WhenToBird

Parkesia noveboracensis · Parulidae

When Do Northern Waterthrushes Arrive in Louisiana?

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

Northern Waterthrushes arrive in Louisiana in early August, peak in mid September (6.7% of checklists), and most are gone by mid November.

When to look

First arrivalsAug 1-7early August
Common byAug 1-7early August
PeakSep 15-21mid September
Most gone byNov 15-21mid November

Best: mid September. First arrivals early August; most are gone by mid November. Peak: on about 6.7% of Louisiana checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marnot usually seen
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augcommon
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novrare
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%2%4%6%8%Jan 1-7: 0.1% of 8384 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.1% of 6265 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.2% of 6825 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.1% of 8776 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.1% of 5956 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.1% of 6291 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.1% of 8044 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0% of 5946 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.1% of 5981 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.1% of 6307 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.1% of 6747 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.1% of 10487 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.3% of 8037 checklistsApr 8-14: 2.0% of 9577 checklistsApr 15-21: 4.1% of 11372 checklistsApr 22-30: 5.1% of 14344 checklistsMay 1-7: 3.1% of 8193 checklistsMay 8-14: 1.1% of 6823 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 4818 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 6206 checklistsJun 1-7: 0% of 3660 checklistsJun 8-14: 0% of 3455 checklistsJun 15-21: 0% of 3084 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 3904 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 3240 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 3235 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 3167 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 4328 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.1% of 3192 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.3% of 3394 checklistsAug 15-21: 1.6% of 3502 checklistsAug 22-31: 4.0% of 5658 checklistsSep 1-7: 6.1% of 4366 checklistsSep 8-14: 7.0% of 4648 checklistsSep 15-21: 6.8% of 4369 checklistsSep 22-30: 6.4% of 6418 checklistsOct 1-7: 4.9% of 5375 checklistsOct 8-14: 3.0% of 6213 checklistsOct 15-21: 1.4% of 5553 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.8% of 8879 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.2% of 6231 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.3% of 5011 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.2% of 4856 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.1% of 6696 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.1% of 4530 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.1% of 4883 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.1% of 5833 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.1% of 9940 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 Louisiana 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 Louisiana

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Iberia ParishBest the second week of September · 14 checklists that week, 1,313 in all25%
  2. Tangipahoa ParishBest mid September · 116 checklists that week, 5,579 in all21%
  3. Acadia ParishBest the second week of September · 82 checklists that week, 4,718 in all18%
  4. Bossier ParishBest late April · 224 checklists that week, 3,463 in all15%
  5. Orleans ParishBest mid September · 637 checklists that week, 40,365 in all15%
  6. Red River ParishBest the second week of September · 21 checklists that week, 998 in all14%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. US 90/190 Rest Area St. TammanySt. Tammany Parish, best mid September · 29 checklists that week, 794 in all49%
  2. C. Bickham Dickson Park - in Bossier Ph.Caddo Parish, best early May · 28 checklists that week, 581 in all48%
  3. Tchefuncte River and Its TributariesSt. Tammany Parish, best mid September · 23 checklists that week, 1,001 in all34%
  4. New Orleans City Park (Demourelles Island)Orleans Parish, best mid September · 26 checklists that week, 1,449 in all34%
  5. New Orleans City Park (Scout Island)Orleans Parish, best late September · 67 checklists that week, 1,216 in all34%

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

Best time of day

In Louisiana, the Northern Waterthrush is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (2.0% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%12 am: too few checklists (110) to judge1 am: too few checklists (95) to judge2 am: too few checklists (78) to judge3 am: too few checklists (145) to judge4 am: too few checklists (266) to judge5 am: too few checklists (2981) to judge6 am: 1.8% of 21115 checklists7 am: 2.1% of 38843 checklists8 am: 1.7% of 36306 checklists9 am: 1.3% of 31934 checklists10 am: 1.1% of 27208 checklists11 am: 1.0% of 20733 checklists12 pm: 1.0% of 18505 checklists1 pm: 1.1% of 17383 checklists2 pm: 1.3% of 17422 checklists3 pm: 1.2% of 17005 checklists4 pm: 1.4% of 17170 checklists5 pm: 1.6% of 12536 checklists6 pm: 1.0% of 8080 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (3798) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (676) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (311) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (206) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (93) 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%0.1%0.2%0.1%
February0.1%0.1%0.1%0%
March0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
April0.3%2.0%4.1%5.1%
May3.1%1.1%0.1%0.1%
June0%0%0%0%
July0%0%0%0%
August0.1%0.3%1.6%4.0%
September6.1%7.0%6.8%6.4%
October4.9%3.0%1.4%0.8%
November0.2%0.3%0.2%0.1%
December0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%

Neighboring states

  • Mississippi: arrives late August, 3 weeks later than Louisiana
  • Alabama: arrives early April, 16 weeks earlier than Louisiana
  • Texas: arrives mid March, 18 weeks earlier than Louisiana
  • Arkansas: arrives mid April, 14 weeks earlier than Louisiana

Common questions

When do Northern Waterthrushes arrive in Louisiana?
Northern Waterthrushes arrive in Louisiana in early August, peak in mid September (6.7% of checklists), and most are gone by mid November.
When do Northern Waterthrushes leave Louisiana?
Most Northern Waterthrushes have left Louisiana by mid November, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Northern Waterthrush in Louisiana?
The Northern Waterthrush is reported most often in mid September, on about 6.7% of Louisiana checklists.
Where in Louisiana are Northern Waterthrushes seen most often?
By county, Iberia Parish, Tangipahoa Parish, and Acadia Parish have the highest peak reporting rates for the Northern Waterthrush (counties with at least 200 checklists).