WhenToBird

Zenaida macroura · Columbidae

When Do Mourning Doves Arrive in Maryland?

Adult male Mourning Dove
Photo: Texas Bird Family, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

The Mourning Dove is in Maryland all year. It turns up on about 57% of checklists at its peak (mid August) and on 28% in its quietest week (early January).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekAug 15-21mid August
Quietest weekJan 1-7early January

Best: mid August. Here all year. Peak: on about 57% of Maryland checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%20%40%60%Jan 1-7: 28% of 28716 checklistsJan 8-14: 29% of 21449 checklistsJan 15-21: 29% of 21267 checklistsJan 22-31: 31% of 29144 checklistsFeb 1-7: 34% of 21347 checklistsFeb 8-14: 40% of 22166 checklistsFeb 15-21: 42% of 29986 checklistsFeb 22-28: 44% of 22427 checklistsMar 1-7: 45% of 21389 checklistsMar 8-14: 47% of 22192 checklistsMar 15-21: 48% of 22823 checklistsMar 22-31: 48% of 33720 checklistsApr 1-7: 49% of 25513 checklistsApr 8-14: 49% of 27718 checklistsApr 15-21: 51% of 29328 checklistsApr 22-30: 53% of 42595 checklistsMay 1-7: 54% of 38532 checklistsMay 8-14: 52% of 42722 checklistsMay 15-21: 53% of 31936 checklistsMay 22-31: 52% of 36903 checklistsJun 1-7: 52% of 23191 checklistsJun 8-14: 52% of 21853 checklistsJun 15-21: 53% of 21000 checklistsJun 22-30: 53% of 25133 checklistsJul 1-7: 55% of 18715 checklistsJul 8-14: 54% of 16376 checklistsJul 15-21: 56% of 15793 checklistsJul 22-31: 57% of 21969 checklistsAug 1-7: 56% of 16013 checklistsAug 8-14: 56% of 15249 checklistsAug 15-21: 57% of 15674 checklistsAug 22-31: 57% of 24925 checklistsSep 1-7: 55% of 19808 checklistsSep 8-14: 50% of 18513 checklistsSep 15-21: 48% of 21901 checklistsSep 22-30: 46% of 22901 checklistsOct 1-7: 42% of 19111 checklistsOct 8-14: 37% of 18482 checklistsOct 15-21: 35% of 17380 checklistsOct 22-31: 34% of 23992 checklistsNov 1-7: 32% of 17915 checklistsNov 8-14: 28% of 18905 checklistsNov 15-21: 30% of 16259 checklistsNov 22-30: 30% of 22852 checklistsDec 1-7: 30% of 16108 checklistsDec 8-14: 31% of 16512 checklistsDec 15-21: 31% of 18952 checklistsDec 22-31: 27% of 29728 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 Maryland 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 Maryland

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Prince George's CountyBest mid August · 1232 checklists that week, 87,907 in all67%
  2. Frederick CountyBest the second week of August · 848 checklists that week, 57,576 in all65%
  3. Baltimore CountyBest late August · 3209 checklists that week, 136,139 in all65%
  4. Kent CountyBest the second week of June · 286 checklists that week, 13,396 in all62%
  5. Queen Anne's CountyBest mid July · 458 checklists that week, 26,875 in all62%
  6. Cecil CountyBest late June · 551 checklists that week, 18,620 in all61%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Layhill VillageMontgomery County, best mid December · 20 checklists that week, 1,211 in all98%
  2. Gerber KnollHoward County, best late June · 26 checklists that week, 922 in all95%
  3. Baker Park (City of Frederick)Frederick County, best early September · 46 checklists that week, 2,954 in all94%
  4. Dans Rock FtAllegany County, best early August · 32 checklists that week, 583 in all94%

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

Best time of day

In Maryland, the Mourning Dove is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (61% of those checklists).

0%20%40%60%80%12 am: too few checklists (486) to judge1 am: too few checklists (451) to judge2 am: too few checklists (447) to judge3 am: too few checklists (766) to judge4 am: too few checklists (2076) to judge5 am: too few checklists (11098) to judge6 am: 63% of 56604 checklists7 am: 61% of 139255 checklists8 am: 55% of 148626 checklists9 am: 46% of 126820 checklists10 am: 37% of 106973 checklists11 am: 32% of 87483 checklists12 pm: 31% of 74808 checklists1 pm: 32% of 69428 checklists2 pm: 33% of 67800 checklists3 pm: 38% of 67688 checklists4 pm: 43% of 60927 checklists5 pm: 50% of 43876 checklists6 pm: 52% of 32930 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (19051) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (5708) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1977) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1170) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (635) 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
January28%29%29%31%
February34%40%42%44%
March45%47%48%48%
April49%49%51%53%
May54%52%53%52%
June52%52%53%53%
July55%54%56%57%
August56%56%57%57%
September55%50%48%46%
October42%37%35%34%
November32%28%30%30%
December30%31%31%27%

Neighboring states

Common questions

When do Mourning Doves arrive in Maryland?
The Mourning Dove is in Maryland all year. It turns up on about 57% of checklists at its peak (mid August) and on 28% in its quietest week (early January).
When do Mourning Doves leave Maryland?
The Mourning Dove does not leave Maryland: it is reported all year, from 28% of checklists in early January to 57% in mid August.
When is the best time to see a Mourning Dove in Maryland?
The Mourning Dove is reported most often in mid August, on about 57% of Maryland checklists.
Where in Maryland are Mourning Doves seen most often?
By county, Prince George's County, Frederick County, and Baltimore County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Mourning Dove (counties with at least 200 checklists).