WhenToBird

Falco peregrinus · Falconidae

When Do Peregrine Falcons Arrive in Ohio?

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

Peregrine Falcons are winter birds in Ohio: the first arrive in the second week of July, they are common by early August, peak in early October (1.3% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of April.

When to look

First arrivalsJul 8-14the second week of July
Common byAug 1-7early August
PeakOct 1-7early October
Most gone byApr 8-14the second week of April

Best: early October. First arrivals the second week of July; most are gone by the second week of April. Peak: on about 1.3% of Ohio checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Jununcommon
  7. Juluncommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%0.5%1%1.5%Jan 1-7: 0.8% of 46637 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.8% of 31056 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.7% of 30129 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.0% of 38665 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.7% of 27203 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.5% of 30626 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.4% of 40705 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.5% of 31391 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.6% of 32914 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.5% of 33973 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.5% of 33678 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.5% of 49889 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.6% of 41225 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.5% of 47174 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.5% of 47017 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.5% of 73055 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.4% of 80637 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.5% of 102552 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.4% of 64582 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.4% of 52766 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.4% of 29279 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.3% of 25773 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.3% of 23163 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.3% of 27794 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.3% of 23334 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.4% of 22147 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.5% of 20998 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.5% of 29749 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.5% of 22899 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.8% of 21972 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.8% of 22215 checklistsAug 22-31: 1.0% of 35087 checklistsSep 1-7: 1.1% of 29148 checklistsSep 8-14: 1.1% of 28042 checklistsSep 15-21: 1.0% of 26751 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.3% of 32398 checklistsOct 1-7: 1.4% of 26209 checklistsOct 8-14: 1.3% of 26809 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.9% of 23504 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.0% of 33269 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.0% of 25563 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.7% of 23810 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.9% of 22127 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.8% of 29449 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.7% of 22370 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.6% of 21581 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.7% of 24232 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.7% 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. Madison CountyBest late November · 109 checklists that week, 5,206 in all5.7%
  2. Meigs CountyBest mid November · 15 checklists that week, 1,139 in all5.1%
  3. Mahoning CountyBest early October · 236 checklists that week, 14,421 in all4.2%
  4. Monroe CountyBest early January · 31 checklists that week, 1,141 in all4.0%
  5. Lake CountyBest late September · 1354 checklists that week, 59,983 in all4.0%
  6. Lorain CountyBest late September · 1056 checklists that week, 59,913 in all3.9%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Olentangy TrailFranklin County, best late January · 52 checklists that week, 682 in all45%
  2. Cahoon ParkCuyahoga County, best early September · 21 checklists that week, 1,070 in all43%
  3. Cuyahoga Valley National ParkSummit County, best late March · 79 checklists that week, 3,740 in all31%
  4. Lakewood ParkCuyahoga County, best late September · 20 checklists that week, 886 in all24%
  5. Ohio & Erie Canal TowpathCuyahoga County, best early March · 32 checklists that week, 1,225 in all23%

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

Best time of day

In Ohio, the Peregrine Falcon is most often listed on checklists started between 7 and 9 am (0.8% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%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: 0.5% of 43093 checklists7 am: 0.8% of 142017 checklists8 am: 0.8% of 205296 checklists9 am: 0.7% of 196322 checklists10 am: 0.6% of 170882 checklists11 am: 0.6% of 144567 checklists12 pm: 0.6% of 126551 checklists1 pm: 0.6% of 117855 checklists2 pm: 0.5% of 112869 checklists3 pm: 0.6% of 109786 checklists4 pm: 0.6% of 103116 checklists5 pm: 0.5% of 78409 checklists6 pm: 0.4% of 56785 checklists7 pm: 0.4% 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
January0.8%0.8%0.7%1.0%
February0.7%0.5%0.4%0.5%
March0.6%0.5%0.5%0.5%
April0.6%0.5%0.5%0.5%
May0.4%0.5%0.4%0.4%
June0.4%0.3%0.3%0.3%
July0.3%0.4%0.5%0.5%
August0.5%0.8%0.8%1.0%
September1.1%1.1%1.0%1.3%
October1.4%1.3%0.9%1.0%
November1.0%0.7%0.9%0.8%
December0.7%0.6%0.7%0.7%

Neighboring states

  • Indiana: arrives early March, 17 weeks earlier than Ohio
  • Michigan: arrives early July, 1 week earlier than Ohio
  • Kentucky: arrives mid April, 11 weeks earlier than Ohio
  • Pennsylvania: arrives late July, 2 weeks later than Ohio

Common questions

When do Peregrine Falcons arrive in Ohio?
Peregrine Falcons are winter birds in Ohio: the first arrive in the second week of July, they are common by early August, peak in early October (1.3% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of April.
When do Peregrine Falcons leave Ohio?
Most Peregrine Falcons have left Ohio by the second week of April, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until late May.
When is the best time to see a Peregrine Falcon in Ohio?
The Peregrine Falcon is reported most often in early October, on about 1.3% of Ohio checklists.
Where in Ohio are Peregrine Falcons seen most often?
By county, Madison County, Meigs County, and Mahoning County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Peregrine Falcon (counties with at least 200 checklists).