Charadrius melodus · Charadriidae
Piping Plover: When and Where to See It

The Piping Plover reaches North Carolina first, around early March, and New York last, around mid May.
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
todayEach 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.
Pooled across every state in the data, so it leans toward states with the most birders.
States, in order of first arrivals
| State | First arrivals | Peak | Most gone by | Peak % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Carolina | Mar 1-7 | Aug 8-14 | Nov 15-21 | 1.2% |
| Rhode Island | Mar 8-14 | Jul 8-14 | Aug 22-31 | 14% |
| Connecticut | Mar 15-21 | Jul 22-31 | Aug 22-31 | 5.5% |
| Delaware | Mar 15-21 | Jul 22-31 | Aug 22-31 | 2.8% |
| New Jersey | Mar 15-21 | Jul 8-14 | Sep 22-30 | 1.5% |
| Massachusetts | Mar 22-31 | Jul 15-21 | Sep 1-7 | 5.4% |
| Maine | Apr 8-14 | Jul 15-21 | Aug 22-31 | 1.7% |
| Nebraska | Apr 8-14 | Apr 22-30 | Aug 8-14 | 1.2% |
| Illinois | Apr 15-21 | Jul 22-31 | Aug 8-14 | 3.0% |
| South Dakota | Apr 15-21 | Aug 8-14 | Aug 15-21 | 1.3% |
| North Dakota | May 1-7 | Jun 22-30 | Aug 8-14 | 1.1% |
| Michigan | May 8-14 | Jun 1-7 | Aug 8-14 | 1.0% |
| New York | May 15-21 | Jul 22-31 | Aug 22-31 | 1.6% |
| Florida | Jul 15-21 | Aug 22-31 | Apr 15-21 | 1.5% |
| Louisiana | Jul 15-21 | Sep 1-7 | Dec 8-14 | 1.1% |
| Mississippi | Jul 15-21 | Sep 8-14 | Dec 8-14 | 1.4% |
| Alabama | Jul 15-21 | Oct 8-14 | May 1-7 | 1.1% |
| Texas | Jul 15-21 | Nov 1-7 | Jan 22-31 | 1.2% |
| South Carolina | Jul 22-31 | Mar 15-21 | Apr 22-30 | 1.6% |
Winter visitor in: Texas, South Carolina, Alabama
Summer visitor in: Nebraska, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi