WhenToBird

Falco columbarius · Falconidae

When Do Merlins Arrive in South Carolina?

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

Merlins are winter birds in South Carolina: they arrive in the second week of September, peak in early October (2.2% 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
PeakOct 1-7early October
Most gone byFeb 1-7early February

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

  1. Januncommon
  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. Decuncommon

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

0%1%2%3%Jan 1-7: 0.7% of 15487 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.6% of 11691 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.5% of 11994 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.5% of 16225 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.4% of 12192 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.4% of 14044 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.4% of 18483 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.4% of 12045 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.4% of 11511 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.3% of 11704 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.3% of 11526 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.2% of 17386 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.2% of 13148 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.3% of 13193 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.4% of 13936 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.3% of 19002 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.1% of 14133 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.1% of 13668 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 11064 checklistsMay 22-31: 0% of 14461 checklistsJun 1-7: 0% of 10231 checklistsJun 8-14: 0% of 9417 checklistsJun 15-21: 0% of 8012 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 9720 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 7907 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 7338 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 7312 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 10877 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.1% of 7816 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 7655 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.1% of 7797 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.1% of 11246 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.3% of 8956 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.7% of 8929 checklistsSep 15-21: 1.7% of 9389 checklistsSep 22-30: 2.3% of 13028 checklistsOct 1-7: 2.0% of 11063 checklistsOct 8-14: 2.3% of 10968 checklistsOct 15-21: 2.1% of 10264 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.5% of 12917 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.9% of 8802 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.8% of 8339 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.8% of 8798 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.9% of 12925 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.6% of 8541 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.5% of 8609 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.8% of 9961 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.5% of 17541 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 South 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 South Carolina

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Allendale CountyBest mid December · 15 checklists that week, 1,172 in all7.1%
  2. Georgetown CountyBest early October · 601 checklists that week, 32,234 in all6.5%
  3. Jasper CountyBest the second week of January · 261 checklists that week, 12,443 in all5.5%
  4. Chesterfield CountyBest early January · 20 checklists that week, 1,880 in all5.4%
  5. Charleston CountyBest early October · 2211 checklists that week, 102,218 in all5.3%
  6. Calhoun CountyBest early January · 25 checklists that week, 1,061 in all4.4%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Historical ParkCharleston County, best the second week of October · 119 checklists that week, 3,372 in all27%
  2. Hunting Island State ParkBeaufort County, best late September · 20 checklists that week, 641 in all22%
  3. Greenway Plantation PondCharleston County, best mid October · 23 checklists that week, 671 in all22%
  4. The Cove (Fort Moultrie)Charleston County, best early October · 51 checklists that week, 1,023 in all21%
  5. Lighthouse Inlet Heritage PreserveCharleston County, best early October · 47 checklists that week, 1,859 in all21%

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

Best time of day

In South Carolina, the Merlin is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (0.8% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%12 am: too few checklists (222) to judge1 am: too few checklists (160) to judge2 am: too few checklists (132) to judge3 am: too few checklists (212) to judge4 am: too few checklists (267) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1898) to judge6 am: 0.5% of 19280 checklists7 am: 0.9% of 66492 checklists8 am: 0.7% of 73941 checklists9 am: 0.5% of 63039 checklists10 am: 0.5% of 52652 checklists11 am: 0.5% of 41908 checklists12 pm: 0.3% of 36782 checklists1 pm: 0.4% of 33300 checklists2 pm: 0.5% of 32248 checklists3 pm: 0.5% of 35451 checklists4 pm: 0.5% of 34410 checklists5 pm: 0.4% of 27073 checklists6 pm: 0.2% of 17375 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (10313) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (2756) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (672) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (412) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (256) 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%0.6%0.5%0.5%
February0.4%0.4%0.4%0.4%
March0.4%0.3%0.3%0.2%
April0.2%0.3%0.4%0.3%
May0.1%0.1%0.1%0%
June0%0%0%0%
July0%0%0%0%
August0.1%0%0.1%0.1%
September0.3%0.7%1.7%2.3%
October2.0%2.3%2.1%1.5%
November0.9%0.8%0.8%0.9%
December0.6%0.5%0.8%0.5%

Neighboring states

  • North Carolina: arrives the second week of September, in the same week than South Carolina
  • Georgia: arrives the second week of September, in the same week than South Carolina
  • Virginia: arrives early September, 1 week earlier than South Carolina
  • Alabama: arrives mid September, 1 week later than South Carolina

Common questions

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