WhenToBird

Falco columbarius · Falconidae

Merlin: When and Where to See It

Adult female Merlin
Photo: Cricket Raspet, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

The Merlin reaches New Hampshire first, around early July, and Arizona last, around late September.

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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0%1%2%3%Jan 1-7: 1.2% of 1114036 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.2% of 824708 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.2% of 825978 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.1% of 1105853 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.0% of 779772 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.9% of 864504 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.7% of 1127933 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.8% of 840124 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.8% of 839610 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.8% of 870138 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.7% of 898456 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.7% of 1335637 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.7% of 1030617 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.8% of 1124024 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.9% of 1194575 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.8% of 1675723 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.6% of 1449080 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.5% of 1538353 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.4% of 1219898 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.3% of 1452282 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.2% of 900636 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.2% of 829907 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.2% of 773255 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.2% of 916255 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.3% of 717733 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.3% of 658223 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.4% of 638752 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.5% of 895727 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.6% of 655651 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.6% of 650038 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.7% of 654639 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.9% of 974928 checklistsSep 1-7: 1.3% of 765914 checklistsSep 8-14: 1.8% of 738674 checklistsSep 15-21: 2.4% of 750433 checklistsSep 22-30: 2.6% of 944196 checklistsOct 1-7: 2.6% of 760106 checklistsOct 8-14: 2.6% of 793131 checklistsOct 15-21: 2.5% of 728727 checklistsOct 22-31: 2.2% of 959954 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.8% of 709464 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.7% of 693424 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.5% of 653952 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.4% of 871137 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.4% of 627591 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.3% of 642427 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.4% of 775638 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.3% of 1132751 checklistsJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Share of complete checklists reporting it, by week (4 per month). Grey bars: fewer than 10 checklists, not counted.

Pooled across every state in the data, so it leans toward states with the most birders.

States, in order of first arrivals

StatePatternFirst arrivalsPeakMost gone byPeak %
MichiganSummer visitorMar 22-31Sep 15-21Jan 22-313.3%
AlaskaSummer visitorJun 22-30Aug 15-21Oct 1-76.6%
MinnesotaSummer visitorJun 22-30Sep 15-21Nov 22-304.7%
VermontSummer visitorJun 22-30Sep 1-7Oct 22-313.2%
WisconsinSummer visitorJun 22-30Sep 22-30Dec 8-143.3%
New HampshireSummer visitorJul 1-7Sep 22-30Nov 8-143.9%
MaineSummer visitorJul 8-14Sep 15-21Nov 1-77.5%
West VirginiaSummer visitorJul 8-14Sep 22-30Apr 15-211.2%
WashingtonSummer visitorJul 15-21Sep 22-30Apr 22-302.9%
MassachusettsSummer visitorAug 8-14Sep 15-21Mar 1-73.1%
MontanaSummer visitorAug 15-21Sep 22-30Mar 1-74.0%
New JerseyPasses throughAug 22-31Oct 1-7Nov 1-714%
Rhode IslandSummer visitorAug 22-31Sep 15-21Nov 22-307.5%
ConnecticutSummer visitorAug 22-31Sep 15-21Nov 15-214.6%
DelawareSummer visitorSep 1-7Sep 22-30May 8-144.3%
VirginiaSummer visitorSep 1-7Sep 22-30Mar 8-142.6%
North CarolinaSummer visitorSep 8-14Sep 22-30Feb 1-71.7%
UtahWinter visitorOct 8-14Dec 22-31Mar 15-212.8%
North DakotaWinter visitorJun 22-30Oct 1-7May 22-315.2%
New YorkWinter visitorJul 8-14Oct 8-14May 8-144.0%
IndianaWinter visitorAug 15-21Oct 1-7Apr 22-301.1%
OhioWinter visitorAug 15-21Oct 8-14Mar 1-71.3%
IllinoisWinter visitorAug 22-31Oct 8-14Mar 1-72.7%
PennsylvaniaWinter visitorAug 22-31Oct 8-14Apr 8-142.2%
District of ColumbiaWinter visitorSep 1-7Dec 15-21Mar 15-216.8%
IowaWinter visitorSep 1-7Oct 1-7Feb 1-71.6%
MarylandWinter visitorSep 1-7Oct 15-21Apr 8-142.2%
South DakotaWinter visitorSep 1-7Oct 1-7Apr 15-211.6%
WyomingWinter visitorSep 1-7Dec 15-21Mar 8-141.6%
FloridaWinter visitorSep 8-14Oct 8-14May 1-74.4%
IdahoWinter visitorSep 8-14Dec 22-31Mar 8-143.5%
ColoradoWinter visitorSep 8-14Dec 22-31Apr 15-211.1%
GeorgiaWinter visitorSep 8-14Oct 8-14Feb 8-141.1%
KansasWinter visitorSep 8-14Nov 1-7Mar 8-141.6%
MississippiWinter visitorSep 8-14Oct 8-14Mar 8-141.3%
NebraskaWinter visitorSep 8-14Oct 8-14Feb 8-142.2%
South CarolinaWinter visitorSep 8-14Oct 1-7Feb 1-72.2%
LouisianaWinter visitorSep 15-21Oct 22-31Mar 1-72.7%
AlabamaWinter visitorSep 15-21Oct 8-14Mar 8-141.4%
KentuckyWinter visitorSep 15-21Dec 8-14Feb 22-281.0%
New MexicoWinter visitorSep 15-21Nov 15-21Mar 22-311.4%
OregonWinter visitorSep 15-21Oct 8-14Mar 22-312.1%
TexasWinter visitorSep 15-21Nov 1-7Apr 15-211.7%
CaliforniaWinter visitorSep 22-30Dec 8-14Mar 22-312.7%
ArizonaWinter visitorSep 22-30Nov 8-14Mar 15-211.4%
NevadaWinter visitorSep 22-30Jan 22-31Apr 1-71.5%

Winter visitor in: Utah, Idaho, Colorado, Nevada, North Dakota

Summer visitor in: Michigan, Alaska, Minnesota, Vermont, Wisconsin