WhenToBird

Calcarius lapponicus · Calcariidae

When Do Lapland Longspurs Arrive in Minnesota?

Adult Lapland Longspur
Photo: Matt Schenck, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Lapland Longspurs mostly pass through Minnesota: they arrive in late September, peak in mid October (3.2% of checklists), and most are gone by early November.

When to look

First arrivalsSep 22-30late September
Common bySep 22-30late September
PeakOct 15-21mid October
Most gone byNov 1-7early November

Best: mid October. First arrivals late September; most are gone by early November. Peak: on about 3.2% of Minnesota checklists.

  1. Janrare
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Mayrare
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decrare

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

0%1%2%3%4%Jan 1-7: 0.3% of 20628 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.2% of 14594 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.4% of 14238 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.2% of 20725 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.3% of 14484 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.3% of 15988 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.5% of 20718 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.6% of 15754 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.6% of 16125 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.7% of 19035 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.7% of 19586 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.7% of 30192 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.6% of 24262 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.8% of 30223 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.5% of 29085 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.5% of 43574 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.2% of 39300 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.1% of 45927 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 36632 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 43809 checklistsJun 1-7: 0% of 23418 checklistsJun 8-14: 0% of 20450 checklistsJun 15-21: 0% of 19470 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 23418 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 19104 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 16927 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 15635 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 22073 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 16255 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 16840 checklistsAug 15-21: 0% of 17475 checklistsAug 22-31: 0% of 26545 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.1% of 20750 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.2% of 18494 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.6% of 18215 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.5% of 24463 checklistsOct 1-7: 2.5% of 18252 checklistsOct 8-14: 3.0% of 19527 checklistsOct 15-21: 3.1% of 17098 checklistsOct 22-31: 3.4% of 24570 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.8% of 16744 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.7% of 13483 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.4% of 12525 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.3% of 17023 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.3% of 11645 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.3% of 11567 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.3% of 13343 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.3% of 19759 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 Minnesota 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 Minnesota

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Wilkin CountyBest late October · 50 checklists that week, 1,101 in all36%
  2. Murray CountyBest the second week of November · 17 checklists that week, 1,513 in all31%
  3. Yellow Medicine CountyBest mid February · 27 checklists that week, 1,931 in all26%
  4. Lincoln CountyBest the second week of March · 21 checklists that week, 1,063 in all23%
  5. Lake CountyBest the second week of October · 432 checklists that week, 19,908 in all23%
  6. Cook CountyBest the second week of October · 272 checklists that week, 14,913 in all18%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Spirit LakeSt. Louis County, best mid October · 23 checklists that week, 584 in all86%
  2. Grand Marais HarborCook County, best early October · 20 checklists that week, 964 in all50%
  3. Agate Bay (northwest)Lake County, best mid October · 26 checklists that week, 343 in all47%
  4. Agate Bay (Pork City Hill)Lake County, best the second week of October · 21 checklists that week, 386 in all41%
  5. CliftonSt. Louis County, best late September · 55 checklists that week, 829 in all40%

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

Best time of day

In Minnesota, the Lapland Longspur is most often listed on checklists started between 11 am and 1 pm (0.7% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%12 am: too few checklists (349) to judge1 am: too few checklists (331) to judge2 am: too few checklists (286) to judge3 am: too few checklists (364) to judge4 am: too few checklists (863) to judge5 am: too few checklists (7598) to judge6 am: 0.4% of 35775 checklists7 am: 0.5% of 90565 checklists8 am: 0.5% of 110612 checklists9 am: 0.6% of 106128 checklists10 am: 0.6% of 96131 checklists11 am: 0.7% of 83750 checklists12 pm: 0.7% of 76254 checklists1 pm: 0.6% of 73480 checklists2 pm: 0.6% of 73703 checklists3 pm: 0.6% of 75249 checklists4 pm: 0.5% of 68810 checklists5 pm: 0.4% of 51899 checklists6 pm: 0.2% of 38524 checklists7 pm: 0.1% of 25120 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (10568) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2420) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (748) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (420) 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
January0.3%0.2%0.4%0.2%
February0.3%0.3%0.5%0.6%
March0.6%0.7%0.7%0.7%
April0.6%0.8%0.5%0.5%
May0.2%0.1%0.1%0.1%
June0%0%0%0%
July0%0%0%0%
August0%0%0%0%
September0.1%0.2%0.6%1.5%
October2.5%3.0%3.1%3.4%
November1.8%0.7%0.4%0.3%
December0.3%0.3%0.3%0.3%

Neighboring states

  • Iowa: arrives late October, 4 weeks later than Minnesota
  • Wisconsin: arrives mid September, 1 week earlier than Minnesota
  • South Dakota: arrives mid October, 3 weeks later than Minnesota
  • North Dakota: arrives early October, 1 week later than Minnesota

Common questions

When do Lapland Longspurs arrive in Minnesota?
Lapland Longspurs mostly pass through Minnesota: they arrive in late September, peak in mid October (3.2% of checklists), and most are gone by early November.
When do Lapland Longspurs leave Minnesota?
Most Lapland Longspurs have left Minnesota 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 Lapland Longspur in Minnesota?
The Lapland Longspur is reported most often in mid October, on about 3.2% of Minnesota checklists.
Where in Minnesota are Lapland Longspurs seen most often?
By county, Wilkin County, Murray County, and Yellow Medicine County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Lapland Longspur (counties with at least 200 checklists).