WhenToBird

Pandion haliaetus · Pandionidae

When Do Ospreys Arrive in Michigan?

Adult female Osprey
Photo: Bill Levine, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Ospreys reach Michigan in late March, are common by early April, peak in the second week of August (6.2% of checklists), and most are gone by mid September.

When to look

First arrivalsMar 22-31late March
Common byApr 1-7early April
PeakAug 8-14the second week of August
Most gone bySep 15-21mid September

Best: the second week of August. First arrivals late March; most are gone by mid September. Peak: on about 6.2% of Michigan checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novnot usually seen
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%2%4%6%8%Jan 1-7: 0% of 38160 checklistsJan 8-14: 0% of 24696 checklistsJan 15-21: 0% of 23771 checklistsJan 22-31: 0% of 31347 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0% of 23225 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0% of 27398 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0% of 36606 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0% of 27127 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.1% of 29700 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.1% of 31587 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.3% of 32118 checklistsMar 22-31: 1.4% of 47777 checklistsApr 1-7: 2.9% of 38557 checklistsApr 8-14: 3.6% of 42207 checklistsApr 15-21: 4.3% of 42759 checklistsApr 22-30: 4.6% of 64458 checklistsMay 1-7: 4.0% of 60998 checklistsMay 8-14: 3.7% of 72091 checklistsMay 15-21: 3.4% of 59058 checklistsMay 22-31: 3.5% of 64724 checklistsJun 1-7: 3.1% of 35990 checklistsJun 8-14: 3.6% of 32595 checklistsJun 15-21: 3.4% of 30017 checklistsJun 22-30: 3.3% of 33988 checklistsJul 1-7: 4.2% of 28708 checklistsJul 8-14: 4.2% of 25175 checklistsJul 15-21: 4.6% of 24084 checklistsJul 22-31: 4.9% of 33522 checklistsAug 1-7: 5.8% of 25098 checklistsAug 8-14: 6.6% of 24353 checklistsAug 15-21: 6.2% of 25059 checklistsAug 22-31: 5.6% of 37489 checklistsSep 1-7: 4.0% of 28410 checklistsSep 8-14: 2.9% of 27887 checklistsSep 15-21: 2.2% of 26614 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.5% of 32557 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.9% of 25844 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.7% of 27741 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.4% of 24693 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.3% of 32460 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.1% of 23660 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.1% of 21542 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.1% of 19922 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.1% of 25069 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.1% of 18272 checklistsDec 8-14: 0% of 18961 checklistsDec 15-21: 0% of 24171 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.1% of 30908 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 Michigan 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 Michigan

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Gratiot CountyBest the second week of August · 155 checklists that week, 5,892 in all51%
  2. Monroe CountyBest mid August · 609 checklists that week, 22,078 in all44%
  3. Roscommon CountyBest mid June · 289 checklists that week, 7,054 in all31%
  4. Ogemaw CountyBest early August · 83 checklists that week, 4,675 in all29%
  5. Branch CountyBest mid August · 33 checklists that week, 2,279 in all23%
  6. Ionia CountyBest late July · 79 checklists that week, 5,509 in all15%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Houghton Lake Flats North Flooding State Wildlife Management AreaRoscommon County, best the second week of August · 47 checklists that week, 1,067 in all97%
  2. Pointe Mouillee State Game AreaMonroe County, best mid July · 93 checklists that week, 3,630 in all77%
  3. Maple River State Game AreaGratiot County, best mid August · 54 checklists that week, 2,240 in all74%
  4. Lake Erie MetroparkWayne County, best the second week of June · 20 checklists that week, 4,141 in all70%
  5. Robert H. Long ParkOakland County, best early August · 166 checklists that week, 5,994 in all68%

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

Best time of day

In Michigan, the Osprey is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 pm (3.1% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%4%12 am: too few checklists (712) to judge1 am: too few checklists (592) to judge2 am: too few checklists (532) to judge3 am: too few checklists (516) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1592) to judge5 am: too few checklists (6849) to judge6 am: 3.5% of 39298 checklists7 am: 2.8% of 120344 checklists8 am: 2.4% of 180109 checklists9 am: 2.5% of 171966 checklists10 am: 2.4% of 156332 checklists11 am: 2.2% of 134964 checklists12 pm: 2.2% of 120967 checklists1 pm: 2.0% of 113852 checklists2 pm: 2.0% of 110773 checklists3 pm: 2.0% of 105530 checklists4 pm: 2.1% of 100958 checklists5 pm: 2.6% of 80085 checklists6 pm: 3.1% of 62883 checklists7 pm: 3.1% of 44912 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (21062) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (5920) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1629) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (775) 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%
March0.1%0.1%0.3%1.4%
April2.9%3.6%4.3%4.6%
May4.0%3.7%3.4%3.5%
June3.1%3.6%3.4%3.3%
July4.2%4.2%4.6%4.9%
August5.8%6.6%6.2%5.6%
September4.0%2.9%2.2%1.5%
October0.9%0.7%0.4%0.3%
November0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
December0.1%0%0%0.1%

Neighboring states

  • Ohio: arrives mid March, 1 week earlier than Michigan
  • Indiana: arrives mid March, 1 week earlier than Michigan
  • Illinois: arrives late March, in the same week than Michigan
  • Wisconsin: arrives late March, in the same week than Michigan

Common questions

When do Ospreys arrive in Michigan?
Ospreys reach Michigan in late March, are common by early April, peak in the second week of August (6.2% of checklists), and most are gone by mid September.
When do Ospreys leave Michigan?
Most Ospreys have left Michigan by mid September, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until early October.
When is the best time to see a Osprey in Michigan?
The Osprey is reported most often in the second week of August, on about 6.2% of Michigan checklists.
Where in Michigan are Ospreys seen most often?
By county, Gratiot County, Monroe County, and Roscommon County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Osprey (counties with at least 200 checklists).