WhenToBird

Falco columbarius · Falconidae

When Do Merlins Arrive in North Carolina?

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

Merlins arrive in North Carolina in the second week of September, peak in late September (1.7% of checklists), and most are gone by early February.

When to look

First arrivalsSep 8-14the second week of September
Common bySep 8-14the second week of September
PeakSep 22-30late September
Most gone byFeb 1-7early February

Best: late September. First arrivals the second week of September; most are gone by early February. Peak: on about 1.7% of North Carolina checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Mayrare
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augrare
  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: 0.7% of 30085 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.7% of 22728 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.5% of 24292 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.7% of 34122 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.6% of 26352 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.4% of 29663 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.3% of 41515 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.5% of 24318 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.5% of 23408 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.4% of 22658 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.3% of 22784 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.3% of 36034 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.3% of 28131 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.2% of 29190 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.2% of 32847 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.3% of 47966 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.1% of 37076 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.1% of 36228 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 30378 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 40237 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 27551 checklistsJun 8-14: 0% of 26473 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.1% of 22789 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.1% of 27615 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.1% of 20022 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.1% of 19315 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.1% of 18934 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.1% of 25600 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.1% of 17987 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.1% of 17307 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.1% of 17080 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.1% of 25844 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.3% of 20818 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.8% of 20070 checklistsSep 15-21: 1.7% of 21984 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.9% of 26979 checklistsOct 1-7: 1.5% of 22605 checklistsOct 8-14: 1.4% of 22677 checklistsOct 15-21: 2.0% of 21407 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.4% of 25927 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.1% of 18830 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.1% of 18418 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.1% of 19101 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.0% of 25709 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.0% of 18856 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.8% of 18745 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.6% of 22478 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.8% of 34796 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 North Carolina 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 North Carolina

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Hyde CountyBest late September · 134 checklists that week, 8,350 in all9.3%
  2. Dare CountyBest late September · 1710 checklists that week, 83,121 in all8.8%
  3. Washington CountyBest late October · 41 checklists that week, 3,065 in all8.3%
  4. Yancey CountyBest late September · 394 checklists that week, 11,714 in all7.7%
  5. Mitchell CountyBest early October · 82 checklists that week, 2,981 in all7.4%
  6. Anson CountyBest the second week of December · 10 checklists that week, 2,224 in all5.7%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Mecklenburg County Open Space - Rural Hill Nature PreserveMecklenburg County, best early January · 20 checklists that week, 334 in all33%
  2. Cape Hatteras National Seashore (north)Dare County, best mid October · 27 checklists that week, 423 in all28%
  3. Cape HatterasDare County, best the second week of September · 22 checklists that week, 1,295 in all26%
  4. Cape Hatteras State ParkDare County, best late September · 31 checklists that week, 923 in all23%
  5. North Cherokee National Forest & Wildlife Management AreaMitchell County, best late September · 22 checklists that week, 356 in all22%

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

Best time of day

In North Carolina, the Merlin is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (0.7% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%12 am: too few checklists (520) to judge1 am: too few checklists (489) to judge2 am: too few checklists (442) to judge3 am: too few checklists (544) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1621) to judge5 am: too few checklists (9671) to judge6 am: 0.7% of 50335 checklists7 am: 0.8% of 150152 checklists8 am: 0.6% of 182902 checklists9 am: 0.5% of 158933 checklists10 am: 0.4% of 128398 checklists11 am: 0.4% of 98671 checklists12 pm: 0.4% of 78640 checklists1 pm: 0.5% of 72510 checklists2 pm: 0.5% of 69179 checklists3 pm: 0.5% of 67669 checklists4 pm: 0.5% of 63964 checklists5 pm: 0.4% of 48520 checklists6 pm: 0.2% of 33196 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (19700) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (6160) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1943) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1119) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (651) 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
January0.7%0.7%0.5%0.7%
February0.6%0.4%0.3%0.5%
March0.5%0.4%0.3%0.3%
April0.3%0.2%0.2%0.3%
May0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
June0.1%0%0.1%0.1%
July0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
August0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
September0.3%0.8%1.7%1.9%
October1.5%1.4%2.0%1.4%
November1.1%1.1%1.1%1.0%
December1.0%0.8%0.6%0.8%

Neighboring states

  • South Carolina: arrives the second week of September, in the same week than North Carolina
  • Virginia: arrives early September, 1 week earlier than North Carolina
  • West Virginia: arrives the second week of July, 8 weeks earlier than North Carolina
  • District of Columbia: arrives early September, 1 week earlier than North Carolina

Common questions

When do Merlins arrive in North Carolina?
Merlins arrive in North Carolina in the second week of September, peak in late September (1.7% of checklists), and most are gone by early February.
When do Merlins leave North Carolina?
Most Merlins have left North Carolina by early February, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Merlin in North Carolina?
The Merlin is reported most often in late September, on about 1.7% of North Carolina checklists.
Where in North Carolina are Merlins seen most often?
By county, Hyde County, Dare County, and Washington County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Merlin (counties with at least 200 checklists).