WhenToBird

Accipiter striatus · Accipitridae

When Do Sharp-shinned Hawks Arrive in Wisconsin?

Adult Sharp-shinned Hawk
Photo: Kent P. McFarland, CC0 1.0 via iNaturalist

Sharp-shinned Hawks arrive in Wisconsin in early September, peak in late September (2.4% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of May.

When to look

First arrivalsSep 1-7early September
Common bySep 1-7early September
PeakSep 22-30late September
Most gone byMay 8-14the second week of May

Best: late September. First arrivals early September; most are gone by the second week of May. Peak: on about 2.4% of Wisconsin checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Junrare
  7. Julrare
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%1%2%3%Jan 1-7: 1.2% of 27925 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.1% of 18337 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.0% of 17370 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.2% of 23777 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.4% of 16656 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.9% of 18286 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.7% of 24739 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.9% of 20113 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.7% of 24024 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.7% of 26722 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.7% of 27238 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.7% of 40171 checklistsApr 1-7: 1.0% of 34961 checklistsApr 8-14: 1.0% of 39128 checklistsApr 15-21: 1.2% of 38887 checklistsApr 22-30: 1.3% of 57231 checklistsMay 1-7: 1.4% of 55115 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.7% of 63098 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.5% of 49821 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.2% of 56796 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.2% of 33621 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 31282 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.1% of 30186 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.2% of 35128 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.2% of 27088 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.2% of 23293 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.2% of 20933 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.2% of 27595 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.2% of 19147 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.2% of 18286 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.4% of 19195 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.4% of 28229 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.8% of 22408 checklistsSep 8-14: 1.2% of 20857 checklistsSep 15-21: 2.5% of 20707 checklistsSep 22-30: 2.4% of 26469 checklistsOct 1-7: 2.4% of 21069 checklistsOct 8-14: 1.9% of 21011 checklistsOct 15-21: 2.0% of 20006 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.1% of 26362 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.0% of 18928 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.9% of 17052 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.9% of 16291 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.0% of 20564 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.1% of 15354 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.0% of 16294 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.1% of 21430 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.1% of 26314 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 Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Monroe CountyBest late September · 54 checklists that week, 3,836 in all17%
  2. Pepin CountyBest early January · 11 checklists that week, 929 in all17%
  3. Crawford CountyBest late January · 79 checklists that week, 4,271 in all16%
  4. Ozaukee CountyBest the second week of October · 586 checklists that week, 38,294 in all11%
  5. Dunn CountyBest late September · 155 checklists that week, 8,247 in all10%
  6. Bayfield CountyBest late April · 858 checklists that week, 21,381 in all8.4%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Forest Beach Migratory Preserve (northeast)Ozaukee County, best early October · 20 checklists that week, 196 in all54%
  2. Bahr Creek Habitat PreservationSheboygan County, best late October · 30 checklists that week, 225 in all52%
  3. Yahara Place ParkDane County, best early October · 23 checklists that week, 1,209 in all30%
  4. Forest Beach Migratory PreserveOzaukee County, best the second week of October · 54 checklists that week, 1,819 in all26%

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

Best time of day

In Wisconsin, the Sharp-shinned Hawk is most often listed on checklists started between 7 and 9 am (1.1% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%12 am: too few checklists (993) to judge1 am: too few checklists (844) to judge2 am: too few checklists (839) to judge3 am: too few checklists (1488) to judge4 am: too few checklists (5344) to judge5 am: 0.6% of 27016 checklists6 am: 0.9% of 83973 checklists7 am: 1.1% of 160717 checklists8 am: 1.1% of 160531 checklists9 am: 1.0% of 136968 checklists10 am: 1.0% of 119110 checklists11 am: 0.8% of 99116 checklists12 pm: 0.7% of 85078 checklists1 pm: 0.9% of 80688 checklists2 pm: 0.8% of 79140 checklists3 pm: 0.8% of 78599 checklists4 pm: 0.7% of 69767 checklists5 pm: 0.5% of 53229 checklists6 pm: 0.4% of 38769 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (24396) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (10155) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (4990) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (2463) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (1281) 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%1.1%1.0%1.2%
February1.4%0.9%0.7%0.9%
March0.7%0.7%0.7%0.7%
April1.0%1.0%1.2%1.3%
May1.4%0.7%0.5%0.2%
June0.2%0.1%0.1%0.2%
July0.2%0.2%0.2%0.2%
August0.2%0.2%0.4%0.4%
September0.8%1.2%2.5%2.4%
October2.4%1.9%2.0%1.1%
November1.0%0.9%0.9%1.0%
December1.1%1.0%1.1%1.1%

Neighboring states

  • Illinois: arrives the second week of September, 1 week later than Wisconsin
  • Iowa: arrives the second week of September, 1 week later than Wisconsin
  • Michigan: arrives mid August, 2 weeks earlier than Wisconsin
  • Minnesota: arrives mid August, 2 weeks earlier than Wisconsin

Common questions

When do Sharp-shinned Hawks arrive in Wisconsin?
Sharp-shinned Hawks arrive in Wisconsin in early September, peak in late September (2.4% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of May.
When do Sharp-shinned Hawks leave Wisconsin?
Most Sharp-shinned Hawks have left Wisconsin by the second week of May, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Sharp-shinned Hawk in Wisconsin?
The Sharp-shinned Hawk is reported most often in late September, on about 2.4% of Wisconsin checklists.
Where in Wisconsin are Sharp-shinned Hawks seen most often?
By county, Monroe County, Pepin County, and Crawford County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Sharp-shinned Hawk (counties with at least 200 checklists).