WhenToBird

Falco columbarius · Falconidae

When Do Merlins Arrive in Rhode Island?

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

Merlins reach Rhode Island in late August, are common by early September, peak in mid September (7.5% of checklists), and most are gone by late November.

When to look

First arrivalsAug 22-31late August
Common bySep 1-7early September
PeakSep 15-21mid September
Most gone byNov 22-30late November

Best: mid September. First arrivals late August; most are gone by late November. Peak: on about 7.5% of Rhode Island checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marrare
  4. Aprrare
  5. Mayrare
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%2%4%6%8%Jan 1-7: 1.3% of 5678 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.2% of 4004 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.3% of 3691 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.5% of 4738 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.3% of 3178 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.3% of 3262 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.3% of 4286 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.2% of 3449 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.8% of 3014 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.9% of 3259 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.8% of 3320 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.6% of 4692 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.6% of 3280 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.6% of 3872 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.6% of 4037 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.6% of 5595 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.6% of 5699 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.2% of 6089 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 4937 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 5445 checklistsJun 1-7: 0% of 3031 checklistsJun 8-14: 0% of 2793 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.1% of 2736 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.1% of 3318 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.1% of 2629 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.2% of 2561 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.1% of 2580 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.1% of 3654 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.1% of 2629 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.2% of 2912 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.6% of 2850 checklistsAug 22-31: 1.1% of 4007 checklistsSep 1-7: 3.6% of 2893 checklistsSep 8-14: 6.7% of 2850 checklistsSep 15-21: 7.9% of 2770 checklistsSep 22-30: 7.8% of 3888 checklistsOct 1-7: 6.8% of 3174 checklistsOct 8-14: 6.4% of 3278 checklistsOct 15-21: 5.7% of 3008 checklistsOct 22-31: 4.0% of 3678 checklistsNov 1-7: 2.4% of 3270 checklistsNov 8-14: 2.9% of 3405 checklistsNov 15-21: 2.7% of 2907 checklistsNov 22-30: 2.1% of 3607 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.9% of 2415 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.7% of 2345 checklistsDec 15-21: 2.1% of 2836 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.6% of 4826 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 Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Washington CountyBest early October · 1304 checklists that week, 65,038 in all12%
  2. Newport CountyBest mid September · 544 checklists that week, 33,574 in all6.7%
  3. Bristol CountyBest late September · 329 checklists that week, 15,899 in all6.1%
  4. Providence CountyBest mid September · 710 checklists that week, 40,898 in all2.9%
  5. Kent CountyBest mid September · 202 checklists that week, 16,966 in all2.0%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Block Island National Wildlife RefugeWashington County, best the second week of September · 22 checklists that week, 407 in all50%
  2. Block Island National Wildlife Refuge (Settlers Rock)Washington County, best early October · 26 checklists that week, 157 in all38%
  3. Napatree PointWashington County, best mid September · 89 checklists that week, 3,109 in all26%
  4. East BeachWashington County, best the second week of November · 24 checklists that week, 316 in all23%
  5. Sachem PondWashington County, best late September · 23 checklists that week, 174 in all19%
  6. Money PondWashington County, best late September · 26 checklists that week, 868 in all19%

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

Best time of day

In Rhode Island, the Merlin is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (2.9% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%12 am: too few checklists (42) to judge1 am: too few checklists (58) to judge2 am: too few checklists (45) to judge3 am: too few checklists (69) to judge4 am: too few checklists (319) to judge5 am: too few checklists (3170) to judge6 am: 4.1% of 10493 checklists7 am: 2.2% of 17631 checklists8 am: 1.7% of 18834 checklists9 am: 1.4% of 17725 checklists10 am: 1.4% of 16696 checklists11 am: 1.2% of 14799 checklists12 pm: 1.1% of 12580 checklists1 pm: 1.3% of 12779 checklists2 pm: 1.4% of 12302 checklists3 pm: 1.8% of 11884 checklists4 pm: 1.9% of 9762 checklists5 pm: 1.4% of 6442 checklists6 pm: 0.9% of 3947 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (2119) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (452) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (105) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (69) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (53) 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
January1.3%1.2%1.3%1.5%
February1.3%1.3%1.3%1.2%
March0.8%0.9%0.8%0.6%
April0.6%0.6%0.6%0.6%
May0.6%0.2%0.1%0.1%
June0%0%0.1%0.1%
July0.1%0.2%0.1%0.1%
August0.1%0.2%0.6%1.1%
September3.6%6.7%7.9%7.8%
October6.8%6.4%5.7%4.0%
November2.4%2.9%2.7%2.1%
December1.9%1.7%2.1%1.6%

Neighboring states

  • Massachusetts: arrives the second week of August, 2 weeks earlier than Rhode Island
  • Connecticut: arrives late August, in the same week than Rhode Island
  • New Hampshire: arrives early July, 7 weeks earlier than Rhode Island
  • Vermont: arrives late June, 8 weeks earlier than Rhode Island

Common questions

When do Merlins arrive in Rhode Island?
Merlins reach Rhode Island in late August, are common by early September, peak in mid September (7.5% of checklists), and most are gone by late November.
When do Merlins leave Rhode Island?
Most Merlins have left Rhode Island by late November, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until late February.
When is the best time to see a Merlin in Rhode Island?
The Merlin is reported most often in mid September, on about 7.5% of Rhode Island checklists.
Where in Rhode Island are Merlins seen most often?
By county, Washington County, Newport County, and Bristol County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Merlin (counties with at least 200 checklists).