WhenToBird

Catharus guttatus · Turdidae

When Do Hermit Thrushes Arrive in Wisconsin?

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

Hermit Thrushes are winter birds in Wisconsin: the first arrive in the second week of September, they are common by mid September, peak in the second week of October (12% of checklists), and most are gone by early November.

When to look

First arrivalsSep 8-14the second week of September
Common bySep 15-21mid 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 12% of Wisconsin checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marrare
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 0.4% of 27925 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.3% of 18337 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.2% of 17370 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.3% of 23777 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.2% of 16656 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.3% of 18286 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.2% of 24739 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.1% of 20113 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.2% of 24024 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.2% of 26722 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.2% of 27238 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.7% of 40171 checklistsApr 1-7: 3.2% of 34961 checklistsApr 8-14: 7.8% of 39128 checklistsApr 15-21: 13% of 38887 checklistsApr 22-30: 11% of 57231 checklistsMay 1-7: 5.9% of 55115 checklistsMay 8-14: 3.9% of 63098 checklistsMay 15-21: 2.5% of 49821 checklistsMay 22-31: 2.8% of 56796 checklistsJun 1-7: 3.0% of 33621 checklistsJun 8-14: 3.9% of 31282 checklistsJun 15-21: 5.4% of 30186 checklistsJun 22-30: 5.9% of 35128 checklistsJul 1-7: 6.3% of 27088 checklistsJul 8-14: 6.0% of 23293 checklistsJul 15-21: 5.1% of 20933 checklistsJul 22-31: 3.5% of 27595 checklistsAug 1-7: 1.7% of 19147 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.8% of 18286 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.5% of 19195 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.5% of 28229 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.9% of 22408 checklistsSep 8-14: 1.1% of 20857 checklistsSep 15-21: 1.6% of 20707 checklistsSep 22-30: 4.2% of 26469 checklistsOct 1-7: 9.5% of 21069 checklistsOct 8-14: 14% of 21011 checklistsOct 15-21: 11% of 20006 checklistsOct 22-31: 5.1% of 26362 checklistsNov 1-7: 2.1% of 18928 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.0% of 17052 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.6% of 16291 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.4% of 20564 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.4% of 15354 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.4% of 16294 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.5% of 21430 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.3% of 26314 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 Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Menominee CountyBest mid July · 49 checklists that week, 745 in all45%
  2. Florence CountyBest the second week of July · 266 checklists that week, 10,179 in all45%
  3. Vilas CountyBest early July · 713 checklists that week, 16,082 in all38%
  4. Forest CountyBest the second week of July · 214 checklists that week, 7,461 in all35%
  5. Iron CountyBest early July · 185 checklists that week, 5,981 in all32%
  6. Price CountyBest early July · 225 checklists that week, 5,795 in all30%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Statenaker LakeVilas County, best early July · 38 checklists that week, 2,030 in all77%
  2. Schlitz Audubon CenterMilwaukee County, best the second week of October · 100 checklists that week, 4,351 in all74%
  3. Warnimont ParkMilwaukee County, best mid October · 23 checklists that week, 2,226 in all73%
  4. Donges Bay GorgeOzaukee County, best the second week of April · 29 checklists that week, 200 in all67%
  5. Estabrook ParkMilwaukee County, best mid October · 42 checklists that week, 3,253 in all66%
  6. Riverside ParkMilwaukee County, best mid October · 25 checklists that week, 1,153 in all64%

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

Best time of day

In Wisconsin, the Hermit Thrush is most often listed on checklists started between 5 and 7 am (6.7% of those checklists).

0%5%10%12 am: too few checklists (993) to judge1 am: too few checklists (844) to judge2 am: too few checklists (839) to judge3 am: too few checklists (1488) to judge4 am: too few checklists (5344) to judge5 am: 8.9% of 27016 checklists6 am: 5.9% of 83973 checklists7 am: 4.9% of 160717 checklists8 am: 4.3% of 160531 checklists9 am: 3.8% of 136968 checklists10 am: 3.2% of 119110 checklists11 am: 2.8% of 99116 checklists12 pm: 2.6% of 85078 checklists1 pm: 2.6% of 80688 checklists2 pm: 2.4% of 79140 checklists3 pm: 2.4% of 78599 checklists4 pm: 2.7% of 69767 checklists5 pm: 3.0% of 53229 checklists6 pm: 2.3% of 38769 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (24396) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (10155) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (4990) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (2463) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (1281) 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
January0.4%0.3%0.2%0.3%
February0.2%0.3%0.2%0.1%
March0.2%0.2%0.2%0.7%
April3.2%7.8%13%11%
May5.9%3.9%2.5%2.8%
June3.0%3.9%5.4%5.9%
July6.3%6.0%5.1%3.5%
August1.7%0.8%0.5%0.5%
September0.9%1.1%1.6%4.2%
October9.5%14%11%5.1%
November2.1%1.0%0.6%0.4%
December0.4%0.4%0.5%0.3%

Neighboring states

  • Illinois: arrives mid September, 1 week later than Wisconsin
  • Iowa: arrives mid March, 23 weeks earlier than Wisconsin
  • Michigan: arrives the second week of September, in the same week than Wisconsin
  • Minnesota: arrives mid September, 1 week later than Wisconsin

Common questions

When do Hermit Thrushes arrive in Wisconsin?
Hermit Thrushes are winter birds in Wisconsin: the first arrive in the second week of September, they are common by mid September, peak in the second week of October (12% of checklists), and most are gone by early November.
When do Hermit Thrushes leave Wisconsin?
Most Hermit Thrushes have left Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin?
The Hermit Thrush is reported most often in the second week of October, on about 12% of Wisconsin checklists.
Where in Wisconsin are Hermit Thrushes seen most often?
By county, Menominee County, Florence County, and Vilas County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Hermit Thrush (counties with at least 200 checklists).