WhenToBird

Agelaius phoeniceus · Icteridae

When Do Red-winged Blackbirds Arrive in Delaware?

Adult male Red-winged Blackbird
Photo: infiniteuniverse, CC0 1.0 via iNaturalist

Red-winged Blackbirds are in Delaware all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from mid February, peak in late May (62% of checklists), and fall back by late July. In the quietest week (mid September) they are still on about 14% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildFeb 15-21mid February
PeakMay 22-31late May
Fall back byJul 22-31late July
FewestSep 15-21mid September

Best: late May. Here all year; numbers build from mid February and fall back by late July. Peak: on about 62% of Delaware checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%20%40%60%80%Jan 1-7: 23% of 5901 checklistsJan 8-14: 23% of 4091 checklistsJan 15-21: 23% of 3841 checklistsJan 22-31: 27% of 5084 checklistsFeb 1-7: 30% of 3705 checklistsFeb 8-14: 34% of 3991 checklistsFeb 15-21: 37% of 6056 checklistsFeb 22-28: 43% of 4036 checklistsMar 1-7: 45% of 3822 checklistsMar 8-14: 45% of 3873 checklistsMar 15-21: 49% of 3856 checklistsMar 22-31: 52% of 5702 checklistsApr 1-7: 53% of 4104 checklistsApr 8-14: 57% of 4456 checklistsApr 15-21: 60% of 4871 checklistsApr 22-30: 60% of 7249 checklistsMay 1-7: 57% of 6806 checklistsMay 8-14: 58% of 7229 checklistsMay 15-21: 60% of 6466 checklistsMay 22-31: 63% of 7437 checklistsJun 1-7: 60% of 3596 checklistsJun 8-14: 58% of 2847 checklistsJun 15-21: 57% of 2901 checklistsJun 22-30: 56% of 3644 checklistsJul 1-7: 55% of 3142 checklistsJul 8-14: 55% of 2767 checklistsJul 15-21: 51% of 2882 checklistsJul 22-31: 46% of 4175 checklistsAug 1-7: 34% of 3482 checklistsAug 8-14: 30% of 3477 checklistsAug 15-21: 23% of 3386 checklistsAug 22-31: 20% of 5028 checklistsSep 1-7: 18% of 3631 checklistsSep 8-14: 14% of 3507 checklistsSep 15-21: 13% of 3404 checklistsSep 22-30: 16% of 4252 checklistsOct 1-7: 22% of 3563 checklistsOct 8-14: 28% of 3440 checklistsOct 15-21: 31% of 3282 checklistsOct 22-31: 33% of 4025 checklistsNov 1-7: 33% of 3030 checklistsNov 8-14: 31% of 3141 checklistsNov 15-21: 27% of 2858 checklistsNov 22-30: 24% of 4104 checklistsDec 1-7: 25% of 2472 checklistsDec 8-14: 25% of 2415 checklistsDec 15-21: 27% of 3306 checklistsDec 22-31: 21% of 5527 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 Delaware 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 Delaware

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Kent CountyBest early June · 675 checklists that week, 36,693 in all72%
  2. New Castle CountyBest mid April · 1979 checklists that week, 72,140 in all62%
  3. Sussex CountyBest late May · 3653 checklists that week, 91,027 in all62%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Shell Beach Pond (northeast)Sussex County, best the second week of July · 25 checklists that week, 1,671 in all99%
  2. Russell W. Peterson Wildlife RefugeNew Castle County, best mid April · 28 checklists that week, 732 in all98%
  3. Milford Neck Wildlife AreaSussex County, best late June · 20 checklists that week, 594 in all98%
  4. Newark ReservoirNew Castle County, best late May · 23 checklists that week, 1,314 in all97%
  5. Rehoboth FlatsSussex County, best mid June · 55 checklists that week, 2,369 in all97%
  6. Charles E. Price Memorial Park at Levels RoadNew Castle County, best late June · 40 checklists that week, 538 in all96%

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

Best time of day

In Delaware, the Red-winged Blackbird is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (50% of those checklists).

0%20%40%60%12 am: too few checklists (129) to judge1 am: too few checklists (122) to judge2 am: too few checklists (102) to judge3 am: too few checklists (114) to judge4 am: too few checklists (210) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1334) to judge6 am: 51% of 8055 checklists7 am: 50% of 21367 checklists8 am: 45% of 25648 checklists9 am: 41% of 22669 checklists10 am: 36% of 20679 checklists11 am: 34% of 17516 checklists12 pm: 33% of 15361 checklists1 pm: 34% of 14319 checklists2 pm: 35% of 13726 checklists3 pm: 37% of 12793 checklists4 pm: 40% of 10392 checklists5 pm: 43% of 6859 checklists6 pm: 40% of 4542 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (2633) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (831) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (211) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (150) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (98) 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
January23%23%23%27%
February30%34%37%43%
March45%45%49%52%
April53%57%60%60%
May57%58%60%63%
June60%58%57%56%
July55%55%51%46%
August34%30%23%20%
September18%14%13%16%
October22%28%31%33%
November33%31%27%24%
December25%25%27%21%

Neighboring states

  • Maryland: arrives late February, 1 week later than Delaware
  • New Jersey: arrives early March, 2 weeks later than Delaware
  • District of Columbia: arrives late February, 1 week later than Delaware
  • Pennsylvania: arrives early March, 2 weeks later than Delaware

Common questions

When do Red-winged Blackbirds arrive in Delaware?
Red-winged Blackbirds are in Delaware all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from mid February, peak in late May (62% of checklists), and fall back by late July. In the quietest week (mid September) they are still on about 14% of checklists.
When do Red-winged Blackbirds leave Delaware?
Red-winged Blackbirds never fully leave Delaware: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by late July, but some are still reported in every week, about 14% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Red-winged Blackbird in Delaware?
The Red-winged Blackbird is reported most often in late May, on about 62% of Delaware checklists.
Where in Delaware are Red-winged Blackbirds seen most often?
By county, Kent County, New Castle County, and Sussex County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Red-winged Blackbird (counties with at least 200 checklists).