WhenToBird

Falco columbarius · Falconidae

When Do Merlins Arrive in Nebraska?

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

Merlins are winter birds in Nebraska: they arrive in the second week of September, peak in the second week of October (2.2% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of February.

When to look

First arrivalsSep 8-14the second week of September
Common bySep 8-14the second week of September
PeakOct 8-14the second week of October
Most gone byFeb 8-14the second week of February

Best: the second week of October. First arrivals the second week of September; most are gone by the second week of February. Peak: on about 2.2% of Nebraska checklists.

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

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

0%1%2%3%Jan 1-7: 1.5% of 4210 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.6% of 2891 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.2% of 2685 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.4% of 3834 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.2% of 2803 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.6% of 3134 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.7% of 4508 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.8% of 3238 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.8% of 3862 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.7% of 4894 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.8% of 5862 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.8% of 8598 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.7% of 5530 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.6% of 5528 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.5% of 6091 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.3% of 8661 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.1% of 9842 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.1% of 10044 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 8863 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 10207 checklistsJun 1-7: 0% of 4922 checklistsJun 8-14: 0% of 4054 checklistsJun 15-21: 0% of 3680 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 4349 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 3277 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 2803 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.1% of 2842 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 3920 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.1% of 2981 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.1% of 2819 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.1% of 3179 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.2% of 4599 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.8% of 3958 checklistsSep 8-14: 1.2% of 3460 checklistsSep 15-21: 1.3% of 3435 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.3% of 4975 checklistsOct 1-7: 2.3% of 3611 checklistsOct 8-14: 2.1% of 3605 checklistsOct 15-21: 2.2% of 3474 checklistsOct 22-31: 2.2% of 4352 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.6% of 3119 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.7% of 2887 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.6% of 2568 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.5% of 3506 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.3% of 2453 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.6% of 2756 checklistsDec 15-21: 2.0% of 3760 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.9% of 3746 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 Nebraska 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 Nebraska

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Phelps CountyBest mid December · 14 checklists that week, 836 in all18%
  2. Kimball CountyBest late December · 23 checklists that week, 2,067 in all17%
  3. Nance CountyBest late October · 10 checklists that week, 356 in all14%
  4. Morrill CountyBest the second week of December · 11 checklists that week, 533 in all12%
  5. Cuming CountyBest early October · 10 checklists that week, 659 in all11%
  6. Jefferson CountyBest late January · 13 checklists that week, 804 in all11%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Marsh WrenLancaster County, best late September · 86 checklists that week, 1,817 in all18%
  2. Salt LakeLancaster County, best mid October · 75 checklists that week, 2,553 in all16%
  3. Stagecoach LakeLancaster County, best the second week of September · 20 checklists that week, 937 in all12%
  4. Holmes LakeLancaster County, best mid December · 27 checklists that week, 2,319 in all11%
  5. Walnut Creek Recreation AreaSarpy County, best late December · 33 checklists that week, 1,124 in all8.6%

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

Best time of day

In Nebraska, the Merlin is most often listed on checklists started between 3 and 5 pm (1.0% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%12 am: too few checklists (60) to judge1 am: too few checklists (70) to judge2 am: too few checklists (74) to judge3 am: too few checklists (97) to judge4 am: too few checklists (318) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1382) to judge6 am: 0.4% of 6945 checklists7 am: 0.9% of 19066 checklists8 am: 0.9% of 24661 checklists9 am: 0.8% of 23438 checklists10 am: 0.7% of 20424 checklists11 am: 0.7% of 16727 checklists12 pm: 0.7% of 14774 checklists1 pm: 0.6% of 14443 checklists2 pm: 0.8% of 14830 checklists3 pm: 1.0% of 14445 checklists4 pm: 1.0% of 13353 checklists5 pm: 0.6% of 10506 checklists6 pm: 0.4% of 9208 checklists7 pm: 0.2% of 6334 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (2406) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (531) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (201) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (82) 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
January1.5%1.6%1.2%1.4%
February1.2%0.6%0.7%0.8%
March0.8%0.7%0.8%0.8%
April0.7%0.6%0.5%0.3%
May0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
June0%0%0%0%
July0%0%0.1%0%
August0.1%0.1%0.1%0.2%
September0.8%1.2%1.3%1.3%
October2.3%2.1%2.2%2.2%
November1.6%1.7%1.6%1.5%
December1.3%1.6%2.0%1.9%

Neighboring states

  • Kansas: arrives the second week of September, in the same week than Nebraska
  • South Dakota: arrives early September, 1 week earlier than Nebraska
  • Iowa: arrives early September, 1 week earlier than Nebraska
  • Minnesota: arrives late June, 10 weeks earlier than Nebraska

Common questions

When do Merlins arrive in Nebraska?
Merlins are winter birds in Nebraska: they arrive in the second week of September, peak in the second week of October (2.2% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of February.
When do Merlins leave Nebraska?
Most Merlins have left Nebraska by the second week of February, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Merlin in Nebraska?
The Merlin is reported most often in the second week of October, on about 2.2% of Nebraska checklists.
Where in Nebraska are Merlins seen most often?
By county, Phelps County, Kimball County, and Nance County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Merlin (counties with at least 200 checklists).