WhenToBird

Melanerpes erythrocephalus · Picidae

When Do Red-headed Woodpeckers Arrive in Maryland?

Adult Red-headed Woodpecker
Photo: Owen VanAntwerpen, CC BY-SA 4.0 via iNaturalist

Red-headed Woodpeckers reach Maryland in mid February, are common by the second week of April, peak in the second week of September (3.6% of checklists), and most are gone by early November.

When to look

First arrivalsFeb 15-21mid February
Common byApr 8-14the second week of April
PeakSep 8-14the second week of September
Most gone byNov 1-7early November

Best: the second week of September. First arrivals mid February; most are gone by early November. Peak: on about 3.6% of Maryland checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%1%2%3%4%Jan 1-7: 1.2% of 28716 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.3% of 21449 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.1% of 21267 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.3% of 29144 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.1% of 21347 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.1% of 22166 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.1% of 29986 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.6% of 22427 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.5% of 21389 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.2% of 22192 checklistsMar 15-21: 1.4% of 22823 checklistsMar 22-31: 1.4% of 33720 checklistsApr 1-7: 1.4% of 25513 checklistsApr 8-14: 1.6% of 27718 checklistsApr 15-21: 1.7% of 29328 checklistsApr 22-30: 2.4% of 42595 checklistsMay 1-7: 2.9% of 38532 checklistsMay 8-14: 2.4% of 42722 checklistsMay 15-21: 2.4% of 31936 checklistsMay 22-31: 2.3% of 36903 checklistsJun 1-7: 2.1% of 23191 checklistsJun 8-14: 2.5% of 21853 checklistsJun 15-21: 2.6% of 21000 checklistsJun 22-30: 2.7% of 25133 checklistsJul 1-7: 2.4% of 18715 checklistsJul 8-14: 2.1% of 16376 checklistsJul 15-21: 2.1% of 15793 checklistsJul 22-31: 2.0% of 21969 checklistsAug 1-7: 1.9% of 16013 checklistsAug 8-14: 2.3% of 15249 checklistsAug 15-21: 1.9% of 15674 checklistsAug 22-31: 2.4% of 24925 checklistsSep 1-7: 3.3% of 19808 checklistsSep 8-14: 3.8% of 18513 checklistsSep 15-21: 3.8% of 21901 checklistsSep 22-30: 2.9% of 22901 checklistsOct 1-7: 2.6% of 19111 checklistsOct 8-14: 2.1% of 18482 checklistsOct 15-21: 1.6% of 17380 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.7% of 23992 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.7% of 17915 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.2% of 18905 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.3% of 16259 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.2% of 22852 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.4% of 16108 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.1% of 16512 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.5% of 18952 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.3% of 29728 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 Maryland 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 Maryland

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Dorchester CountyBest late July · 358 checklists that week, 26,161 in all23%
  2. Cecil CountyBest mid September · 308 checklists that week, 18,620 in all13%
  3. Charles CountyBest late September · 160 checklists that week, 10,064 in all11%
  4. Carroll CountyBest late June · 811 checklists that week, 26,728 in all11%
  5. Somerset CountyBest the second week of May · 336 checklists that week, 9,451 in all8.9%
  6. Queen Anne's CountyBest mid August · 508 checklists that week, 26,875 in all7.7%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Terrapin BranchHoward County, best the second week of January · 23 checklists that week, 332 in all78%
  2. Patuxent River SpHoward County, best late June · 21 checklists that week, 206 in all76%
  3. Blackwater National Wildlife RefugeDorchester County, best late July · 61 checklists that week, 3,907 in all75%
  4. Mckee Beshers Wma (west)Montgomery County, best the second week of September · 26 checklists that week, 943 in all66%
  5. KnollwoodMontgomery County, best mid February · 48 checklists that week, 495 in all55%

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

Best time of day

In Maryland, the Red-headed Woodpecker is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (2.6% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%4%12 am: too few checklists (486) to judge1 am: too few checklists (451) to judge2 am: too few checklists (447) to judge3 am: too few checklists (766) to judge4 am: too few checklists (2076) to judge5 am: too few checklists (11098) to judge6 am: 3.3% of 56604 checklists7 am: 2.4% of 139255 checklists8 am: 2.4% of 148626 checklists9 am: 2.2% of 126820 checklists10 am: 1.9% of 106973 checklists11 am: 1.7% of 87483 checklists12 pm: 1.6% of 74808 checklists1 pm: 1.5% of 69428 checklists2 pm: 1.5% of 67800 checklists3 pm: 1.5% of 67688 checklists4 pm: 1.4% of 60927 checklists5 pm: 1.3% of 43876 checklists6 pm: 1.3% of 32930 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (19051) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (5708) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1977) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1170) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (635) 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
January1.2%1.3%1.1%1.3%
February1.1%1.1%1.1%1.6%
March1.5%1.2%1.4%1.4%
April1.4%1.6%1.7%2.4%
May2.9%2.4%2.4%2.3%
June2.1%2.5%2.6%2.7%
July2.4%2.1%2.1%2.0%
August1.9%2.3%1.9%2.4%
September3.3%3.8%3.8%2.9%
October2.6%2.1%1.6%1.7%
November1.7%1.2%1.3%1.2%
December1.4%1.1%1.5%1.3%

Neighboring states

  • District of Columbia: arrives late August, 23 weeks earlier than Maryland
  • Delaware: arrives mid April, 8 weeks later than Maryland
  • Virginia: year-round, peaks the second week of September
  • Pennsylvania: arrives mid March, 4 weeks later than Maryland

Common questions

When do Red-headed Woodpeckers arrive in Maryland?
Red-headed Woodpeckers reach Maryland in mid February, are common by the second week of April, peak in the second week of September (3.6% of checklists), and most are gone by early November.
When do Red-headed Woodpeckers leave Maryland?
Most Red-headed Woodpeckers have left Maryland by early November, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until late January.
When is the best time to see a Red-headed Woodpecker in Maryland?
The Red-headed Woodpecker is reported most often in the second week of September, on about 3.6% of Maryland checklists.
Where in Maryland are Red-headed Woodpeckers seen most often?
By county, Dorchester County, Cecil County, and Charles County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Red-headed Woodpecker (counties with at least 200 checklists).