WhenToBird

Numenius hudsonicus · Scolopacidae

When Do Hudsonian Whimbrels Arrive in South Carolina?

Adult Hudsonian Whimbrel
Photo: sprcrkwild, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Hudsonian Whimbrels arrive in South Carolina in the second week of April, peak in the second week of May (4.7% of checklists), and most are gone by early June.

When to look

First arrivalsApr 8-14the second week of April
Common byApr 8-14the second week of April
PeakMay 8-14the second week of May
Most gone byJun 1-7early June

Best: the second week of May. First arrivals the second week of April; most are gone by early June. Peak: on about 4.7% of South Carolina checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marrare
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Jununcommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octrare
  11. Novnot usually seen
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%2%4%6%Jan 1-7: 0.2% of 15487 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.1% of 11691 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.1% of 11994 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.1% of 16225 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.1% of 12192 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.1% of 14044 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.1% of 18483 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.1% of 12045 checklistsMar 1-7: 0% of 11511 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.1% of 11704 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.1% of 11526 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.4% of 17386 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.9% of 13148 checklistsApr 8-14: 1.9% of 13193 checklistsApr 15-21: 2.9% of 13936 checklistsApr 22-30: 3.9% of 19002 checklistsMay 1-7: 4.5% of 14133 checklistsMay 8-14: 4.7% of 13668 checklistsMay 15-21: 4.9% of 11064 checklistsMay 22-31: 2.6% of 14461 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.5% of 10231 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.2% of 9417 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.3% of 8012 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.3% of 9720 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.3% of 7907 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.9% of 7338 checklistsJul 15-21: 1.6% of 7312 checklistsJul 22-31: 2.4% of 10877 checklistsAug 1-7: 2.3% of 7816 checklistsAug 8-14: 2.4% of 7655 checklistsAug 15-21: 2.2% of 7797 checklistsAug 22-31: 1.7% of 11246 checklistsSep 1-7: 1.0% of 8956 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.7% of 8929 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.4% of 9389 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.4% of 13028 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.2% of 11063 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.2% of 10968 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.3% of 10264 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.2% of 12917 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.1% of 8802 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.2% of 8339 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.1% of 8798 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.1% of 12925 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.2% of 8541 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.1% of 8609 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.1% of 9961 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.1% of 17541 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 South Carolina 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.

Embed this map on your site

Where in South Carolina

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Beaufort CountyBest the second week of May · 1329 checklists that week, 60,298 in all14%
  2. Charleston CountyBest the second week of May · 2249 checklists that week, 102,218 in all13%
  3. Colleton CountyBest mid May · 206 checklists that week, 8,909 in all12%
  4. Georgetown CountyBest the second week of May · 747 checklists that week, 32,234 in all12%
  5. Horry CountyBest late April · 791 checklists that week, 27,518 in all5.3%
  6. Jasper CountyBest the second week of May · 241 checklists that week, 12,443 in all3.9%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. The CoveCharleston County, best the second week of May · 90 checklists that week, 3,344 in all81%
  2. Lighthouse Inlet Heritage PreserveCharleston County, best the second week of May · 35 checklists that week, 1,859 in all72%
  3. Russell Burgess Coastal PreserveHorry County, best late April · 29 checklists that week, 1,043 in all71%
  4. Greenway Plantation PondCharleston County, best late April · 31 checklists that week, 671 in all55%

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

Best time of day

In South Carolina, the Hudsonian Whimbrel is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (1.5% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%12 am: too few checklists (222) to judge1 am: too few checklists (160) to judge2 am: too few checklists (132) to judge3 am: too few checklists (212) to judge4 am: too few checklists (267) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1898) to judge6 am: 2.4% of 19280 checklists7 am: 1.2% of 66492 checklists8 am: 1.0% of 73941 checklists9 am: 1.2% of 63039 checklists10 am: 0.9% of 52652 checklists11 am: 0.8% of 41908 checklists12 pm: 0.7% of 36782 checklists1 pm: 0.8% of 33300 checklists2 pm: 0.8% of 32248 checklists3 pm: 0.8% of 35451 checklists4 pm: 0.7% of 34410 checklists5 pm: 0.9% of 27073 checklists6 pm: 1.5% of 17375 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (10313) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (2756) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (672) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (412) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (256) 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
January0.2%0.1%0.1%0.1%
February0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
March0%0.1%0.1%0.4%
April0.9%1.9%2.9%3.9%
May4.5%4.7%4.9%2.6%
June0.5%0.2%0.3%0.3%
July0.3%0.9%1.6%2.4%
August2.3%2.4%2.2%1.7%
September1.0%0.7%0.4%0.4%
October0.2%0.2%0.3%0.2%
November0.1%0.2%0.1%0.1%
December0.2%0.1%0.1%0.1%

Neighboring states

  • North Carolina: arrives the second week of July, 12 weeks later than South Carolina
  • Georgia: arrives late March, 2 weeks earlier than South Carolina
  • Delaware: arrives early July, 11 weeks later than South Carolina
  • New Jersey: arrives the second week of July, 12 weeks later than South Carolina

Common questions

When do Hudsonian Whimbrels arrive in South Carolina?
Hudsonian Whimbrels arrive in South Carolina in the second week of April, peak in the second week of May (4.7% of checklists), and most are gone by early June.
When do Hudsonian Whimbrels leave South Carolina?
Most Hudsonian Whimbrels have left South Carolina by early June, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Hudsonian Whimbrel in South Carolina?
The Hudsonian Whimbrel is reported most often in the second week of May, on about 4.7% of South Carolina checklists.
Where in South Carolina are Hudsonian Whimbrels seen most often?
By county, Beaufort County, Charleston County, and Colleton County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Hudsonian Whimbrel (counties with at least 200 checklists).