WhenToBird

Calidris minutilla · Scolopacidae

When Do Least Sandpipers Arrive in North Carolina?

Adult Least Sandpiper
Photo: Alessandro Franchini, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Least Sandpipers arrive in North Carolina in the second week of July, peak in late August (6.8% of checklists), and most are gone by early November.

When to look

First arrivalsJul 8-14the second week of July
Common byJul 8-14the second week of July
PeakAug 22-31late August
Most gone byNov 1-7early November

Best: late August. First arrivals the second week of July; most are gone by early November. Peak: on about 6.8% of North Carolina checklists.

  1. Janrare
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marrare
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Junrare
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Decrare

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

0%2%4%6%8%Jan 1-7: 0.5% of 30085 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.4% of 22728 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.3% of 24292 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.3% of 34122 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.2% of 26352 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.2% of 29663 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.1% of 41515 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.2% of 24318 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.3% of 23408 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.4% of 22658 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.3% of 22784 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.4% of 36034 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.5% of 28131 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.5% of 29190 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.7% of 32847 checklistsApr 22-30: 1.5% of 47966 checklistsMay 1-7: 2.6% of 37076 checklistsMay 8-14: 3.1% of 36228 checklistsMay 15-21: 3.1% of 30378 checklistsMay 22-31: 1.5% of 40237 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.5% of 27551 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.2% of 26473 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.2% of 22789 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.2% of 27615 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.9% of 20022 checklistsJul 8-14: 2.2% of 19315 checklistsJul 15-21: 2.5% of 18934 checklistsJul 22-31: 3.9% of 25600 checklistsAug 1-7: 5.3% of 17987 checklistsAug 8-14: 5.6% of 17307 checklistsAug 15-21: 6.8% of 17080 checklistsAug 22-31: 7.3% of 25844 checklistsSep 1-7: 6.1% of 20818 checklistsSep 8-14: 4.3% of 20070 checklistsSep 15-21: 3.1% of 21984 checklistsSep 22-30: 2.3% of 26979 checklistsOct 1-7: 1.7% of 22605 checklistsOct 8-14: 1.4% of 22677 checklistsOct 15-21: 1.9% of 21407 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.5% of 25927 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.1% of 18830 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.1% of 18418 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.8% of 19101 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.7% of 25709 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.5% of 18856 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.5% of 18745 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.4% of 22478 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.5% of 34796 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 North 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.

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Where in North Carolina

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Perquimans CountyBest early September · 15 checklists that week, 605 in all70%
  2. Wilson CountyBest early September · 131 checklists that week, 5,078 in all45%
  3. Washington CountyBest the second week of September · 23 checklists that week, 3,065 in all37%
  4. Nash CountyBest mid August · 59 checklists that week, 2,996 in all29%
  5. Dare CountyBest mid August · 1608 checklists that week, 83,121 in all29%
  6. Wayne CountyBest early September · 21 checklists that week, 3,465 in all27%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Lower Janita LakeForsyth County, best the second week of August · 33 checklists that week, 1,378 in all82%
  2. Cape Hatteras National SeashoreDare County, best mid August · 58 checklists that week, 1,306 in all82%
  3. Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge (Lake Landing)Hyde County, best early May · 27 checklists that week, 302 in all78%
  4. Number One Settling BasinMecklenburg County, best the second week of May · 21 checklists that week, 155 in all77%
  5. City of Raleigh Open Space - Lake WheelerWake County, best early September · 100 checklists that week, 1,826 in all74%

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

Best time of day

In North Carolina, the Least Sandpiper is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (2.3% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%4%12 am: too few checklists (520) to judge1 am: too few checklists (489) to judge2 am: too few checklists (442) to judge3 am: too few checklists (544) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1621) to judge5 am: too few checklists (9671) to judge6 am: 3.5% of 50335 checklists7 am: 1.9% of 150152 checklists8 am: 1.6% of 182902 checklists9 am: 1.4% of 158933 checklists10 am: 1.3% of 128398 checklists11 am: 1.2% of 98671 checklists12 pm: 1.2% of 78640 checklists1 pm: 1.2% of 72510 checklists2 pm: 1.2% of 69179 checklists3 pm: 1.2% of 67669 checklists4 pm: 1.3% of 63964 checklists5 pm: 1.9% of 48520 checklists6 pm: 2.3% of 33196 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (19700) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (6160) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1943) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1119) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (651) 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
January0.5%0.4%0.3%0.3%
February0.2%0.2%0.1%0.2%
March0.3%0.4%0.3%0.4%
April0.5%0.5%0.7%1.5%
May2.6%3.1%3.1%1.5%
June0.5%0.2%0.2%0.2%
July0.9%2.2%2.5%3.9%
August5.3%5.6%6.8%7.3%
September6.1%4.3%3.1%2.3%
October1.7%1.4%1.9%1.5%
November1.1%1.1%0.8%0.7%
December0.5%0.5%0.4%0.5%

Neighboring states

  • South Carolina: arrives the second week of July, in the same week than North Carolina
  • Virginia: arrives the second week of July, in the same week than North Carolina
  • West Virginia: arrives mid July, 1 week later than North Carolina
  • District of Columbia: arrives late April, 10 weeks earlier than North Carolina

Common questions

When do Least Sandpipers arrive in North Carolina?
Least Sandpipers arrive in North Carolina in the second week of July, peak in late August (6.8% of checklists), and most are gone by early November.
When do Least Sandpipers leave North Carolina?
Most Least Sandpipers have left North Carolina 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 Least Sandpiper in North Carolina?
The Least Sandpiper is reported most often in late August, on about 6.8% of North Carolina checklists.
Where in North Carolina are Least Sandpipers seen most often?
By county, Perquimans County, Wilson County, and Washington County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Least Sandpiper (counties with at least 200 checklists).