WhenToBird

Catharus ustulatus · Turdidae

When Do Swainson's Thrushes Arrive in Maryland?

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

Swainson's Thrushes mostly pass through Maryland: the first show up in late April, they are common by early May, peak in mid May (7.0% of checklists), and most are gone by early June.

When to look

First arrivalsApr 22-30late April
Common byMay 1-7early May
PeakMay 15-21mid May
Most gone byJun 1-7early June

Best: mid May. First arrivals late April; most are gone by early June. Peak: on about 7.0% of Maryland checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marnot usually seen
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Jununcommon
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augrare
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novnot usually seen
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 0% of 28716 checklistsJan 8-14: 0% of 21449 checklistsJan 15-21: 0% of 21267 checklistsJan 22-31: 0% of 29144 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0% of 21347 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0% of 22166 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0% of 29986 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0% of 22427 checklistsMar 1-7: 0% of 21389 checklistsMar 8-14: 0% of 22192 checklistsMar 15-21: 0% of 22823 checklistsMar 22-31: 0% of 33720 checklistsApr 1-7: 0% of 25513 checklistsApr 8-14: 0% of 27718 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.1% of 29328 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.3% of 42595 checklistsMay 1-7: 3.6% of 38532 checklistsMay 8-14: 7.3% of 42722 checklistsMay 15-21: 10% of 31936 checklistsMay 22-31: 3.7% of 36903 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.2% of 23191 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 21853 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.1% of 21000 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 25133 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 18715 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 16376 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 15793 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 21969 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 16013 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 15249 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.1% of 15674 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.2% of 24925 checklistsSep 1-7: 1.3% of 19808 checklistsSep 8-14: 3.1% of 18513 checklistsSep 15-21: 6.6% of 21901 checklistsSep 22-30: 7.3% of 22901 checklistsOct 1-7: 5.6% of 19111 checklistsOct 8-14: 3.0% of 18482 checklistsOct 15-21: 1.0% of 17380 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.2% of 23992 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.1% of 17915 checklistsNov 8-14: 0% of 18905 checklistsNov 15-21: 0% of 16259 checklistsNov 22-30: 0% of 22852 checklistsDec 1-7: 0% of 16108 checklistsDec 8-14: 0% of 16512 checklistsDec 15-21: 0% of 18952 checklistsDec 22-31: 0% 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. Baltimore CountyBest mid May · 4103 checklists that week, 136,139 in all14%
  2. Garrett CountyBest late September · 636 checklists that week, 37,616 in all11%
  3. Allegany CountyBest late September · 423 checklists that week, 18,322 in all10%
  4. Montgomery CountyBest mid May · 6233 checklists that week, 219,548 in all9.6%
  5. Prince George's CountyBest the second week of May · 3136 checklists that week, 87,907 in all8.3%
  6. Harford CountyBest mid May · 1251 checklists that week, 39,311 in all8.2%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Gorman Stream ValleyHoward County, best mid May · 23 checklists that week, 262 in all62%
  2. Villa Nova ParkBaltimore County, best late May · 20 checklists that week, 637 in all60%
  3. Double RockBaltimore County, best mid May · 41 checklists that week, 334 in all54%
  4. Fort Foote ParkPrince George's County, best late May · 22 checklists that week, 111 in all52%
  5. Litttle Bennett Regional Park (Soper Branch)Montgomery County, best late September · 20 checklists that week, 717 in all51%
  6. Patterson ParkBaltimore County, best late May · 234 checklists that week, 5,451 in all49%

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

Best time of day

In Maryland, the Swainson's Thrush is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (2.9% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%4%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: 3.8% of 56604 checklists7 am: 2.5% of 139255 checklists8 am: 1.6% of 148626 checklists9 am: 1.3% of 126820 checklists10 am: 0.9% of 106973 checklists11 am: 0.8% of 87483 checklists12 pm: 0.7% of 74808 checklists1 pm: 0.7% of 69428 checklists2 pm: 0.6% of 67800 checklists3 pm: 0.7% of 67688 checklists4 pm: 0.8% of 60927 checklists5 pm: 1.0% of 43876 checklists6 pm: 0.9% 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
January0%0%0%0%
February0%0%0%0%
March0%0%0%0%
April0%0%0.1%0.3%
May3.6%7.3%10%3.7%
June0.2%0.1%0.1%0%
July0%0%0%0%
August0%0%0.1%0.2%
September1.3%3.1%6.6%7.3%
October5.6%3.0%1.0%0.2%
November0.1%0%0%0%
December0%0%0%0%

Neighboring states

  • District of Columbia: arrives late April, in the same week than Maryland
  • Delaware: arrives the second week of September, 18 weeks later than Maryland
  • Virginia: arrives late April, in the same week than Maryland
  • Pennsylvania: arrives early September, 17 weeks later than Maryland

Common questions

When do Swainson's Thrushes arrive in Maryland?
Swainson's Thrushes mostly pass through Maryland: the first show up in late April, they are common by early May, peak in mid May (7.0% of checklists), and most are gone by early June.
When do Swainson's Thrushes leave Maryland?
Most Swainson's Thrushes have left Maryland by early June, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Swainson's Thrush in Maryland?
The Swainson's Thrush is reported most often in mid May, on about 7.0% of Maryland checklists.
Where in Maryland are Swainson's Thrushes seen most often?
By county, Baltimore County, Garrett County, and Allegany County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Swainson's Thrush (counties with at least 200 checklists).