WhenToBird

Cistothorus palustris · Troglodytidae

When Do Marsh Wrens Arrive in Pennsylvania?

Adult Marsh Wren
Photo: Kathy Richardson, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Marsh Wrens arrive in Pennsylvania in late April, peak in late July (1.5% of checklists), and most are gone by mid October.

When to look

First arrivalsApr 22-30late April
Common byApr 22-30late April
PeakJul 22-31late July
Most gone byOct 15-21mid October

Best: late July. First arrivals late April; most are gone by mid October. Peak: on about 1.5% of Pennsylvania checklists.

  1. Janrare
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marnot usually seen
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%0.5%1%1.5%2%Jan 1-7: 0.1% of 47145 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.1% of 35840 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.1% of 35423 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.1% of 49126 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.1% of 36366 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.1% of 42248 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.1% of 55888 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.1% of 42050 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.1% of 42709 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.1% of 43985 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.1% of 44547 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.1% of 66940 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.1% of 51147 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.1% of 54868 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.2% of 57252 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.5% of 81727 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.7% of 76472 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.8% of 79341 checklistsMay 15-21: 1.0% of 61724 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.9% of 70722 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.9% of 45652 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.7% of 41810 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.9% of 38973 checklistsJun 22-30: 1.1% of 44255 checklistsJul 1-7: 1.2% of 34822 checklistsJul 8-14: 1.2% of 31104 checklistsJul 15-21: 1.4% of 29262 checklistsJul 22-31: 1.6% of 41436 checklistsAug 1-7: 1.4% of 29189 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.9% of 28840 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.6% of 29948 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.5% of 48235 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.5% of 37175 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.5% of 36527 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.7% of 37261 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.0% of 43583 checklistsOct 1-7: 1.3% of 35352 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.9% of 35560 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.7% of 33119 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.4% of 44654 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.2% of 32965 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.1% of 31305 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.1% of 29471 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.1% of 38642 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.1% of 28779 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.1% of 29486 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.1% of 37465 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.1% of 50651 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 Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Philadelphia CountyBest mid July · 974 checklists that week, 96,503 in all28%
  2. Crawford CountyBest early July · 449 checklists that week, 23,552 in all11%
  3. Erie CountyBest the second week of July · 688 checklists that week, 49,012 in all5.9%
  4. Bucks CountyBest the second week of October · 1837 checklists that week, 95,030 in all4.5%
  5. Tioga CountyBest the second week of May · 1246 checklists that week, 36,293 in all4.0%
  6. Snyder CountyBest late September · 105 checklists that week, 5,676 in all3.5%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. State Game Land 313Tioga County, best mid May · 42 checklists that week, 868 in all83%
  2. John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at TinicumPhiladelphia County, best the second week of July · 269 checklists that week, 18,127 in all83%
  3. State Game Land 213Crawford County, best early July · 30 checklists that week, 1,047 in all82%
  4. John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum (Long Hook Creek)Delaware County, best mid July · 25 checklists that week, 1,975 in all72%
  5. Niagara Pond (Misery Bay)Erie County, best mid May · 26 checklists that week, 394 in all40%
  6. State Game Land 213 (Watson Run)Crawford County, best mid May · 25 checklists that week, 250 in all40%

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

Best time of day

In Pennsylvania, the Marsh Wren is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (0.8% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%12 am: too few checklists (1558) to judge1 am: too few checklists (1136) to judge2 am: too few checklists (839) to judge3 am: too few checklists (842) to judge4 am: too few checklists (2550) to judge5 am: too few checklists (18294) to judge6 am: 1.1% of 92903 checklists7 am: 0.7% of 241233 checklists8 am: 0.6% of 271994 checklists9 am: 0.5% of 236842 checklists10 am: 0.4% of 199508 checklists11 am: 0.3% of 161893 checklists12 pm: 0.3% of 143945 checklists1 pm: 0.3% of 134352 checklists2 pm: 0.3% of 129692 checklists3 pm: 0.3% of 126132 checklists4 pm: 0.4% of 115055 checklists5 pm: 0.5% of 90719 checklists6 pm: 0.6% of 67534 checklists7 pm: 0.5% of 43004 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (13966) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (3913) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1989) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (1146) 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%0.2%0.5%
May0.7%0.8%1.0%0.9%
June0.9%0.7%0.9%1.1%
July1.2%1.2%1.4%1.6%
August1.4%0.9%0.6%0.5%
September0.5%0.5%0.7%1.0%
October1.3%0.9%0.7%0.4%
November0.2%0.1%0.1%0.1%
December0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%

Neighboring states

  • Maryland: arrives the second week of April, 2 weeks earlier than Pennsylvania
  • District of Columbia: arrives the second week of September, 18 weeks later than Pennsylvania
  • Delaware: arrives the second week of April, 2 weeks earlier than Pennsylvania
  • New Jersey: arrives mid April, 1 week earlier than Pennsylvania

Common questions

When do Marsh Wrens arrive in Pennsylvania?
Marsh Wrens arrive in Pennsylvania in late April, peak in late July (1.5% of checklists), and most are gone by mid October.
When do Marsh Wrens leave Pennsylvania?
Most Marsh Wrens have left Pennsylvania by mid October, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Marsh Wren in Pennsylvania?
The Marsh Wren is reported most often in late July, on about 1.5% of Pennsylvania checklists.
Where in Pennsylvania are Marsh Wrens seen most often?
By county, Philadelphia County, Crawford County, and Erie County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Marsh Wren (counties with at least 200 checklists).