WhenToBird

Cygnus olor · Anatidae

When Do Mute Swans Arrive in Michigan?

Adult Mute Swan
Photo: Radu Teodoreanu, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Mute Swans are in Michigan all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from mid February, peak in mid March (17% of checklists), and fall back by late April. In the quietest week (late June) they are still on about 5.9% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildFeb 15-21mid February
PeakMar 15-21mid March
Fall back byApr 22-30late April
FewestJun 22-30late June

Best: mid March. Here all year; numbers build from mid February and fall back by late April. Peak: on about 17% of Michigan checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%5%10%15%20%Jan 1-7: 13% of 38160 checklistsJan 8-14: 12% of 24696 checklistsJan 15-21: 11% of 23771 checklistsJan 22-31: 10% of 31347 checklistsFeb 1-7: 11% of 23225 checklistsFeb 8-14: 10% of 27398 checklistsFeb 15-21: 9.2% of 36606 checklistsFeb 22-28: 15% of 27127 checklistsMar 1-7: 16% of 29700 checklistsMar 8-14: 16% of 31587 checklistsMar 15-21: 17% of 32118 checklistsMar 22-31: 17% of 47777 checklistsApr 1-7: 16% of 38557 checklistsApr 8-14: 14% of 42207 checklistsApr 15-21: 13% of 42759 checklistsApr 22-30: 12% of 64458 checklistsMay 1-7: 10% of 60998 checklistsMay 8-14: 9.0% of 72091 checklistsMay 15-21: 7.9% of 59058 checklistsMay 22-31: 7.6% of 64724 checklistsJun 1-7: 6.9% of 35990 checklistsJun 8-14: 6.4% of 32595 checklistsJun 15-21: 5.7% of 30017 checklistsJun 22-30: 5.9% of 33988 checklistsJul 1-7: 6.1% of 28708 checklistsJul 8-14: 6.5% of 25175 checklistsJul 15-21: 6.7% of 24084 checklistsJul 22-31: 6.8% of 33522 checklistsAug 1-7: 7.3% of 25098 checklistsAug 8-14: 7.5% of 24353 checklistsAug 15-21: 7.7% of 25059 checklistsAug 22-31: 8.1% of 37489 checklistsSep 1-7: 7.9% of 28410 checklistsSep 8-14: 8.1% of 27887 checklistsSep 15-21: 8.9% of 26614 checklistsSep 22-30: 9.8% of 32557 checklistsOct 1-7: 10% of 25844 checklistsOct 8-14: 11% of 27741 checklistsOct 15-21: 13% of 24693 checklistsOct 22-31: 13% of 32460 checklistsNov 1-7: 14% of 23660 checklistsNov 8-14: 14% of 21542 checklistsNov 15-21: 14% of 19922 checklistsNov 22-30: 14% of 25069 checklistsDec 1-7: 13% of 18272 checklistsDec 8-14: 12% of 18961 checklistsDec 15-21: 9.1% of 24171 checklistsDec 22-31: 11% of 30908 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 Michigan 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 Michigan

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Monroe CountyBest mid April · 707 checklists that week, 22,078 in all40%
  2. Van Buren CountyBest late January · 224 checklists that week, 14,183 in all39%
  3. Macomb CountyBest early March · 1343 checklists that week, 61,232 in all33%
  4. St. Joseph CountyBest late November · 80 checklists that week, 6,972 in all32%
  5. Huron CountyBest the second week of November · 95 checklists that week, 4,733 in all31%
  6. Livingston CountyBest late October · 749 checklists that week, 31,033 in all31%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Dodge #4 State ParkOakland County, best mid October · 20 checklists that week, 506 in all100%
  2. Medalie ParkGrand Traverse County, best the second week of September · 94 checklists that week, 3,995 in all98%
  3. Tupper LakeGenesee County, best the second week of February · 30 checklists that week, 154 in all98%
  4. South Pond Nature AreaWashtenaw County, best the second week of July · 23 checklists that week, 1,241 in all98%
  5. North Bay ParkWashtenaw County, best the second week of December · 69 checklists that week, 2,958 in all98%
  6. Ford Lake (northwest)Washtenaw County, best early March · 23 checklists that week, 122 in all98%

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

Best time of day

In Michigan, the Mute Swan is most often listed on checklists started between 1 and 3 pm (13% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%12 am: too few checklists (712) to judge1 am: too few checklists (592) to judge2 am: too few checklists (532) to judge3 am: too few checklists (516) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1592) to judge5 am: too few checklists (6849) to judge6 am: 7.1% of 39298 checklists7 am: 8.1% of 120344 checklists8 am: 9.2% of 180109 checklists9 am: 10% of 171966 checklists10 am: 11% of 156332 checklists11 am: 12% of 134964 checklists12 pm: 12% of 120967 checklists1 pm: 13% of 113852 checklists2 pm: 12% of 110773 checklists3 pm: 12% of 105530 checklists4 pm: 12% of 100958 checklists5 pm: 11% of 80085 checklists6 pm: 10% of 62883 checklists7 pm: 8.2% of 44912 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (21062) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (5920) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1629) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (775) 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
January13%12%11%10%
February11%10%9.2%15%
March16%16%17%17%
April16%14%13%12%
May10%9.0%7.9%7.6%
June6.9%6.4%5.7%5.9%
July6.1%6.5%6.7%6.8%
August7.3%7.5%7.7%8.1%
September7.9%8.1%8.9%9.8%
October10%11%13%13%
November14%14%14%14%
December13%12%9.1%11%

Neighboring states

  • Ohio: arrives late July, 21 weeks later than Michigan
  • Indiana: arrives late October, 15 weeks earlier than Michigan
  • Illinois: arrives mid September, 20 weeks earlier than Michigan
  • Kentucky: arrives mid July, 20 weeks later than Michigan

Common questions

When do Mute Swans arrive in Michigan?
Mute Swans are in Michigan all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from mid February, peak in mid March (17% of checklists), and fall back by late April. In the quietest week (late June) they are still on about 5.9% of checklists.
When do Mute Swans leave Michigan?
Mute Swans never fully leave Michigan: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by late April, but some are still reported in every week, about 5.9% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Mute Swan in Michigan?
The Mute Swan is reported most often in mid March, on about 17% of Michigan checklists.
Where in Michigan are Mute Swans seen most often?
By county, Monroe County, Van Buren County, and Macomb County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Mute Swan (counties with at least 200 checklists).