WhenToBird

Falco columbarius · Falconidae

When Do Merlins Arrive in Utah?

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

Merlins are winter birds in Utah: they arrive in the second week of October, peak in late December (2.8% of checklists), and most are gone by mid March.

When to look

First arrivalsOct 8-14the second week of October
Common byOct 8-14the second week of October
PeakDec 22-31late December
Most gone byMar 15-21mid March

Best: late December. First arrivals the second week of October; most are gone by mid March. Peak: on about 2.8% of Utah checklists.

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

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

0%1%2%3%4%Jan 1-7: 3.1% of 10857 checklistsJan 8-14: 2.4% of 8333 checklistsJan 15-21: 2.2% of 8360 checklistsJan 22-31: 2.3% of 10516 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.6% of 7416 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.8% of 8082 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.6% of 9643 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.8% of 7960 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.3% of 7998 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.6% of 8581 checklistsMar 15-21: 1.0% of 8637 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.9% of 13006 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.6% of 10562 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.6% of 11694 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.4% of 11382 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.3% of 16626 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.1% of 13523 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.1% of 14714 checklistsMay 15-21: 0% of 13711 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 16546 checklistsJun 1-7: 0% of 10284 checklistsJun 8-14: 0% of 9530 checklistsJun 15-21: 0% of 8854 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 10566 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 7987 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.1% of 7471 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.1% of 7240 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 9329 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.1% of 6521 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 6423 checklistsAug 15-21: 0% of 6208 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.1% of 9089 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.4% of 7081 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.4% of 7306 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.6% of 7208 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.8% of 8876 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.8% of 7265 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.9% of 7226 checklistsOct 15-21: 1.3% of 7007 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.4% of 8443 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.7% of 6711 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.4% of 6290 checklistsNov 15-21: 2.0% of 6169 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.9% of 8228 checklistsDec 1-7: 2.4% of 6011 checklistsDec 8-14: 2.4% of 6044 checklistsDec 15-21: 2.7% of 6721 checklistsDec 22-31: 2.6% of 9982 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 Utah 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 Utah

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Emery CountyBest early December · 10 checklists that week, 2,339 in all6.5%
  2. Duchesne CountyBest mid December · 14 checklists that week, 2,692 in all5.8%
  3. Juab CountyBest early January · 32 checklists that week, 2,572 in all5.5%
  4. Carbon CountyBest the second week of January · 62 checklists that week, 3,753 in all5.4%
  5. Tooele CountyBest the second week of January · 75 checklists that week, 4,788 in all5.4%
  6. Millard CountyBest late December · 29 checklists that week, 2,206 in all5.3%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Big Cottonwood ParkSalt Lake County, best mid December · 58 checklists that week, 3,275 in all19%
  2. Community Center ParkWashington County, best early February · 23 checklists that week, 222 in all17%
  3. Harold Crane State Wildlife AreaWeber County, best late December · 26 checklists that week, 173 in all17%
  4. James Madison ParkSalt Lake County, best late December · 24 checklists that week, 936 in all17%
  5. Crestwood Outdoor PoolSalt Lake County, best early March · 20 checklists that week, 546 in all13%

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

Best time of day

In Utah, the Merlin is most often listed on checklists started between 2 and 4 pm (1.3% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%12 am: too few checklists (242) to judge1 am: too few checklists (178) to judge2 am: too few checklists (169) to judge3 am: too few checklists (162) to judge4 am: too few checklists (284) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1984) to judge6 am: 0.3% of 11714 checklists7 am: 0.7% of 33209 checklists8 am: 0.9% of 46944 checklists9 am: 0.9% of 46290 checklists10 am: 0.9% of 43144 checklists11 am: 0.9% of 36893 checklists12 pm: 1.1% of 32758 checklists1 pm: 1.2% of 30142 checklists2 pm: 1.3% of 29414 checklists3 pm: 1.3% of 29491 checklists4 pm: 1.2% of 29154 checklists5 pm: 0.8% of 22256 checklists6 pm: 0.4% of 17383 checklists7 pm: 0.2% of 13099 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (6647) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1753) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (599) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (307) 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
January3.1%2.4%2.2%2.3%
February1.6%1.8%1.6%1.8%
March1.3%1.6%1.0%0.9%
April0.6%0.6%0.4%0.3%
May0.1%0.1%0%0.1%
June0%0%0%0%
July0%0.1%0.1%0%
August0.1%0%0%0.1%
September0.4%0.4%0.6%0.8%
October0.8%0.9%1.3%1.4%
November1.7%1.4%2.0%1.9%
December2.4%2.4%2.7%2.6%

Neighboring states

  • Wyoming: arrives early September, 5 weeks earlier than Utah
  • Nevada: arrives late September, 2 weeks earlier than Utah
  • Colorado: arrives the second week of September, 4 weeks earlier than Utah
  • Idaho: arrives the second week of September, 4 weeks earlier than Utah

Common questions

When do Merlins arrive in Utah?
Merlins are winter birds in Utah: they arrive in the second week of October, peak in late December (2.8% of checklists), and most are gone by mid March.
When do Merlins leave Utah?
Most Merlins have left Utah by mid March, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Merlin in Utah?
The Merlin is reported most often in late December, on about 2.8% of Utah checklists.
Where in Utah are Merlins seen most often?
By county, Emery County, Duchesne County, and Juab County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Merlin (counties with at least 200 checklists).