WhenToBird

Melospiza lincolnii · Passerellidae

When Do Lincoln's Sparrows Arrive in Minnesota?

Adult Lincoln's Sparrow
Photo: Elijah Jaeger, CC0 1.0 via iNaturalist

Lincoln's Sparrows mostly pass through Minnesota: they arrive in late August, peak in early October (11% of checklists), and most are gone by early November.

When to look

First arrivalsAug 22-31late August
Common byAug 22-31late August
PeakOct 1-7early October
Most gone byNov 1-7early November

Best: early October. First arrivals late August; most are gone by early November. Peak: on about 11% of Minnesota checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marnot usually seen
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Junrare
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augrare
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novrare
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 0.1% of 20628 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.1% of 14594 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.1% of 14238 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.1% of 20725 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.1% of 14484 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.1% of 15988 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.1% of 20718 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.1% of 15754 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.1% of 16125 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.1% of 19035 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.1% of 19586 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.1% of 30192 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.1% of 24262 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.3% of 30223 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.5% of 29085 checklistsApr 22-30: 2.4% of 43574 checklistsMay 1-7: 6.2% of 39300 checklistsMay 8-14: 6.6% of 45927 checklistsMay 15-21: 3.2% of 36632 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.9% of 43809 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.4% of 23418 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.4% of 20450 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.5% of 19470 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.5% of 23418 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.3% of 19104 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.3% of 16927 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.2% of 15635 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.3% of 22073 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.4% of 16255 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.3% of 16840 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.3% of 17475 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.6% of 26545 checklistsSep 1-7: 2.0% of 20750 checklistsSep 8-14: 4.0% of 18494 checklistsSep 15-21: 6.2% of 18215 checklistsSep 22-30: 11% of 24463 checklistsOct 1-7: 12% of 18252 checklistsOct 8-14: 9.0% of 19527 checklistsOct 15-21: 5.2% of 17098 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.9% of 24570 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.4% of 16744 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.1% of 13483 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.1% of 12525 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.1% of 17023 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.1% of 11645 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.1% of 11567 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.1% of 13343 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.1% 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. Lac qui Parle CountyBest early October · 26 checklists that week, 3,681 in all40%
  2. Steele CountyBest early October · 80 checklists that week, 4,784 in all28%
  3. Big Stone CountyBest early October · 26 checklists that week, 2,678 in all27%
  4. Yellow Medicine CountyBest early October · 19 checklists that week, 1,931 in all27%
  5. Mower CountyBest early October · 19 checklists that week, 2,590 in all24%
  6. Renville CountyBest early October · 85 checklists that week, 2,020 in all23%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Cowling - Lower Arboretum (Waterford)Dakota County, best early October · 22 checklists that week, 363 in all63%
  2. Big BogBeltrami County, best late June · 33 checklists that week, 273 in all60%
  3. Agate Bay (Pork City Hill)Lake County, best late September · 36 checklists that week, 386 in all56%
  4. Vadnais-Snail Lakes Regional Park - Snail Lake (Grass Lake)Ramsey County, best late September · 48 checklists that week, 1,164 in all53%
  5. Cowling - Upper ArboretumRice County, best the second week of October · 20 checklists that week, 877 in all51%
  6. Tamarack Nature CenterRamsey County, best early October · 59 checklists that week, 1,999 in all47%

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

Best time of day

In Minnesota, the Lincoln's Sparrow is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (3.4% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%4%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: 3.5% of 35775 checklists7 am: 3.4% of 90565 checklists8 am: 2.9% of 110612 checklists9 am: 2.2% of 106128 checklists10 am: 1.7% of 96131 checklists11 am: 1.5% of 83750 checklists12 pm: 1.2% of 76254 checklists1 pm: 1.1% of 73480 checklists2 pm: 1.2% of 73703 checklists3 pm: 1.3% of 75249 checklists4 pm: 1.7% of 68810 checklists5 pm: 2.2% of 51899 checklists6 pm: 1.7% of 38524 checklists7 pm: 0.8% 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
January0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
February0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
March0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
April0.1%0.3%0.5%2.4%
May6.2%6.6%3.2%0.9%
June0.4%0.4%0.5%0.5%
July0.3%0.3%0.2%0.3%
August0.4%0.3%0.3%0.6%
September2.0%4.0%6.2%11%
October12%9.0%5.2%1.9%
November0.4%0.1%0.1%0.1%
December0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%

Neighboring states

  • Iowa: arrives early September, 1 week later than Minnesota
  • Wisconsin: arrives early September, 1 week later than Minnesota
  • South Dakota: arrives mid April, 17 weeks earlier than Minnesota
  • North Dakota: arrives mid April, 17 weeks earlier than Minnesota

Common questions

When do Lincoln's Sparrows arrive in Minnesota?
Lincoln's Sparrows mostly pass through Minnesota: they arrive in late August, peak in early October (11% of checklists), and most are gone by early November.
When do Lincoln's Sparrows leave Minnesota?
Most Lincoln's Sparrows have left Minnesota by early November, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Lincoln's Sparrow in Minnesota?
The Lincoln's Sparrow is reported most often in early October, on about 11% of Minnesota checklists.
Where in Minnesota are Lincoln's Sparrows seen most often?
By county, Lac qui Parle County, Steele County, and Big Stone County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Lincoln's Sparrow (counties with at least 200 checklists).