WhenToBird

Falco peregrinus · Falconidae

When Do Peregrine Falcons Arrive in Michigan?

Adult Peregrine Falcon
Photo: Andrea Poggi, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Peregrine Falcons are winter birds in Michigan: the first arrive in early July, they are common by late July, peak in early October (1.2% of checklists), and most are gone by late May.

When to look

First arrivalsJul 1-7early July
Common byJul 22-31late July
PeakOct 1-7early October
Most gone byMay 22-31late May

Best: early October. First arrivals early July; most are gone by late May. Peak: on about 1.2% of Michigan checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Jununcommon
  7. Juluncommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%0.5%1%1.5%Jan 1-7: 0.4% of 38160 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.6% of 24696 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.5% of 23771 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.5% of 31347 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.4% of 23225 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.5% of 27398 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.3% of 36606 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.5% of 27127 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.4% of 29700 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.6% of 31587 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.4% of 32118 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.4% of 47777 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.4% of 38557 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.4% of 42207 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.4% of 42759 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.5% of 64458 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.4% of 60998 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.5% of 72091 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.5% of 59058 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.4% of 64724 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.3% of 35990 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.3% of 32595 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.3% of 30017 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.2% of 33988 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.3% of 28708 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.3% of 25175 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.3% of 24084 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.4% of 33522 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.5% of 25098 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.6% of 24353 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.7% of 25059 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.8% of 37489 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.8% of 28410 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.7% of 27887 checklistsSep 15-21: 1.0% of 26614 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.3% of 32557 checklistsOct 1-7: 1.4% of 25844 checklistsOct 8-14: 1.1% of 27741 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.7% of 24693 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.5% of 32460 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.4% of 23660 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.4% of 21542 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.4% of 19922 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.3% of 25069 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.5% of 18272 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.3% of 18961 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.3% of 24171 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.3% 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. Iosco CountyBest early October · 288 checklists that week, 31,409 in all7.3%
  2. Mackinac CountyBest late September · 265 checklists that week, 7,988 in all6.9%
  3. Monroe CountyBest mid August · 609 checklists that week, 22,078 in all6.8%
  4. Chippewa CountyBest early October · 532 checklists that week, 28,128 in all6.5%
  5. Arenac CountyBest the second week of October · 36 checklists that week, 4,464 in all5.6%
  6. Marquette CountyBest early September · 497 checklists that week, 25,107 in all5.0%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Moores ParkIngham County, best late February · 24 checklists that week, 355 in all51%
  2. Wilson Park (Flint)Genesee County, best the second week of March · 137 checklists that week, 140 in all43%
  3. Black RiverSt. Clair County, best mid February · 32 checklists that week, 519 in all35%
  4. Tiscornia ParkBerrien County, best early October · 80 checklists that week, 3,628 in all26%
  5. Lake Erie Metropark (Cherry Island)Wayne County, best early October · 38 checklists that week, 696 in all22%

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

Best time of day

In Michigan, the Peregrine Falcon is most often listed on checklists started between 10 am and 12 pm (0.6% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%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: 0.4% of 39298 checklists7 am: 0.5% of 120344 checklists8 am: 0.5% of 180109 checklists9 am: 0.5% of 171966 checklists10 am: 0.5% of 156332 checklists11 am: 0.6% of 134964 checklists12 pm: 0.5% of 120967 checklists1 pm: 0.5% of 113852 checklists2 pm: 0.5% of 110773 checklists3 pm: 0.5% of 105530 checklists4 pm: 0.5% of 100958 checklists5 pm: 0.4% of 80085 checklists6 pm: 0.4% of 62883 checklists7 pm: 0.4% 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
January0.4%0.6%0.5%0.5%
February0.4%0.5%0.3%0.5%
March0.4%0.6%0.4%0.4%
April0.4%0.4%0.4%0.5%
May0.4%0.5%0.5%0.4%
June0.3%0.3%0.3%0.2%
July0.3%0.3%0.3%0.4%
August0.5%0.6%0.7%0.8%
September0.8%0.7%1.0%1.3%
October1.4%1.1%0.7%0.5%
November0.4%0.4%0.4%0.3%
December0.5%0.3%0.3%0.3%

Neighboring states

  • Ohio: arrives the second week of July, 1 week later than Michigan
  • Indiana: arrives early March, 16 weeks earlier than Michigan
  • Illinois: arrives mid June, 2 weeks earlier than Michigan
  • Wisconsin: arrives mid July, 2 weeks later than Michigan

Common questions

When do Peregrine Falcons arrive in Michigan?
Peregrine Falcons are winter birds in Michigan: the first arrive in early July, they are common by late July, peak in early October (1.2% of checklists), and most are gone by late May.
When do Peregrine Falcons leave Michigan?
Most Peregrine Falcons have left Michigan by late May, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until early June.
When is the best time to see a Peregrine Falcon in Michigan?
The Peregrine Falcon is reported most often in early October, on about 1.2% of Michigan checklists.
Where in Michigan are Peregrine Falcons seen most often?
By county, Iosco County, Mackinac County, and Monroe County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Peregrine Falcon (counties with at least 200 checklists).