2.1% of 24232 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.7% of 36084 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 Ohio 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 Ohio

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Putnam CountyBest mid October · 14 checklists that week, 927 in all25%
  2. Lake CountyBest late April · 2694 checklists that week, 59,983 in all22%
  3. Hocking CountyBest late June · 247 checklists that week, 9,085 in all21%
  4. Erie CountyBest mid April · 659 checklists that week, 30,456 in all20%
  5. Coshocton CountyBest the second week of October · 32 checklists that week, 2,932 in all18%
  6. Cuyahoga CountyBest mid April · 4137 checklists that week, 158,034 in all18%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Plaza at Huron PointCuyahoga County, best late October · 54 checklists that week, 1,714 in all74%
  2. Jeffrey ParkFranklin County, best mid April · 23 checklists that week, 477 in all72%
  3. Elmwood PlaygroundCuyahoga County, best mid April · 26 checklists that week, 396 in all62%
  4. Shipman PondLake County, best mid April · 25 checklists that week, 852 in all61%
  5. Headlands Beach State ParkLake County, best mid April · 140 checklists that week, 4,298 in all60%

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

Best time of day

In Ohio, the Hermit Thrush is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (3.5% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%4%12 am: too few checklists (574) to judge1 am: too few checklists (609) to judge2 am: too few checklists (466) to judge3 am: too few checklists (478) to judge4 am: too few checklists (662) to judge5 am: too few checklists (4366) to judge6 am: 2.9% of 43093 checklists7 am: 3.6% of 142017 checklists8 am: 3.2% of 205296 checklists9 am: 2.8% of 196322 checklists10 am: 2.4% of 170882 checklists11 am: 2.3% of 144567 checklists12 pm: 2.1% of 126551 checklists1 pm: 2.1% of 117855 checklists2 pm: 1.9% of 112869 checklists3 pm: 2.0% of 109786 checklists4 pm: 1.8% of 103116 checklists5 pm: 1.9% of 78409 checklists6 pm: 1.7% of 56785 checklists7 pm: 1.1% of 37923 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (14954) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2710) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (854) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (486) 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
January1.3%1.4%1.4%1.5%
February1.2%1.1%0.8%0.6%
March0.5%0.6%0.6%1.1%
April3.4%7.5%9.6%9.1%
May6.5%2.4%1.3%0.5%
June0.2%0.3%0.3%0.2%
July0.2%0.1%0.2%0.2%
August0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
September0.2%0.4%0.6%1.0%
October2.2%5.9%6.9%5.8%
November3.3%2.3%2.2%1.9%
December1.8%1.9%2.1%1.7%

Neighboring states

  • West Virginia: arrives mid September, 23 weeks later than Ohio
  • Indiana: arrives mid March, 1 week earlier than Ohio
  • Michigan: arrives the second week of September, 22 weeks later than Ohio
  • Kentucky: arrives the second week of October, 22 weeks earlier than Ohio

Common questions

When do Hermit Thrushes arrive in Ohio?
Hermit Thrushes arrive in Ohio in late March, peak in mid April (8.8% of checklists), and most are gone by mid May.
When do Hermit Thrushes leave Ohio?
Most Hermit Thrushes have left Ohio by mid May, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Hermit Thrush in Ohio?
The Hermit Thrush is reported most often in mid April, on about 8.8% of Ohio checklists.
Where in Ohio are Hermit Thrushes seen most often?
By county, Putnam County, Lake County, and Hocking County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Hermit Thrush (counties with at least 200 checklists).