WhenToBird

Falco columbarius · Falconidae

When Do Merlins Arrive in Virginia?

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

Merlins arrive in Virginia in early September, peak in late September (2.6% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of March.

When to look

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

Best: late September. First arrivals early September; most are gone by the second week of March. Peak: on about 2.6% of Virginia 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. Novpeak season
  12. Deccommon

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

0%1%2%3%Jan 1-7: 0.9% of 32817 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.2% of 25111 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.0% of 25510 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.9% of 34492 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.9% of 24950 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.6% of 28224 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.5% of 43578 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.8% of 26467 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.7% of 25851 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.6% of 25901 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.6% of 26747 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.4% of 40819 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.4% of 31351 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.4% of 33239 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.4% of 37284 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.4% of 54364 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.3% of 47698 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.2% of 46174 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 36444 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 43203 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 28503 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 25485 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.1% of 23728 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.1% of 28785 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.1% of 22294 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.1% of 20481 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.1% of 18914 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.1% of 26976 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.1% of 19555 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.1% of 18744 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.1% of 18721 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.2% of 28763 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.7% of 23594 checklistsSep 8-14: 1.7% of 22581 checklistsSep 15-21: 2.6% of 23036 checklistsSep 22-30: 2.5% of 29687 checklistsOct 1-7: 2.5% of 24321 checklistsOct 8-14: 2.1% of 23946 checklistsOct 15-21: 2.3% of 22191 checklistsOct 22-31: 2.1% of 30161 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.7% of 21431 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.9% of 22758 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.5% of 19988 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.5% of 27665 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.3% of 19324 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.1% of 20316 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.0% of 25675 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.1% of 38677 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 Virginia 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 Virginia

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Northampton CountyBest late September · 1387 checklists that week, 27,227 in all23%
  2. Charles CityBest late September · 50 checklists that week, 2,357 in all11%
  3. Essex CountyBest mid October · 46 checklists that week, 2,973 in all11%
  4. King William CountyBest the second week of September · 48 checklists that week, 2,070 in all9.9%
  5. Russell CountyBest late September · 29 checklists that week, 770 in all8.7%
  6. Charlottesville CountyBest mid January · 265 checklists that week, 14,390 in all7.5%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Kiptopeke State Park (Butlers Bluff)Northampton County, best the second week of October · 77 checklists that week, 868 in all61%
  2. KiptopekeNorthampton County, best late September · 77 checklists that week, 504 in all51%
  3. Magothy Bay State Natural Area PreserveNorthampton County, best mid September · 27 checklists that week, 855 in all43%
  4. Kiptopeke State ParkNorthampton County, best late September · 128 checklists that week, 1,648 in all41%
  5. Eastern Shore of Virginia National Wildlife RefugeNorthampton County, best late September · 86 checklists that week, 1,401 in all39%
  6. Pen ParkCharlottesville County, best early March · 20 checklists that week, 573 in all30%

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

Best time of day

In Virginia, the Merlin is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (1.0% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%12 am: too few checklists (485) to judge1 am: too few checklists (488) to judge2 am: too few checklists (423) to judge3 am: too few checklists (565) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1410) to judge5 am: too few checklists (10265) to judge6 am: 0.9% of 64788 checklists7 am: 1.1% of 169128 checklists8 am: 0.9% of 180748 checklists9 am: 0.7% of 153462 checklists10 am: 0.7% of 128966 checklists11 am: 0.6% of 104204 checklists12 pm: 0.6% of 91604 checklists1 pm: 0.7% of 85547 checklists2 pm: 0.7% of 82355 checklists3 pm: 0.9% of 82265 checklists4 pm: 0.8% of 76714 checklists5 pm: 0.6% of 56782 checklists6 pm: 0.4% of 40131 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (24290) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (7744) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2383) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1122) 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
January0.9%1.2%1.0%0.9%
February0.9%0.6%0.5%0.8%
March0.7%0.6%0.6%0.4%
April0.4%0.4%0.4%0.4%
May0.3%0.2%0.1%0.1%
June0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
July0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
August0.1%0.1%0.1%0.2%
September0.7%1.7%2.6%2.5%
October2.5%2.1%2.3%2.1%
November1.7%1.9%1.5%1.5%
December1.3%1.1%1.0%1.1%

Neighboring states

  • District of Columbia: arrives early September, in the same week than Virginia
  • Maryland: arrives early September, in the same week than Virginia
  • West Virginia: arrives the second week of July, 7 weeks earlier than Virginia
  • Delaware: arrives early September, in the same week than Virginia

Common questions

When do Merlins arrive in Virginia?
Merlins arrive in Virginia in early September, peak in late September (2.6% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of March.
When do Merlins leave Virginia?
Most Merlins have left Virginia by the second week of March, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Merlin in Virginia?
The Merlin is reported most often in late September, on about 2.6% of Virginia checklists.
Where in Virginia are Merlins seen most often?
By county, Northampton County, Charles City, and Essex County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Merlin (counties with at least 200 checklists).