WhenToBird

Parkesia noveboracensis · Parulidae

When Do Northern Waterthrushes Arrive in Florida?

Adult Northern Waterthrush
Photo: Luis G Restrepo, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Northern Waterthrushes arrive in Florida in the second week of August, peak in mid September (6.6% of checklists), and most are gone by mid December.

When to look

First arrivalsAug 8-14the second week of August
Common byAug 8-14the second week of August
PeakSep 15-21mid September
Most gone byDec 15-21mid December

Best: mid September. First arrivals the second week of August; most are gone by mid December. Peak: on about 6.6% of Florida checklists.

  1. Janrare
  2. Febrare
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augcommon
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Decrare

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

0%2%4%6%8%Jan 1-7: 0.6% of 74446 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.7% of 60074 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.7% of 62945 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.7% of 84954 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.7% of 59204 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.5% of 63259 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.5% of 77150 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.6% of 62850 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.6% of 58560 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.7% of 57756 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.9% of 54898 checklistsMar 22-31: 1.1% of 76702 checklistsApr 1-7: 1.5% of 55096 checklistsApr 8-14: 2.3% of 55892 checklistsApr 15-21: 3.5% of 59358 checklistsApr 22-30: 3.8% of 73124 checklistsMay 1-7: 3.4% of 47915 checklistsMay 8-14: 2.3% of 44114 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.9% of 31858 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 40723 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 31668 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 27802 checklistsJun 15-21: 0% of 26698 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.1% of 32346 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 23826 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.1% of 23071 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 22903 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.1% of 32952 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.1% of 25093 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.9% of 24888 checklistsAug 15-21: 2.1% of 26030 checklistsAug 22-31: 4.1% of 38612 checklistsSep 1-7: 5.6% of 31023 checklistsSep 8-14: 6.8% of 30022 checklistsSep 15-21: 6.9% of 31611 checklistsSep 22-30: 6.2% of 42108 checklistsOct 1-7: 5.7% of 36219 checklistsOct 8-14: 5.3% of 43113 checklistsOct 15-21: 3.7% of 40987 checklistsOct 22-31: 2.7% of 53457 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.5% of 38587 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.3% of 39208 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.1% of 39729 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.9% of 54965 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.8% of 42070 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.8% of 43424 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.7% of 50581 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.6% of 82405 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 Florida 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 Florida

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Monroe CountyBest mid September · 747 checklists that week, 62,908 in all29%
  2. Broward CountyBest the second week of September · 926 checklists that week, 57,530 in all14%
  3. Miami-Dade CountyBest late September · 2069 checklists that week, 118,849 in all13%
  4. Jefferson CountyBest late September · 69 checklists that week, 4,323 in all12%
  5. St. Lucie CountyBest the second week of October · 421 checklists that week, 21,132 in all12%
  6. Union CountyBest the second week of September · 25 checklists that week, 661 in all11%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Long Key State ParkMonroe County, best the second week of September · 80 checklists that week, 2,617 in all83%
  2. Canaveral Marshes Conservation AreaBrevard County, best the second week of October · 47 checklists that week, 1,169 in all77%
  3. Middle Cove (Middle Point)St. Lucie County, best the second week of October · 23 checklists that week, 140 in all69%
  4. Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park (southeast 2)Alachua County, best mid September · 22 checklists that week, 635 in all67%
  5. Chapmans Pond at Kanapaha ParkAlachua County, best the second week of September · 44 checklists that week, 1,537 in all57%
  6. Lake JacksonLeon County, best the second week of September · 98 checklists that week, 2,387 in all57%

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

Best time of day

In Florida, the Northern Waterthrush is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (2.7% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%12 am: too few checklists (771) to judge1 am: too few checklists (771) to judge2 am: too few checklists (701) to judge3 am: too few checklists (752) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1378) to judge5 am: too few checklists (9462) to judge6 am: 2.3% of 94591 checklists7 am: 2.9% of 296183 checklists8 am: 2.3% of 319987 checklists9 am: 1.7% of 254830 checklists10 am: 1.5% of 209480 checklists11 am: 1.3% of 163924 checklists12 pm: 1.1% of 133478 checklists1 pm: 1.1% of 125012 checklists2 pm: 1.1% of 125299 checklists3 pm: 1.2% of 131072 checklists4 pm: 1.2% of 134410 checklists5 pm: 1.3% of 113373 checklists6 pm: 1.1% of 69886 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (37509) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (8966) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2093) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1485) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (862) 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
January0.6%0.7%0.7%0.7%
February0.7%0.5%0.5%0.6%
March0.6%0.7%0.9%1.1%
April1.5%2.3%3.5%3.8%
May3.4%2.3%0.9%0.1%
June0.1%0.1%0%0.1%
July0%0.1%0%0.1%
August0.1%0.9%2.1%4.1%
September5.6%6.8%6.9%6.2%
October5.7%5.3%3.7%2.7%
November1.5%1.3%1.1%0.9%
December0.8%0.8%0.7%0.6%

Neighboring states

  • Georgia: arrives the second week of March, 20 weeks earlier than Florida
  • South Carolina: arrives late July, 2 weeks earlier than Florida
  • Alabama: arrives early April, 17 weeks earlier than Florida
  • Mississippi: arrives late August, 2 weeks later than Florida

Common questions

When do Northern Waterthrushes arrive in Florida?
Northern Waterthrushes arrive in Florida in the second week of August, peak in mid September (6.6% of checklists), and most are gone by mid December.
When do Northern Waterthrushes leave Florida?
Most Northern Waterthrushes have left Florida by mid December, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Northern Waterthrush in Florida?
The Northern Waterthrush is reported most often in mid September, on about 6.6% of Florida checklists.
Where in Florida are Northern Waterthrushes seen most often?
By county, Monroe County, Broward County, and Miami-Dade County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Northern Waterthrush (counties with at least 200 checklists).