WhenToBird

Melospiza lincolnii · Passerellidae

When Do Lincoln's Sparrows Arrive in North Carolina?

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

Lincoln's Sparrows mostly pass through North Carolina: they arrive in early October, peak in mid October (1.2% of checklists), and most are gone by early November.

When to look

First arrivalsOct 1-7early October
Common byOct 1-7early October
PeakOct 15-21mid October
Most gone byNov 1-7early November

Best: mid October. First arrivals early October; most are gone by early November. Peak: on about 1.2% of North Carolina checklists.

  1. Janrare
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marrare
  4. Aprrare
  5. Mayrare
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decrare

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

0%0.5%1%1.5%Jan 1-7: 0.1% of 30085 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.1% of 22728 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.1% of 24292 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.1% of 34122 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.1% of 26352 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.1% of 29663 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.1% of 41515 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.1% of 24318 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.1% of 23408 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.1% of 22658 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.1% of 22784 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.1% of 36034 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.1% of 28131 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.1% of 29190 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.1% of 32847 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.1% of 47966 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.1% of 37076 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.1% of 36228 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 30378 checklistsMay 22-31: 0% of 40237 checklistsJun 1-7: 0% of 27551 checklistsJun 8-14: 0% of 26473 checklistsJun 15-21: 0% of 22789 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 27615 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 20022 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 19315 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 18934 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 25600 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 17987 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 17307 checklistsAug 15-21: 0% of 17080 checklistsAug 22-31: 0% of 25844 checklistsSep 1-7: 0% of 20818 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.1% of 20070 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.1% of 21984 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.3% of 26979 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.7% of 22605 checklistsOct 8-14: 1.2% of 22677 checklistsOct 15-21: 1.4% of 21407 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.2% of 25927 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.6% of 18830 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.2% of 18418 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.2% of 19101 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.1% of 25709 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.1% of 18856 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.1% of 18745 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.1% of 22478 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.1% 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. Watauga CountyBest mid October · 332 checklists that week, 24,164 in all9.8%
  2. Transylvania CountyBest mid October · 320 checklists that week, 18,992 in all6.0%
  3. Henderson CountyBest late October · 700 checklists that week, 33,437 in all5.3%
  4. Cherokee CountyBest mid October · 50 checklists that week, 3,235 in all5.3%
  5. Buncombe CountyBest mid October · 1291 checklists that week, 84,321 in all5.1%
  6. Swain CountyBest the second week of October · 110 checklists that week, 5,669 in all4.3%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. LeRoy LakeBuncombe County, best mid October · 22 checklists that week, 703 in all64%
  2. North BrevardTransylvania County, best mid October · 20 checklists that week, 346 in all62%
  3. Buncombe County ParkBuncombe County, best mid October · 53 checklists that week, 2,850 in all28%
  4. Watauga County Open SpaceWatauga County, best the second week of October · 39 checklists that week, 713 in all28%
  5. Kings Creek Bridge Wildlife Conservation AreaHenderson County, best late October · 25 checklists that week, 442 in all25%
  6. Rosasco Lake UpperWatauga County, best mid October · 34 checklists that week, 1,829 in all24%

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

Best time of day

In North Carolina, the Lincoln's Sparrow is most often listed on checklists started between 8 and 10 am (0.2% of those checklists).

0%0.5%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: 0.1% of 50335 checklists7 am: 0.2% of 150152 checklists8 am: 0.3% of 182902 checklists9 am: 0.2% of 158933 checklists10 am: 0.1% of 128398 checklists11 am: 0.1% of 98671 checklists12 pm: 0.1% of 78640 checklists1 pm: 0.1% of 72510 checklists2 pm: 0.1% of 69179 checklists3 pm: 0.1% of 67669 checklists4 pm: 0.1% of 63964 checklists5 pm: 0.1% of 48520 checklists6 pm: 0.1% 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
January0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
February0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
March0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
April0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
May0.1%0.1%0.1%0%
June0%0%0%0%
July0%0%0%0%
August0%0%0%0%
September0%0.1%0.1%0.3%
October0.7%1.2%1.4%1.2%
November0.6%0.2%0.2%0.1%
December0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%

Neighboring states

  • Virginia: arrives late September, 1 week earlier than North Carolina
  • West Virginia: arrives mid September, 2 weeks earlier than North Carolina
  • District of Columbia: arrives the second week of September, 3 weeks earlier than North Carolina
  • Maryland: arrives mid September, 2 weeks earlier than North Carolina

Common questions

When do Lincoln's Sparrows arrive in North Carolina?
Lincoln's Sparrows mostly pass through North Carolina: they arrive in early October, peak in mid October (1.2% of checklists), and most are gone by early November.
When do Lincoln's Sparrows leave North Carolina?
Most Lincoln's Sparrows have left North Carolina by early November, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Lincoln's Sparrow in North Carolina?
The Lincoln's Sparrow is reported most often in mid October, on about 1.2% of North Carolina checklists.
Where in North Carolina are Lincoln's Sparrows seen most often?
By county, Watauga County, Transylvania County, and Henderson County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Lincoln's Sparrow (counties with at least 200 checklists).