WhenToBird

Melospiza melodia · Passerellidae

When Do Song Sparrows Arrive in Maryland?

Adult Song Sparrow
Photo: Bill Keim, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Song Sparrows are in Maryland all year, but most are here in winter: numbers build from the second week of October, peak in mid March (47% of checklists), and fall back by the second week of May. In the quietest week (the second week of September) they are still on about 12% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildOct 8-14the second week of October
PeakMar 15-21mid March
Fall back byMay 8-14the second week of May
FewestSep 8-14the second week of September

Best: mid March. Here all year; numbers build from the second week of October and fall back by the second week of May. Peak: on about 47% of Maryland checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%20%40%60%Jan 1-7: 35% of 28716 checklistsJan 8-14: 36% of 21449 checklistsJan 15-21: 36% of 21267 checklistsJan 22-31: 36% of 29144 checklistsFeb 1-7: 36% of 21347 checklistsFeb 8-14: 35% of 22166 checklistsFeb 15-21: 33% of 29986 checklistsFeb 22-28: 40% of 22427 checklistsMar 1-7: 43% of 21389 checklistsMar 8-14: 46% of 22192 checklistsMar 15-21: 48% of 22823 checklistsMar 22-31: 47% of 33720 checklistsApr 1-7: 42% of 25513 checklistsApr 8-14: 39% of 27718 checklistsApr 15-21: 35% of 29328 checklistsApr 22-30: 33% of 42595 checklistsMay 1-7: 32% of 38532 checklistsMay 8-14: 29% of 42722 checklistsMay 15-21: 29% of 31936 checklistsMay 22-31: 28% of 36903 checklistsJun 1-7: 27% of 23191 checklistsJun 8-14: 27% of 21853 checklistsJun 15-21: 28% of 21000 checklistsJun 22-30: 28% of 25133 checklistsJul 1-7: 29% of 18715 checklistsJul 8-14: 29% of 16376 checklistsJul 15-21: 28% of 15793 checklistsJul 22-31: 28% of 21969 checklistsAug 1-7: 24% of 16013 checklistsAug 8-14: 20% of 15249 checklistsAug 15-21: 17% of 15674 checklistsAug 22-31: 13% of 24925 checklistsSep 1-7: 12% of 19808 checklistsSep 8-14: 12% of 18513 checklistsSep 15-21: 12% of 21901 checklistsSep 22-30: 15% of 22901 checklistsOct 1-7: 23% of 19111 checklistsOct 8-14: 34% of 18482 checklistsOct 15-21: 43% of 17380 checklistsOct 22-31: 47% of 23992 checklistsNov 1-7: 47% of 17915 checklistsNov 8-14: 45% of 18905 checklistsNov 15-21: 42% of 16259 checklistsNov 22-30: 40% of 22852 checklistsDec 1-7: 40% of 16108 checklistsDec 8-14: 38% of 16512 checklistsDec 15-21: 40% of 18952 checklistsDec 22-31: 38% 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. Allegany CountyBest late March · 492 checklists that week, 18,322 in all66%
  2. Garrett CountyBest late March · 1210 checklists that week, 37,616 in all64%
  3. Queen Anne's CountyBest early November · 352 checklists that week, 26,875 in all63%
  4. Montgomery CountyBest mid March · 4707 checklists that week, 219,548 in all58%
  5. Somerset CountyBest early November · 157 checklists that week, 9,451 in all58%
  6. Dorchester CountyBest early November · 342 checklists that week, 26,161 in all56%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Gerber KnollHoward County, best mid October · 22 checklists that week, 922 in all100%
  2. Perryman ParkHarford County, best early November · 26 checklists that week, 849 in all100%
  3. Crabbs Branch SvpMontgomery County, best mid October · 39 checklists that week, 484 in all99%
  4. Trout RunGarrett County, best late July · 39 checklists that week, 1,215 in all99%
  5. Bladensburg Dueling GroundsPrince George's County, best mid December · 20 checklists that week, 951 in all98%

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

Best time of day

In Maryland, the Song Sparrow is most often listed on checklists started between 7 and 9 am (38% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%40%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: 35% of 56604 checklists7 am: 38% of 139255 checklists8 am: 38% of 148626 checklists9 am: 36% of 126820 checklists10 am: 34% of 106973 checklists11 am: 32% of 87483 checklists12 pm: 31% of 74808 checklists1 pm: 31% of 69428 checklists2 pm: 30% of 67800 checklists3 pm: 29% of 67688 checklists4 pm: 28% of 60927 checklists5 pm: 27% of 43876 checklists6 pm: 24% 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
January35%36%36%36%
February36%35%33%40%
March43%46%48%47%
April42%39%35%33%
May32%29%29%28%
June27%27%28%28%
July29%29%28%28%
August24%20%17%13%
September12%12%12%15%
October23%34%43%47%
November47%45%42%40%
December40%38%40%38%

Neighboring states

  • District of Columbia: arrives the second week of October, in the same week than Maryland
  • Delaware: arrives the second week of October, in the same week than Maryland
  • Virginia: arrives mid October, 1 week later than Maryland
  • Pennsylvania: year-round, peaks early April

Common questions

When do Song Sparrows arrive in Maryland?
Song Sparrows are in Maryland all year, but most are here in winter: numbers build from the second week of October, peak in mid March (47% of checklists), and fall back by the second week of May. In the quietest week (the second week of September) they are still on about 12% of checklists.
When do Song Sparrows leave Maryland?
Song Sparrows never fully leave Maryland: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by the second week of May, but some are still reported in every week, about 12% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Song Sparrow in Maryland?
The Song Sparrow is reported most often in mid March, on about 47% of Maryland checklists.
Where in Maryland are Song Sparrows seen most often?
By county, Allegany County, Garrett County, and Queen Anne's County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Song Sparrow (counties with at least 200 checklists).