WhenToBird

Spatula clypeata · Anatidae

When Do Northern Shovelers Arrive in Ohio?

Adult male Northern Shoveler
Photo: Chris O'Donoghue, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Northern Shovelers are winter birds in Ohio: the first arrive in early September, they are common by mid September, peak in late March (10% of checklists), and most are gone by early May.

When to look

First arrivalsSep 1-7early September
Common bySep 15-21mid September
PeakMar 22-31late March
Most gone byMay 1-7early May

Best: late March. First arrivals early September; most are gone by early May. Peak: on about 10% of Ohio checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augrare
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 2.8% of 46637 checklistsJan 8-14: 2.6% of 31056 checklistsJan 15-21: 3.1% of 30129 checklistsJan 22-31: 2.7% of 38665 checklistsFeb 1-7: 2.7% of 27203 checklistsFeb 8-14: 2.3% of 30626 checklistsFeb 15-21: 2.8% of 40705 checklistsFeb 22-28: 5.6% of 31391 checklistsMar 1-7: 7.7% of 32914 checklistsMar 8-14: 9.3% of 33973 checklistsMar 15-21: 11% of 33678 checklistsMar 22-31: 11% of 49889 checklistsApr 1-7: 9.5% of 41225 checklistsApr 8-14: 7.5% of 47174 checklistsApr 15-21: 6.1% of 47017 checklistsApr 22-30: 3.2% of 73055 checklistsMay 1-7: 1.9% of 80637 checklistsMay 8-14: 1.5% of 102552 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.7% of 64582 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.3% of 52766 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 29279 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 25773 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.1% of 23163 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.1% of 27794 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.1% of 23334 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.1% of 22147 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.1% of 20998 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.1% of 29749 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.1% of 22899 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.2% of 21972 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.5% of 22215 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.8% of 35087 checklistsSep 1-7: 1.4% of 29148 checklistsSep 8-14: 1.5% of 28042 checklistsSep 15-21: 1.8% of 26751 checklistsSep 22-30: 2.3% of 32398 checklistsOct 1-7: 2.8% of 26209 checklistsOct 8-14: 3.0% of 26809 checklistsOct 15-21: 4.1% of 23504 checklistsOct 22-31: 4.1% of 33269 checklistsNov 1-7: 4.6% of 25563 checklistsNov 8-14: 4.1% of 23810 checklistsNov 15-21: 3.9% of 22127 checklistsNov 22-30: 3.7% of 29449 checklistsDec 1-7: 3.9% of 22370 checklistsDec 8-14: 3.0% of 21581 checklistsDec 15-21: 2.3% of 24232 checklistsDec 22-31: 2.2% of 36084 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 Ohio 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 Ohio

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Mercer CountyBest mid March · 52 checklists that week, 2,091 in all54%
  2. Wyandot CountyBest late March · 224 checklists that week, 6,235 in all38%
  3. Wayne CountyBest mid March · 1183 checklists that week, 37,443 in all33%
  4. Auglaize CountyBest early April · 50 checklists that week, 2,068 in all27%
  5. Ottawa CountyBest late March · 1028 checklists that week, 51,024 in all26%
  6. Erie CountyBest late March · 692 checklists that week, 30,456 in all25%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Mercer Wildlife AreaMercer County, best mid March · 20 checklists that week, 630 in all100%
  2. Blue HoleErie County, best late January · 189 checklists that week, 1,348 in all97%
  3. Pintail MarshLucas County, best mid March · 47 checklists that week, 1,695 in all92%
  4. Pickerel Creek Wildlife Area (Strong Creek)Sandusky County, best early April · 22 checklists that week, 517 in all89%
  5. Miami Whitewater ForestHamilton County, best the second week of March · 30 checklists that week, 987 in all88%

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

Best time of day

In Ohio, the Northern Shoveler is most often listed on checklists started between 1 and 3 pm (3.9% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%4%12 am: too few checklists (574) to judge1 am: too few checklists (609) to judge2 am: too few checklists (466) to judge3 am: too few checklists (478) to judge4 am: too few checklists (662) to judge5 am: too few checklists (4366) to judge6 am: 1.4% of 43093 checklists7 am: 2.3% of 142017 checklists8 am: 2.7% of 205296 checklists9 am: 3.0% of 196322 checklists10 am: 3.4% of 170882 checklists11 am: 3.5% of 144567 checklists12 pm: 3.7% of 126551 checklists1 pm: 3.9% of 117855 checklists2 pm: 3.9% of 112869 checklists3 pm: 3.8% of 109786 checklists4 pm: 3.7% of 103116 checklists5 pm: 3.4% of 78409 checklists6 pm: 2.9% of 56785 checklists7 pm: 1.7% of 37923 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (14954) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2710) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (854) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (486) 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
January2.8%2.6%3.1%2.7%
February2.7%2.3%2.8%5.6%
March7.7%9.3%11%11%
April9.5%7.5%6.1%3.2%
May1.9%1.5%0.7%0.3%
June0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
July0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
August0.1%0.2%0.5%0.8%
September1.4%1.5%1.8%2.3%
October2.8%3.0%4.1%4.1%
November4.6%4.1%3.9%3.7%
December3.9%3.0%2.3%2.2%

Neighboring states

  • West Virginia: arrives late October, 7 weeks later than Ohio
  • Indiana: arrives early September, in the same week than Ohio
  • Michigan: arrives late February, 23 weeks later than Ohio
  • Kentucky: arrives early October, 4 weeks later than Ohio

Common questions

When do Northern Shovelers arrive in Ohio?
Northern Shovelers are winter birds in Ohio: the first arrive in early September, they are common by mid September, peak in late March (10% of checklists), and most are gone by early May.
When do Northern Shovelers leave Ohio?
Most Northern Shovelers have left Ohio by early May, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until the second week of May.
When is the best time to see a Northern Shoveler in Ohio?
The Northern Shoveler is reported most often in late March, on about 10% of Ohio checklists.
Where in Ohio are Northern Shovelers seen most often?
By county, Mercer County, Wyandot County, and Wayne County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Northern Shoveler (counties with at least 200 checklists).