WhenToBird

Leiothlypis ruficapilla · Parulidae

When Do Nashville Warblers Arrive in North Carolina?

Adult Nashville Warbler
Photo: Josiah Londerée, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Nashville Warblers mostly pass through North Carolina: they arrive in the second week of September, peak in late September (1.4% of checklists), and most are gone by mid October.

When to look

First arrivalsSep 8-14the second week of September
Common bySep 8-14the second week of September
PeakSep 22-30late September
Most gone byOct 15-21mid October

Best: late September. First arrivals the second week of September; most are gone by mid October. Peak: on about 1.4% of North Carolina checklists.

  1. Janrare
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marnot usually seen
  4. Aprrare
  5. Mayrare
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augrare
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novrare
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%0.5%1%1.5%2%Jan 1-7: 0.1% of 30085 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.3% of 22728 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.3% of 24292 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.1% of 34122 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.1% of 26352 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.1% of 29663 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.1% of 41515 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.1% of 24318 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.1% of 23408 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.1% of 22658 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.1% of 22784 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.1% of 36034 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.1% of 28131 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.1% of 29190 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.1% of 32847 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.1% of 47966 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.1% of 37076 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.1% of 36228 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 30378 checklistsMay 22-31: 0% of 40237 checklistsJun 1-7: 0% of 27551 checklistsJun 8-14: 0% of 26473 checklistsJun 15-21: 0% of 22789 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 27615 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 20022 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 19315 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 18934 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 25600 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 17987 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 17307 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.1% of 17080 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.1% of 25844 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.4% of 20818 checklistsSep 8-14: 1.0% of 20070 checklistsSep 15-21: 1.5% of 21984 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.4% of 26979 checklistsOct 1-7: 1.2% of 22605 checklistsOct 8-14: 1.1% of 22677 checklistsOct 15-21: 1.0% of 21407 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.3% of 25927 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.2% of 18830 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.1% of 18418 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.1% of 19101 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.1% of 25709 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.1% of 18856 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.1% of 18745 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.1% of 22478 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.1% of 34796 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 North 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 North Carolina

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Mitchell CountyBest mid September · 68 checklists that week, 2,981 in all6.6%
  2. Tyrrell CountyBest late September · 11 checklists that week, 2,289 in all5.0%
  3. McDowell CountyBest mid September · 163 checklists that week, 5,848 in all4.4%
  4. Henderson CountyBest mid September · 863 checklists that week, 33,437 in all4.3%
  5. Swain CountyBest mid September · 127 checklists that week, 5,669 in all4.0%
  6. Yancey CountyBest late September · 394 checklists that week, 11,714 in all3.9%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Town of Apex Open Space - Apex Community ParkWake County, best mid January · 66 checklists that week, 1,073 in all62%
  2. Town of Duck - Duck Town Park BoardwalkDare County, best early October · 172 checklists that week, 2,630 in all18%
  3. Fort Macon State ParkCarteret County, best mid January · 22 checklists that week, 758 in all16%
  4. Blue Ridge Parkway (Swafford Gap)McDowell County, best mid September · 20 checklists that week, 154 in all13%
  5. City of Winston-Salem Open Space - CivitanForsyth County, best the second week of October · 23 checklists that week, 742 in all13%
  6. North Cherokee National Forest & Wildlife Management AreaMitchell County, best mid September · 20 checklists that week, 356 in all12%

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

Best time of day

In North Carolina, the Nashville Warbler is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (0.3% of those checklists).

0%0.5%12 am: too few checklists (520) to judge1 am: too few checklists (489) to judge2 am: too few checklists (442) to judge3 am: too few checklists (544) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1621) to judge5 am: too few checklists (9671) to judge6 am: 0.2% of 50335 checklists7 am: 0.4% of 150152 checklists8 am: 0.3% of 182902 checklists9 am: 0.2% of 158933 checklists10 am: 0.1% of 128398 checklists11 am: 0.1% of 98671 checklists12 pm: 0.1% of 78640 checklists1 pm: 0.1% of 72510 checklists2 pm: 0.1% of 69179 checklists3 pm: 0.1% of 67669 checklists4 pm: 0.1% of 63964 checklists5 pm: 0.1% of 48520 checklists6 pm: 0.1% of 33196 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (19700) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (6160) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1943) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1119) 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
January0.1%0.3%0.3%0.1%
February0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
March0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
April0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
May0.1%0.1%0.1%0%
June0%0%0%0%
July0%0%0%0%
August0%0%0.1%0.1%
September0.4%1.0%1.5%1.4%
October1.2%1.1%1.0%0.3%
November0.2%0.1%0.1%0.1%
December0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%

Neighboring states

  • Virginia: arrives mid August, 3 weeks earlier than North Carolina
  • West Virginia: arrives late August, 2 weeks earlier than North Carolina
  • District of Columbia: arrives mid August, 3 weeks earlier than North Carolina
  • Maryland: arrives mid August, 3 weeks earlier than North Carolina

Common questions

When do Nashville Warblers arrive in North Carolina?
Nashville Warblers mostly pass through North Carolina: they arrive in the second week of September, peak in late September (1.4% of checklists), and most are gone by mid October.
When do Nashville Warblers leave North Carolina?
Most Nashville Warblers have left North Carolina by mid October, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Nashville Warbler in North Carolina?
The Nashville Warbler is reported most often in late September, on about 1.4% of North Carolina checklists.
Where in North Carolina are Nashville Warblers seen most often?
By county, Mitchell County, Tyrrell County, and McDowell County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Nashville Warbler (counties with at least 200 checklists).