WhenToBird

Podilymbus podiceps · Podicipedidae

When Do Pied-billed Grebes Arrive in Michigan?

Adult Pied-billed Grebe
Photo: Rodrigo Paiva Lázaro, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Pied-billed Grebes reach Michigan in early March, are common by the second week of March, peak in the second week of April (10% of checklists), and most are gone by late November.

When to look

First arrivalsMar 1-7early March
Common byMar 8-14the second week of March
PeakApr 8-14the second week of April
Most gone byNov 22-30late November

Best: the second week of April. First arrivals early March; most are gone by late November. Peak: on about 10% of Michigan checklists.

  1. Janrare
  2. Febrare
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maycommon
  6. Jununcommon
  7. Juluncommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decrare

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 0.5% of 38160 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.5% of 24696 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.5% of 23771 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.5% of 31347 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.6% of 23225 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.5% of 27398 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.5% of 36606 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.7% of 27127 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.3% of 29700 checklistsMar 8-14: 2.3% of 31587 checklistsMar 15-21: 4.1% of 32118 checklistsMar 22-31: 7.3% of 47777 checklistsApr 1-7: 11% of 38557 checklistsApr 8-14: 11% of 42207 checklistsApr 15-21: 10% of 42759 checklistsApr 22-30: 7.3% of 64458 checklistsMay 1-7: 4.3% of 60998 checklistsMay 8-14: 3.4% of 72091 checklistsMay 15-21: 4.3% of 59058 checklistsMay 22-31: 3.0% of 64724 checklistsJun 1-7: 2.6% of 35990 checklistsJun 8-14: 2.2% of 32595 checklistsJun 15-21: 2.5% of 30017 checklistsJun 22-30: 2.6% of 33988 checklistsJul 1-7: 2.8% of 28708 checklistsJul 8-14: 2.5% of 25175 checklistsJul 15-21: 2.7% of 24084 checklistsJul 22-31: 3.4% of 33522 checklistsAug 1-7: 3.7% of 25098 checklistsAug 8-14: 3.9% of 24353 checklistsAug 15-21: 4.2% of 25059 checklistsAug 22-31: 4.3% of 37489 checklistsSep 1-7: 4.4% of 28410 checklistsSep 8-14: 5.0% of 27887 checklistsSep 15-21: 6.1% of 26614 checklistsSep 22-30: 5.9% of 32557 checklistsOct 1-7: 6.5% of 25844 checklistsOct 8-14: 7.3% of 27741 checklistsOct 15-21: 8.5% of 24693 checklistsOct 22-31: 8.1% of 32460 checklistsNov 1-7: 7.8% of 23660 checklistsNov 8-14: 6.4% of 21542 checklistsNov 15-21: 4.3% of 19922 checklistsNov 22-30: 2.2% of 25069 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.2% of 18272 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.7% of 18961 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.6% of 24171 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.4% 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. Monroe CountyBest mid August · 609 checklists that week, 22,078 in all36%
  2. Manistee CountyBest early October · 217 checklists that week, 16,394 in all32%
  3. Bay CountyBest mid April · 450 checklists that week, 16,522 in all30%
  4. Iosco CountyBest the second week of September · 428 checklists that week, 31,409 in all25%
  5. Saginaw CountyBest the second week of September · 159 checklists that week, 8,573 in all24%
  6. Jackson CountyBest mid October · 491 checklists that week, 34,259 in all23%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Dingman Marsh Flooding State Wildlife Management AreaCheboygan County, best the second week of September · 20 checklists that week, 331 in all94%
  2. Watkins LakeJackson County, best the second week of October · 90 checklists that week, 2,334 in all92%
  3. Huron National ForestIosco County, best the second week of August · 25 checklists that week, 2,426 in all87%
  4. Shiawassee National Wildlife RefugeSaginaw County, best early August · 29 checklists that week, 324 in all76%
  5. Quanicassee State Wildlife Area (west)Bay County, best mid June · 20 checklists that week, 352 in all76%
  6. Gallup ParkWashtenaw County, best late October · 49 checklists that week, 3,028 in all76%

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

Best time of day

In Michigan, the Pied-billed Grebe is most often listed on checklists started between 5 and 7 pm (4.8% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%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: 4.5% of 39298 checklists7 am: 4.4% of 120344 checklists8 am: 3.9% of 180109 checklists9 am: 4.0% of 171966 checklists10 am: 4.0% of 156332 checklists11 am: 4.1% of 134964 checklists12 pm: 4.1% of 120967 checklists1 pm: 4.3% of 113852 checklists2 pm: 4.2% of 110773 checklists3 pm: 4.1% of 105530 checklists4 pm: 4.3% of 100958 checklists5 pm: 4.8% of 80085 checklists6 pm: 4.8% of 62883 checklists7 pm: 3.8% 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
January0.5%0.5%0.5%0.5%
February0.6%0.5%0.5%0.7%
March1.3%2.3%4.1%7.3%
April11%11%10%7.3%
May4.3%3.4%4.3%3.0%
June2.6%2.2%2.5%2.6%
July2.8%2.5%2.7%3.4%
August3.7%3.9%4.2%4.3%
September4.4%5.0%6.1%5.9%
October6.5%7.3%8.5%8.1%
November7.8%6.4%4.3%2.2%
December1.2%0.7%0.6%0.4%

Neighboring states

  • Ohio: arrives late February, 1 week earlier than Michigan
  • Indiana: arrives mid July, 18 weeks later than Michigan
  • Illinois: arrives late February, 1 week earlier than Michigan
  • Wisconsin: arrives the second week of March, 1 week later than Michigan

Common questions

When do Pied-billed Grebes arrive in Michigan?
Pied-billed Grebes reach Michigan in early March, are common by the second week of March, peak in the second week of April (10% of checklists), and most are gone by late November.
When do Pied-billed Grebes leave Michigan?
Most Pied-billed Grebes have left Michigan by late November, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until early December.
When is the best time to see a Pied-billed Grebe in Michigan?
The Pied-billed Grebe is reported most often in the second week of April, on about 10% of Michigan checklists.
Where in Michigan are Pied-billed Grebes seen most often?
By county, Monroe County, Manistee County, and Bay County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Pied-billed Grebe (counties with at least 200 checklists).