WhenToBird

Ammospiza nelsoni · Passerellidae

When Do Nelson's Sparrows Arrive in Nebraska?

Adult Nelson's Sparrow
Photo: Kathy Richardson, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Nelson's Sparrows mostly pass through Nebraska: they arrive in late September, peak in the second week of October (1.1% of checklists), and most are gone by mid October.

When to look

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

Best: the second week of October. First arrivals late September; most are gone by mid October. Peak: on about 1.1% of Nebraska checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marnot usually seen
  4. Aprnot usually seen
  5. Maynot usually seen
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepcommon
  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% of 4210 checklistsJan 8-14: 0% of 2891 checklistsJan 15-21: 0% of 2685 checklistsJan 22-31: 0% of 3834 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0% of 2803 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0% of 3134 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0% of 4508 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0% of 3238 checklistsMar 1-7: 0% of 3862 checklistsMar 8-14: 0% of 4894 checklistsMar 15-21: 0% of 5862 checklistsMar 22-31: 0% of 8598 checklistsApr 1-7: 0% of 5530 checklistsApr 8-14: 0% of 5528 checklistsApr 15-21: 0% of 6091 checklistsApr 22-30: 0% of 8661 checklistsMay 1-7: 0% of 9842 checklistsMay 8-14: 0% of 10044 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 8863 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 10207 checklistsJun 1-7: 0% of 4922 checklistsJun 8-14: 0% of 4054 checklistsJun 15-21: 0% of 3680 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 4349 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 3277 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 2803 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 2842 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 3920 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 2981 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 2819 checklistsAug 15-21: 0% of 3179 checklistsAug 22-31: 0% of 4599 checklistsSep 1-7: 0% of 3958 checklistsSep 8-14: 0% of 3460 checklistsSep 15-21: 0% of 3435 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.2% of 4975 checklistsOct 1-7: 1.7% of 3611 checklistsOct 8-14: 1.1% of 3605 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.4% of 3474 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.2% of 4352 checklistsNov 1-7: 0% of 3119 checklistsNov 8-14: 0% of 2887 checklistsNov 15-21: 0% of 2568 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.1% of 3506 checklistsDec 1-7: 0% of 2453 checklistsDec 8-14: 0% of 2756 checklistsDec 15-21: 0% of 3760 checklistsDec 22-31: 0% of 3746 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 Nebraska 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 Nebraska

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Dakota CountyBest the second week of October · 38 checklists that week, 2,182 in all6.9%
  2. Knox CountyBest the second week of October · 70 checklists that week, 2,080 in all4.0%
  3. Lancaster CountyBest the second week of October · 877 checklists that week, 44,392 in all3.3%
  4. Seward CountyBest mid October · 33 checklists that week, 4,268 in all2.2%
  5. Douglas CountyBest the second week of October · 484 checklists that week, 25,023 in all0.4%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Little Salt Fork Marsh Site FeeLancaster County, best the second week of October · 22 checklists that week, 181 in all37%
  2. Marsh WrenLancaster County, best early October · 112 checklists that week, 1,817 in all20%
  3. Flanagan Lake & Recreation AreaDouglas County, best the second week of October · 30 checklists that week, 1,089 in all5.2%
  4. Salt LakeLancaster County, best late October · 61 checklists that week, 2,553 in all4.1%
  5. Glacier Creek PreserveDouglas County, best early October · 23 checklists that week, 291 in all1.8%

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

Best time of day

In Nebraska, the Nelson's Sparrow is most often listed on checklists started between 7 and 9 am (0.2% of those checklists).

0%0.5%12 am: too few checklists (60) to judge1 am: too few checklists (70) to judge2 am: too few checklists (74) to judge3 am: too few checklists (97) to judge4 am: too few checklists (318) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1382) to judge6 am: 0.1% of 6945 checklists7 am: 0.2% of 19066 checklists8 am: 0.2% of 24661 checklists9 am: 0.1% of 23438 checklists10 am: 0.1% of 20424 checklists11 am: 0.1% of 16727 checklists12 pm: 0.1% of 14774 checklists1 pm: 0.1% of 14443 checklists2 pm: 0.1% of 14830 checklists3 pm: 0.1% of 14445 checklists4 pm: 0.1% of 13353 checklists5 pm: 0% of 10506 checklists6 pm: 0.1% of 9208 checklists7 pm: 0% of 6334 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (2406) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (531) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (201) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (82) 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%0%0%0%
February0%0%0%0%
March0%0%0%0%
April0%0%0%0%
May0%0%0.1%0.1%
June0%0%0%0%
July0%0%0%0%
August0%0%0%0%
September0%0%0%0.2%
October1.7%1.1%0.4%0.2%
November0%0%0%0.1%
December0%0%0%0%

Neighboring states

  • Iowa: arrives late September, in the same week than Nebraska
  • North Dakota: arrives late May, 16 weeks earlier than Nebraska
  • Illinois: arrives mid September, 1 week earlier than Nebraska
  • Mississippi: arrives early October, 1 week later than Nebraska

Common questions

When do Nelson's Sparrows arrive in Nebraska?
Nelson's Sparrows mostly pass through Nebraska: they arrive in late September, peak in the second week of October (1.1% of checklists), and most are gone by mid October.
When do Nelson's Sparrows leave Nebraska?
Most Nelson's Sparrows have left Nebraska by mid October, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Nelson's Sparrow in Nebraska?
The Nelson's Sparrow is reported most often in the second week of October, on about 1.1% of Nebraska checklists.
Where in Nebraska are Nelson's Sparrows seen most often?
By county, Dakota County, Knox County, and Lancaster County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Nelson's Sparrow (counties with at least 200 checklists).