WhenToBird

Euphagus carolinus · Icteridae

When Do Rusty Blackbirds Arrive in Michigan?

Adult female Rusty Blackbird
Photo: Carol Ann Vermeer, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Rusty Blackbirds are winter birds in Michigan: they arrive in mid September, peak in mid October (5.0% of checklists), and most are gone by mid November.

When to look

First arrivalsSep 15-21mid September
Common bySep 15-21mid September
PeakOct 15-21mid October
Most gone byNov 15-21mid November

Best: mid October. First arrivals mid September; most are gone by mid November. Peak: on about 5.0% of Michigan checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febrare
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decrare

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

0%2%4%6%Jan 1-7: 0.1% of 38160 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.1% of 24696 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.1% of 23771 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.1% of 31347 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.1% of 23225 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.1% of 27398 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.1% of 36606 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.5% of 27127 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.1% of 29700 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.8% of 31587 checklistsMar 15-21: 2.7% of 32118 checklistsMar 22-31: 3.3% of 47777 checklistsApr 1-7: 4.0% of 38557 checklistsApr 8-14: 4.3% of 42207 checklistsApr 15-21: 4.1% of 42759 checklistsApr 22-30: 3.3% of 64458 checklistsMay 1-7: 1.8% of 60998 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.7% of 72091 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.2% of 59058 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 64724 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 35990 checklistsJun 8-14: 0% of 32595 checklistsJun 15-21: 0% of 30017 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 33988 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 28708 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 25175 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 24084 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 33522 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 25098 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.1% of 24353 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.1% of 25059 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.1% of 37489 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.1% of 28410 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.3% of 27887 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.9% of 26614 checklistsSep 22-30: 2.0% of 32557 checklistsOct 1-7: 3.5% of 25844 checklistsOct 8-14: 5.2% of 27741 checklistsOct 15-21: 5.2% of 24693 checklistsOct 22-31: 4.7% of 32460 checklistsNov 1-7: 3.6% of 23660 checklistsNov 8-14: 2.3% of 21542 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.1% of 19922 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.3% of 25069 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.2% of 18272 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.1% of 18961 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.1% of 24171 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.1% 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. Gratiot CountyBest the second week of April · 153 checklists that week, 5,892 in all30%
  2. Mackinac CountyBest the second week of October · 305 checklists that week, 7,988 in all23%
  3. Bay CountyBest mid October · 256 checklists that week, 16,522 in all22%
  4. Iosco CountyBest early October · 288 checklists that week, 31,409 in all20%
  5. Tuscola CountyBest late October · 125 checklists that week, 5,683 in all20%
  6. Saginaw CountyBest mid October · 111 checklists that week, 8,573 in all20%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Crystal BayouSaginaw County, best late October · 23 checklists that week, 1,554 in all71%
  2. Pointe Mouillee State Game AreaMonroe County, best late October · 23 checklists that week, 3,630 in all61%
  3. Graham PointMackinac County, best the second week of October · 93 checklists that week, 264 in all56%
  4. Lake Erie MetroparkWayne County, best mid October · 104 checklists that week, 4,141 in all55%
  5. Quanicassee State Wildlife AreaBay County, best the second week of April · 25 checklists that week, 600 in all54%
  6. Quanicassee State Wildlife Area (east)Bay County, best late April · 31 checklists that week, 396 in all52%

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

Best time of day

In Michigan, the Rusty Blackbird is most often listed on checklists started between 7 and 9 am (1.7% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%2%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: 1.2% of 39298 checklists7 am: 1.7% of 120344 checklists8 am: 1.7% of 180109 checklists9 am: 1.5% of 171966 checklists10 am: 1.3% of 156332 checklists11 am: 1.2% of 134964 checklists12 pm: 1.0% of 120967 checklists1 pm: 1.1% of 113852 checklists2 pm: 1.1% of 110773 checklists3 pm: 1.1% of 105530 checklists4 pm: 1.3% of 100958 checklists5 pm: 1.5% of 80085 checklists6 pm: 1.4% of 62883 checklists7 pm: 1.1% 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
January0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
February0.1%0.1%0.1%0.5%
March1.1%1.8%2.7%3.3%
April4.0%4.3%4.1%3.3%
May1.8%0.7%0.2%0.1%
June0.1%0%0%0%
July0%0%0%0%
August0%0.1%0.1%0.1%
September0.1%0.3%0.9%2.0%
October3.5%5.2%5.2%4.7%
November3.6%2.3%1.1%0.3%
December0.2%0.1%0.1%0.1%

Neighboring states

  • Ohio: arrives the second week of February, 19 weeks later than Michigan
  • Indiana: arrives the second week of February, 19 weeks later than Michigan
  • Illinois: arrives late February, 21 weeks later than Michigan
  • Wisconsin: arrives mid September, in the same week than Michigan

Common questions

When do Rusty Blackbirds arrive in Michigan?
Rusty Blackbirds are winter birds in Michigan: they arrive in mid September, peak in mid October (5.0% of checklists), and most are gone by mid November.
When do Rusty Blackbirds leave Michigan?
Most Rusty Blackbirds have left Michigan by mid November, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Rusty Blackbird in Michigan?
The Rusty Blackbird is reported most often in mid October, on about 5.0% of Michigan checklists.
Where in Michigan are Rusty Blackbirds seen most often?
By county, Gratiot County, Mackinac County, and Bay County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Rusty Blackbird (counties with at least 200 checklists).