WhenToBird

Buteo lineatus · Accipitridae

When Do Red-shouldered Hawks Arrive in Michigan?

Adult Red-shouldered Hawk
Photo: Jonathan Eisen, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Red-shouldered Hawks reach Michigan in the second week of December, are common by late February, peak in late September (2.4% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of November.

When to look

First arrivalsDec 8-14the second week of December
Common byFeb 22-28late February
PeakSep 22-30late September
Most gone byNov 8-14the second week of November

Best: late September. First arrivals the second week of December; most are gone by the second week of November. Peak: on about 2.4% of Michigan checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%1%2%3%Jan 1-7: 0.8% of 38160 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.9% of 24696 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.9% of 23771 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.0% of 31347 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.2% of 23225 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.9% of 27398 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.8% of 36606 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.5% of 27127 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.9% of 29700 checklistsMar 8-14: 2.2% of 31587 checklistsMar 15-21: 2.6% of 32118 checklistsMar 22-31: 2.1% of 47777 checklistsApr 1-7: 2.0% of 38557 checklistsApr 8-14: 2.0% of 42207 checklistsApr 15-21: 1.8% of 42759 checklistsApr 22-30: 2.0% of 64458 checklistsMay 1-7: 1.9% of 60998 checklistsMay 8-14: 1.7% of 72091 checklistsMay 15-21: 1.7% of 59058 checklistsMay 22-31: 1.7% of 64724 checklistsJun 1-7: 1.5% of 35990 checklistsJun 8-14: 1.7% of 32595 checklistsJun 15-21: 1.6% of 30017 checklistsJun 22-30: 1.3% of 33988 checklistsJul 1-7: 1.5% of 28708 checklistsJul 8-14: 1.4% of 25175 checklistsJul 15-21: 1.4% of 24084 checklistsJul 22-31: 1.5% of 33522 checklistsAug 1-7: 1.6% of 25098 checklistsAug 8-14: 1.5% of 24353 checklistsAug 15-21: 1.3% of 25059 checklistsAug 22-31: 1.6% of 37489 checklistsSep 1-7: 1.8% of 28410 checklistsSep 8-14: 2.2% of 27887 checklistsSep 15-21: 2.4% of 26614 checklistsSep 22-30: 2.6% of 32557 checklistsOct 1-7: 2.2% of 25844 checklistsOct 8-14: 1.6% of 27741 checklistsOct 15-21: 1.4% of 24693 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.5% of 32460 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.3% of 23660 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.2% of 21542 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.1% of 19922 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.7% of 25069 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.8% of 18272 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.8% of 18961 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.1% of 24171 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.0% 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.

Embed this map on your site

Where in Michigan

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Ogemaw CountyBest late March · 139 checklists that week, 4,675 in all29%
  2. Huron CountyBest early April · 92 checklists that week, 4,733 in all21%
  3. Mackinac CountyBest the second week of November · 76 checklists that week, 7,988 in all19%
  4. Emmet CountyBest late March · 229 checklists that week, 11,769 in all17%
  5. Lake CountyBest mid March · 15 checklists that week, 2,682 in all17%
  6. Manistee CountyBest early October · 217 checklists that week, 16,394 in all13%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Lakeport State ParkSt. Clair County, best mid March · 29 checklists that week, 380 in all53%
  2. Hartwick Lake (east)Crawford County, best late June · 28 checklists that week, 264 in all49%
  3. Chrishaven LakeKent County, best the second week of May · 22 checklists that week, 149 in all44%
  4. Chikaming TownshipBerrien County, best early November · 31 checklists that week, 606 in all44%
  5. Lake Erie Metropark (Cherry Island)Wayne County, best early November · 37 checklists that week, 696 in all43%

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

Best time of day

In Michigan, the Red-shouldered Hawk is most often listed on checklists started between 10 am and 12 pm (2.1% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%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: 2.0% of 39298 checklists7 am: 1.9% of 120344 checklists8 am: 1.9% of 180109 checklists9 am: 2.0% of 171966 checklists10 am: 2.1% of 156332 checklists11 am: 2.0% of 134964 checklists12 pm: 1.8% of 120967 checklists1 pm: 1.6% of 113852 checklists2 pm: 1.4% of 110773 checklists3 pm: 1.2% of 105530 checklists4 pm: 0.9% of 100958 checklists5 pm: 0.8% of 80085 checklists6 pm: 0.6% of 62883 checklists7 pm: 0.5% 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
January0.8%0.9%0.9%1.0%
February1.2%0.9%0.8%1.5%
March1.9%2.2%2.6%2.1%
April2.0%2.0%1.8%2.0%
May1.9%1.7%1.7%1.7%
June1.5%1.7%1.6%1.3%
July1.5%1.4%1.4%1.5%
August1.6%1.5%1.3%1.6%
September1.8%2.2%2.4%2.6%
October2.2%1.6%1.4%1.5%
November1.3%1.2%1.1%0.7%
December0.8%0.8%1.1%1.0%

Neighboring states

  • Ohio: year-round, peaks late September
  • Indiana: year-round, peaks mid September
  • Illinois: arrives mid June, 23 weeks earlier than Michigan
  • Kentucky: year-round, peaks mid September

Common questions

When do Red-shouldered Hawks arrive in Michigan?
Red-shouldered Hawks reach Michigan in the second week of December, are common by late February, peak in late September (2.4% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of November.
When do Red-shouldered Hawks leave Michigan?
Most Red-shouldered Hawks have left Michigan by the second week of November, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until late November.
When is the best time to see a Red-shouldered Hawk in Michigan?
The Red-shouldered Hawk is reported most often in late September, on about 2.4% of Michigan checklists.
Where in Michigan are Red-shouldered Hawks seen most often?
By county, Ogemaw County, Huron County, and Mackinac County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Red-shouldered Hawk (counties with at least 200 checklists).