WhenToBird

Charadrius melodus · Charadriidae

When Do Piping Plovers Arrive in Michigan?

Adult Piping Plover
Photo: Caroline Quinn, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Piping Plovers arrive in Michigan in the second week of May, peak in early June (1.0% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of August.

When to look

First arrivalsMay 8-14the second week of May
Common byMay 8-14the second week of May
PeakJun 1-7early June
Most gone byAug 8-14the second week of August

Best: early June. First arrivals the second week of May; most are gone by the second week of August. Peak: on about 1.0% of Michigan checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marnot usually seen
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octnot usually seen
  11. Novnot usually seen
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%0.5%1%1.5%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% of 29700 checklistsMar 8-14: 0% of 31587 checklistsMar 15-21: 0% of 32118 checklistsMar 22-31: 0% of 47777 checklistsApr 1-7: 0% of 38557 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.1% of 42207 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.2% of 42759 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.2% of 64458 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.3% of 60998 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.4% of 72091 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.9% of 59058 checklistsMay 22-31: 1.1% of 64724 checklistsJun 1-7: 1.0% of 35990 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.9% of 32595 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.8% of 30017 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.8% of 33988 checklistsJul 1-7: 1.0% of 28708 checklistsJul 8-14: 1.1% of 25175 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.9% of 24084 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.9% of 33522 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.7% of 25098 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.6% of 24353 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.4% of 25059 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.3% of 37489 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.2% of 28410 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.1% of 27887 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.1% of 26614 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.1% of 32557 checklistsOct 1-7: 0% of 25844 checklistsOct 8-14: 0% of 27741 checklistsOct 15-21: 0% of 24693 checklistsOct 22-31: 0% of 32460 checklistsNov 1-7: 0% of 23660 checklistsNov 8-14: 0% of 21542 checklistsNov 15-21: 0% of 19922 checklistsNov 22-30: 0% of 25069 checklistsDec 1-7: 0% of 18272 checklistsDec 8-14: 0% of 18961 checklistsDec 15-21: 0% of 24171 checklistsDec 22-31: 0% 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. Chippewa CountyBest late July · 556 checklists that week, 28,128 in all18%
  2. Leelanau CountyBest the second week of July · 800 checklists that week, 28,963 in all9.2%
  3. Benzie CountyBest the second week of June · 428 checklists that week, 14,114 in all8.5%
  4. Iosco CountyBest the second week of June · 475 checklists that week, 31,409 in all7.1%
  5. Oceana CountyBest mid June · 132 checklists that week, 5,034 in all4.6%
  6. Mason CountyBest the second week of July · 156 checklists that week, 14,110 in all4.4%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Sleeping Bear Dunes National LakeshoreLeelanau County, best the second week of June · 57 checklists that week, 1,572 in all86%
  2. Whitefish PointChippewa County, best early July · 101 checklists that week, 6,718 in all79%
  3. Port Sheldon ParkOttawa County, best late August · 22 checklists that week, 149 in all73%
  4. Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore (Mud Lake)Benzie County, best late May · 20 checklists that week, 366 in all69%
  5. Natural Area Muskegon Dunes and SwalesMuskegon County, best late May · 32 checklists that week, 496 in all62%
  6. Wilderness State ParkEmmet County, best late June · 21 checklists that week, 299 in all52%

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

Best time of day

In Michigan, the Piping Plover is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (0.5% 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: 0.8% of 39298 checklists7 am: 0.4% of 120344 checklists8 am: 0.3% of 180109 checklists9 am: 0.3% of 171966 checklists10 am: 0.3% of 156332 checklists11 am: 0.3% of 134964 checklists12 pm: 0.3% of 120967 checklists1 pm: 0.3% of 113852 checklists2 pm: 0.2% of 110773 checklists3 pm: 0.2% of 105530 checklists4 pm: 0.2% of 100958 checklists5 pm: 0.3% of 80085 checklists6 pm: 0.3% 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%0%0%0%
February0%0%0%0%
March0%0%0%0%
April0%0.1%0.2%0.2%
May0.3%0.4%0.9%1.1%
June1.0%0.9%0.8%0.8%
July1.0%1.1%0.9%0.9%
August0.7%0.6%0.4%0.3%
September0.2%0.1%0.1%0.1%
October0%0%0%0%
November0%0%0%0%
December0%0%0%0%

Neighboring states

  • Illinois: arrives mid April, 3 weeks earlier than Michigan
  • New York: arrives mid May, 1 week later than Michigan
  • Delaware: arrives mid March, 7 weeks earlier than Michigan
  • New Jersey: arrives mid March, 7 weeks earlier than Michigan

Common questions

When do Piping Plovers arrive in Michigan?
Piping Plovers arrive in Michigan in the second week of May, peak in early June (1.0% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of August.
When do Piping Plovers leave Michigan?
Most Piping Plovers have left Michigan by the second week of August, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Piping Plover in Michigan?
The Piping Plover is reported most often in early June, on about 1.0% of Michigan checklists.
Where in Michigan are Piping Plovers seen most often?
By county, Chippewa County, Leelanau County, and Benzie County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Piping Plover (counties with at least 200 checklists).