WhenToBird

Catharus ustulatus · Turdidae

When Do Swainson's Thrushes Arrive in Georgia?

Adult Swainson's Thrush
Photo: Dani Alba, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Swainson's Thrushes mostly pass through Georgia: the first show up in early September, they are common by the second week of September, peak in late September (10% of checklists), and most are gone by mid October.

When to look

First arrivalsSep 1-7early September
Common bySep 8-14the second week of September
PeakSep 22-30late September
Most gone byOct 15-21mid October

Best: late September. First arrivals early September; most are gone by mid October. Peak: on about 10% of Georgia checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marnot usually seen
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novrare
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 0% of 22238 checklistsJan 8-14: 0% of 16390 checklistsJan 15-21: 0% of 16779 checklistsJan 22-31: 0% of 22964 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0% of 16870 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0% of 19486 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0% of 28540 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0% of 17005 checklistsMar 1-7: 0% of 15920 checklistsMar 8-14: 0% of 16274 checklistsMar 15-21: 0% of 16432 checklistsMar 22-31: 0% of 25318 checklistsApr 1-7: 0% of 19292 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.1% of 19742 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.3% of 21498 checklistsApr 22-30: 2.2% of 29736 checklistsMay 1-7: 4.6% of 20858 checklistsMay 8-14: 4.9% of 20346 checklistsMay 15-21: 2.2% of 15859 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 19867 checklistsJun 1-7: 0% of 13467 checklistsJun 8-14: 0% of 12812 checklistsJun 15-21: 0% of 11379 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 14121 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 11176 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 10695 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 10655 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 15106 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 10650 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 10247 checklistsAug 15-21: 0% of 10371 checklistsAug 22-31: 0% of 15203 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.7% of 13007 checklistsSep 8-14: 2.8% of 12541 checklistsSep 15-21: 8.5% of 12943 checklistsSep 22-30: 11% of 17655 checklistsOct 1-7: 11% of 14646 checklistsOct 8-14: 7.2% of 15836 checklistsOct 15-21: 3.5% of 13124 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.3% of 15859 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.1% of 11711 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.1% of 11587 checklistsNov 15-21: 0% of 12025 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.1% of 16431 checklistsDec 1-7: 0% of 11256 checklistsDec 8-14: 0% of 11967 checklistsDec 15-21: 0% of 15618 checklistsDec 22-31: 0% of 22453 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 Georgia 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 Georgia

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Murray CountyBest late September · 81 checklists that week, 4,855 in all36%
  2. Gilmer CountyBest late September · 80 checklists that week, 3,452 in all33%
  3. Pickens CountyBest early October · 33 checklists that week, 2,121 in all27%
  4. Dawson CountyBest late September · 47 checklists that week, 3,057 in all26%
  5. Clarke CountyBest late September · 973 checklists that week, 35,133 in all24%
  6. Lamar CountyBest late September · 50 checklists that week, 1,538 in all24%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Allatoona Recreation Area (Vineyard Mountain)Bartow County, best mid September · 37 checklists that week, 726 in all70%
  2. Reregulation PoolMurray County, best late September · 34 checklists that week, 487 in all63%
  3. Big Creek GreenwayFulton County, best early October · 21 checklists that week, 822 in all61%
  4. Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield ParkCobb County, best late September · 36 checklists that week, 1,474 in all56%
  5. Brownwood ParkDeKalb County, best late September · 27 checklists that week, 385 in all50%
  6. Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park (northwest)Cobb County, best the second week of May · 22 checklists that week, 233 in all48%

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

Best time of day

In Georgia, the Swainson's Thrush is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (2.7% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%12 am: too few checklists (334) to judge1 am: too few checklists (277) to judge2 am: too few checklists (264) to judge3 am: too few checklists (282) to judge4 am: too few checklists (463) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1513) to judge6 am: 2.6% of 16790 checklists7 am: 2.8% of 73569 checklists8 am: 2.1% of 104956 checklists9 am: 1.3% of 96241 checklists10 am: 1.0% of 81903 checklists11 am: 0.7% of 66236 checklists12 pm: 0.8% of 56159 checklists1 pm: 0.7% of 48260 checklists2 pm: 0.8% of 46435 checklists3 pm: 0.8% of 46015 checklists4 pm: 0.9% of 47438 checklists5 pm: 1.1% of 38866 checklists6 pm: 0.8% of 26032 checklists7 pm: 0.3% of 16610 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (5490) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (995) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (517) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (310) 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%0%0%0%
February0%0%0%0%
March0%0%0%0%
April0%0.1%0.3%2.2%
May4.6%4.9%2.2%0.1%
June0%0%0%0%
July0%0%0%0%
August0%0%0%0%
September0.7%2.8%8.5%11%
October11%7.2%3.5%1.3%
November0.1%0.1%0%0.1%
December0%0%0%0%

Neighboring states

  • South Carolina: arrives the second week of September, 1 week later than Georgia
  • Alabama: arrives early September, in the same week than Georgia
  • Tennessee: arrives early September, in the same week than Georgia
  • North Carolina: arrives early September, in the same week than Georgia

Common questions

When do Swainson's Thrushes arrive in Georgia?
Swainson's Thrushes mostly pass through Georgia: the first show up in early September, they are common by the second week of September, peak in late September (10% of checklists), and most are gone by mid October.
When do Swainson's Thrushes leave Georgia?
Most Swainson's Thrushes have left Georgia by mid October, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until late October.
When is the best time to see a Swainson's Thrush in Georgia?
The Swainson's Thrush is reported most often in late September, on about 10% of Georgia checklists.
Where in Georgia are Swainson's Thrushes seen most often?
By county, Murray County, Gilmer County, and Pickens County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Swainson's Thrush (counties with at least 200 checklists).