WhenToBird

Progne subis · Hirundinidae

When Do Purple Martins Arrive in Ohio?

Adult female Purple Martin
Photo: Ron Bondy, CC BY-SA 4.0 via iNaturalist

Purple Martins reach Ohio in late March, are common by mid April, peak in late July (18% of checklists), and most are gone by late August.

When to look

First arrivalsMar 22-31late March
Common byApr 15-21mid April
PeakJul 22-31late July
Most gone byAug 22-31late August

Best: late July. First arrivals late March; most are gone by late August. Peak: on about 18% of Ohio checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marrare
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octnot usually seen
  11. Novnot usually seen
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%5%10%15%20%Jan 1-7: 0% of 46637 checklistsJan 8-14: 0% of 31056 checklistsJan 15-21: 0% of 30129 checklistsJan 22-31: 0% of 38665 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0% of 27203 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0% of 30626 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0% of 40705 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0% of 31391 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.1% of 32914 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.1% of 33973 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.1% of 33678 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.8% of 49889 checklistsApr 1-7: 2.1% of 41225 checklistsApr 8-14: 3.2% of 47174 checklistsApr 15-21: 5.4% of 47017 checklistsApr 22-30: 6.7% of 73055 checklistsMay 1-7: 8.6% of 80637 checklistsMay 8-14: 11% of 102552 checklistsMay 15-21: 10% of 64582 checklistsMay 22-31: 9.3% of 52766 checklistsJun 1-7: 8.8% of 29279 checklistsJun 8-14: 7.9% of 25773 checklistsJun 15-21: 8.2% of 23163 checklistsJun 22-30: 8.9% of 27794 checklistsJul 1-7: 11% of 23334 checklistsJul 8-14: 13% of 22147 checklistsJul 15-21: 16% of 20998 checklistsJul 22-31: 18% of 29749 checklistsAug 1-7: 18% of 22899 checklistsAug 8-14: 15% of 21972 checklistsAug 15-21: 12% of 22215 checklistsAug 22-31: 7.1% of 35087 checklistsSep 1-7: 4.1% of 29148 checklistsSep 8-14: 2.0% of 28042 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.6% of 26751 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.4% of 32398 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.1% of 26209 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.1% of 26809 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.1% of 23504 checklistsOct 22-31: 0% of 33269 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.1% of 25563 checklistsNov 8-14: 0% of 23810 checklistsNov 15-21: 0% of 22127 checklistsNov 22-30: 0% of 29449 checklistsDec 1-7: 0% of 22370 checklistsDec 8-14: 0% of 21581 checklistsDec 15-21: 0% of 24232 checklistsDec 22-31: 0% 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. Ottawa CountyBest late July · 645 checklists that week, 51,024 in all50%
  2. Perry CountyBest late August · 149 checklists that week, 6,489 in all41%
  3. Lorain CountyBest early August · 876 checklists that week, 59,913 in all38%
  4. Paulding CountyBest the second week of July · 29 checklists that week, 1,653 in all37%
  5. Noble CountyBest the second week of July · 15 checklists that week, 1,516 in all36%
  6. Logan CountyBest early August · 168 checklists that week, 10,014 in all35%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Mentor Lagoons Marina and Park (Marsh Creek)Lake County, best mid July · 71 checklists that week, 2,294 in all98%
  2. Mentor Lagoons Marina and ParkLake County, best mid June · 37 checklists that week, 3,195 in all96%
  3. Grand River Wildlife AreaTrumbull County, best early August · 30 checklists that week, 1,401 in all96%
  4. Ottawa National Wildlife RefugeOttawa County, best early June · 36 checklists that week, 3,647 in all95%
  5. Ritter Marsh (Searles Marsh)Ottawa County, best early July · 33 checklists that week, 1,278 in all93%

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

Best time of day

In Ohio, the Purple Martin is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 pm (7.2% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%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: 11% of 43093 checklists7 am: 5.8% of 142017 checklists8 am: 4.5% of 205296 checklists9 am: 4.2% of 196322 checklists10 am: 4.2% of 170882 checklists11 am: 4.1% of 144567 checklists12 pm: 3.9% of 126551 checklists1 pm: 4.1% of 117855 checklists2 pm: 3.8% of 112869 checklists3 pm: 3.6% of 109786 checklists4 pm: 3.7% of 103116 checklists5 pm: 4.6% of 78409 checklists6 pm: 6.7% of 56785 checklists7 pm: 8.0% 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%0%0%0%
February0%0%0%0%
March0.1%0.1%0.1%0.8%
April2.1%3.2%5.4%6.7%
May8.6%11%10%9.3%
June8.8%7.9%8.2%8.9%
July11%13%16%18%
August18%15%12%7.1%
September4.1%2.0%0.6%0.4%
October0.1%0.1%0.1%0%
November0.1%0%0%0%
December0%0%0%0%

Neighboring states

  • West Virginia: arrives the second week of April, 2 weeks later than Ohio
  • Indiana: arrives late March, in the same week than Ohio
  • Michigan: arrives mid April, 3 weeks later than Ohio
  • Kentucky: arrives the second week of March, 2 weeks earlier than Ohio

Common questions

When do Purple Martins arrive in Ohio?
Purple Martins reach Ohio in late March, are common by mid April, peak in late July (18% of checklists), and most are gone by late August.
When do Purple Martins leave Ohio?
Most Purple Martins have left Ohio by late August, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until the second week of September.
When is the best time to see a Purple Martin in Ohio?
The Purple Martin is reported most often in late July, on about 18% of Ohio checklists.
Where in Ohio are Purple Martins seen most often?
By county, Ottawa County, Perry County, and Lorain County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Purple Martin (counties with at least 200 checklists).