WhenToBird

Falco columbarius · Falconidae

When Do Merlins Arrive in Kansas?

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

Merlins are winter birds in Kansas: they arrive in the second week of September, peak in early November (1.6% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of March.

When to look

First arrivalsSep 8-14the second week of September
Common bySep 8-14the second week of September
PeakNov 1-7early November
Most gone byMar 8-14the second week of March

Best: early November. First arrivals the second week of September; most are gone by the second week of March. Peak: on about 1.6% of Kansas checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Mayrare
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augrare
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%0.5%1%1.5%2%Jan 1-7: 1.4% of 8683 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.6% of 5710 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.4% of 5453 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.4% of 7868 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.8% of 5579 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.0% of 6307 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.6% of 7830 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.9% of 6124 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.6% of 6442 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.6% of 6925 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.6% of 7257 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.5% of 11527 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.4% of 8908 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.3% of 11070 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.4% of 11050 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.2% of 16381 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.1% of 15899 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.1% of 15349 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 10474 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 11264 checklistsJun 1-7: 0% of 6783 checklistsJun 8-14: 0% of 5654 checklistsJun 15-21: 0% of 4716 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 6232 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 5073 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 4528 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 4210 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 5986 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.1% of 4661 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.1% of 4762 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.1% of 4823 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.1% of 7214 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.4% of 5989 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.7% of 5549 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.7% of 5255 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.7% of 7370 checklistsOct 1-7: 1.1% of 5829 checklistsOct 8-14: 1.1% of 6183 checklistsOct 15-21: 1.3% of 5504 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.7% of 7289 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.5% of 5535 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.5% of 5462 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.3% of 4929 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.0% of 6627 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.2% of 4670 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.4% of 4805 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.6% of 6341 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.4% of 8186 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 Kansas 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 Kansas

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Grant CountyBest late December · 17 checklists that week, 344 in all15%
  2. Meade CountyBest the second week of January · 15 checklists that week, 892 in all15%
  3. Edwards CountyBest late October · 12 checklists that week, 426 in all14%
  4. Kearny CountyBest the second week of February · 10 checklists that week, 452 in all14%
  5. Comanche CountyBest late November · 14 checklists that week, 769 in all12%
  6. Logan CountyBest late February · 22 checklists that week, 1,379 in all12%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Tuttle Creek Recreation AreaPottawatomie County, best late October · 23 checklists that week, 334 in all10%
  2. Big Salt MarshStafford County, best early November · 23 checklists that week, 600 in all9.8%
  3. Clinton Recreation Area (southeast)Douglas County, best the second week of November · 20 checklists that week, 714 in all9.2%
  4. Shawnee State Fishing LakeShawnee County, best early November · 23 checklists that week, 882 in all8.9%
  5. Shawnee MissionJohnson County, best early November · 37 checklists that week, 2,038 in all8.7%
  6. Lake OlatheJohnson County, best the second week of January · 110 checklists that week, 3,529 in all8.7%

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

Best time of day

In Kansas, the Merlin is most often listed on checklists started between 3 and 5 pm (0.9% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%12 am: too few checklists (150) to judge1 am: too few checklists (119) to judge2 am: too few checklists (97) to judge3 am: too few checklists (94) to judge4 am: too few checklists (124) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1459) to judge6 am: 0.3% of 12550 checklists7 am: 0.6% of 34128 checklists8 am: 0.7% of 45960 checklists9 am: 0.7% of 37806 checklists10 am: 0.7% of 32102 checklists11 am: 0.6% of 25896 checklists12 pm: 0.5% of 24203 checklists1 pm: 0.6% of 20269 checklists2 pm: 0.7% of 20772 checklists3 pm: 0.9% of 20978 checklists4 pm: 0.9% of 22094 checklists5 pm: 0.6% of 17739 checklists6 pm: 0.3% of 13963 checklists7 pm: 0.1% of 10110 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (4188) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (968) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (325) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (171) 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
January1.4%1.6%1.4%1.4%
February0.8%1.0%0.6%0.9%
March0.6%0.6%0.6%0.5%
April0.4%0.3%0.4%0.2%
May0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
June0%0%0%0%
July0%0%0%0%
August0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
September0.4%0.7%0.7%0.7%
October1.1%1.1%1.3%1.7%
November1.5%1.5%1.3%1.0%
December1.2%1.4%1.6%1.4%

Neighboring states

  • Nebraska: arrives the second week of September, in the same week than Kansas
  • Iowa: arrives early September, 1 week earlier than Kansas
  • South Dakota: arrives early September, 1 week earlier than Kansas
  • Illinois: arrives late August, 2 weeks earlier than Kansas

Common questions

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