WhenToBird

Falco columbarius · Falconidae

When Do Merlins Arrive in Iowa?

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

Merlins are winter birds in Iowa: they arrive in early September, peak in early October (1.6% of checklists), and most are gone by early February.

When to look

First arrivalsSep 1-7early September
Common bySep 1-7early September
PeakOct 1-7early October
Most gone byFeb 1-7early February

Best: early October. First arrivals early September; most are gone by early February. Peak: on about 1.6% of Iowa checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Mayrare
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julrare
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%0.5%1%1.5%2%Jan 1-7: 0.9% of 5551 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.1% of 3498 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.8% of 3803 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.8% of 4807 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.6% of 3613 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.5% of 4173 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.3% of 5796 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.7% of 4394 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.3% of 5295 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.4% of 5679 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.4% of 5418 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.2% of 8613 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.3% of 6970 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.3% of 7511 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.5% of 8321 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.2% of 11976 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.1% of 11725 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.1% of 12626 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 9372 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 10330 checklistsJun 1-7: 0% of 5472 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 4568 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.1% of 3870 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.1% of 4780 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.1% of 4201 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.1% of 3605 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.1% of 3621 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.1% of 5093 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.1% of 3931 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.2% of 3488 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.2% of 3802 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.2% of 6293 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.6% of 5328 checklistsSep 8-14: 1.4% of 4622 checklistsSep 15-21: 1.5% of 4367 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.8% of 6086 checklistsOct 1-7: 1.4% of 4708 checklistsOct 8-14: 1.6% of 4791 checklistsOct 15-21: 1.2% of 4429 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.3% of 5633 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.0% of 4090 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.8% of 3416 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.6% of 3398 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.6% of 4679 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.0% of 3442 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.8% of 3322 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.1% of 4619 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.0% of 5113 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 Iowa 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 Iowa

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Clay CountyBest late September · 15 checklists that week, 844 in all14%
  2. Greene CountyBest mid November · 10 checklists that week, 2,565 in all11%
  3. Harrison CountyBest late October · 39 checklists that week, 1,977 in all9.7%
  4. Winnebago CountyBest mid September · 11 checklists that week, 596 in all9.5%
  5. Wright CountyBest early October · 10 checklists that week, 551 in all9.3%
  6. Calhoun CountyBest mid September · 10 checklists that week, 446 in all9.1%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Brenton SloughDallas County, best early January · 29 checklists that week, 182 in all19%
  2. Grammer Grove Wildlife AreaMarshall County, best early October · 29 checklists that week, 766 in all15%
  3. Riverview Recreation AreaBlack Hawk County, best late September · 21 checklists that week, 339 in all13%
  4. Hitchcock Nature AreaPottawattamie County, best late September · 35 checklists that week, 472 in all12%
  5. Little Storm Lake Wildlife Management AreaBuena Vista County, best late October · 21 checklists that week, 968 in all10%
  6. Big Creek Wildlife Management AreaPolk County, best early December · 21 checklists that week, 500 in all8.0%

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

Best time of day

In Iowa, the Merlin is most often listed on checklists started between 3 and 5 pm (0.8% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%12 am: too few checklists (96) to judge1 am: too few checklists (99) to judge2 am: too few checklists (67) to judge3 am: too few checklists (82) to judge4 am: too few checklists (201) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1888) to judge6 am: 0.1% of 11313 checklists7 am: 0.4% of 25717 checklists8 am: 0.5% of 29755 checklists9 am: 0.6% of 28897 checklists10 am: 0.5% of 26343 checklists11 am: 0.5% of 21210 checklists12 pm: 0.4% of 17662 checklists1 pm: 0.4% of 16595 checklists2 pm: 0.5% of 16405 checklists3 pm: 0.8% of 17030 checklists4 pm: 0.8% of 17378 checklists5 pm: 0.6% of 14251 checklists6 pm: 0.3% of 10349 checklists7 pm: 0.2% of 6233 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (2002) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (392) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (186) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (87) 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
January0.9%1.1%0.8%0.8%
February0.6%0.5%0.3%0.7%
March0.3%0.4%0.4%0.2%
April0.3%0.3%0.5%0.2%
May0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
June0%0.1%0.1%0.1%
July0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
August0.1%0.2%0.2%0.2%
September0.6%1.4%1.5%1.8%
October1.4%1.6%1.2%1.3%
November1.0%0.8%0.6%0.6%
December1.0%0.8%1.1%1.0%

Neighboring states

  • Wisconsin: arrives late June, 9 weeks earlier than Iowa
  • Minnesota: arrives late June, 9 weeks earlier than Iowa
  • Illinois: arrives late August, 1 week earlier than Iowa
  • Nebraska: arrives the second week of September, 1 week later than Iowa

Common questions

When do Merlins arrive in Iowa?
Merlins are winter birds in Iowa: they arrive in early September, peak in early October (1.6% of checklists), and most are gone by early February.
When do Merlins leave Iowa?
Most Merlins have left Iowa by early February, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Merlin in Iowa?
The Merlin is reported most often in early October, on about 1.6% of Iowa checklists.
Where in Iowa are Merlins seen most often?
By county, Clay County, Greene County, and Harrison County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Merlin (counties with at least 200 checklists).