WhenToBird

Catharus ustulatus · Turdidae

When Do Swainson's Thrushes Arrive in Michigan?

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

Swainson's Thrushes mostly pass through Michigan: they arrive in late August, peak in the second week of September (11% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of October.

When to look

First arrivalsAug 22-31late August
Common byAug 22-31late August
PeakSep 8-14the second week of September
Most gone byOct 8-14the second week of October

Best: the second week of September. First arrivals late August; most are gone by the second week of October. Peak: on about 11% of Michigan checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marnot usually seen
  4. Aprrare
  5. Maycommon
  6. Jununcommon
  7. Julrare
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novnot usually seen
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 0.1% of 38160 checklistsJan 8-14: 0% of 24696 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.1% of 23771 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.1% of 31347 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0% of 23225 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0% of 27398 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0% of 36606 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0% of 27127 checklistsMar 1-7: 0% of 29700 checklistsMar 8-14: 0% of 31587 checklistsMar 15-21: 0% of 32118 checklistsMar 22-31: 0% of 47777 checklistsApr 1-7: 0% of 38557 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.1% of 42207 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.1% of 42759 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.7% of 64458 checklistsMay 1-7: 2.9% of 60998 checklistsMay 8-14: 6.3% of 72091 checklistsMay 15-21: 11% of 59058 checklistsMay 22-31: 4.6% of 64724 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.8% of 35990 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.7% of 32595 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.6% of 30017 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.7% of 33988 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.6% of 28708 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.6% of 25175 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.4% of 24084 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.2% of 33522 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.1% of 25098 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.2% of 24353 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.3% of 25059 checklistsAug 22-31: 1.5% of 37489 checklistsSep 1-7: 8.3% of 28410 checklistsSep 8-14: 14% of 27887 checklistsSep 15-21: 12% of 26614 checklistsSep 22-30: 7.7% of 32557 checklistsOct 1-7: 3.9% of 25844 checklistsOct 8-14: 1.7% of 27741 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.3% of 24693 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.1% of 32460 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.1% of 23660 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.1% of 21542 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.1% of 19922 checklistsNov 22-30: 0% of 25069 checklistsDec 1-7: 0% of 18272 checklistsDec 8-14: 0% of 18961 checklistsDec 15-21: 0% of 24171 checklistsDec 22-31: 0% 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. Marquette CountyBest the second week of September · 534 checklists that week, 25,107 in all24%
  2. Berrien CountyBest the second week of September · 866 checklists that week, 54,650 in all23%
  3. St. Joseph CountyBest mid September · 92 checklists that week, 6,972 in all22%
  4. Van Buren CountyBest the second week of September · 250 checklists that week, 14,183 in all21%
  5. Keweenaw CountyBest the second week of September · 331 checklists that week, 12,437 in all20%
  6. Ontonagon CountyBest the second week of September · 105 checklists that week, 3,548 in all20%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. George Suarez Friendship WoodsOakland County, best mid September · 102 checklists that week, 4,678 in all64%
  2. Warren Dunes State ParkBerrien County, best the second week of September · 107 checklists that week, 2,854 in all64%
  3. Burchfield Park and Nature AreaIngham County, best mid September · 31 checklists that week, 350 in all64%
  4. Black Lake ParkMuskegon County, best the second week of September · 20 checklists that week, 1,182 in all60%
  5. Sarett Nature CenterBerrien County, best late September · 21 checklists that week, 1,402 in all58%
  6. Jim Timm County ParkSt. Joseph County, best mid May · 25 checklists that week, 288 in all52%

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

Best time of day

In Michigan, the Swainson's Thrush is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (4.0% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%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: 4.3% of 39298 checklists7 am: 3.9% of 120344 checklists8 am: 3.1% of 180109 checklists9 am: 2.5% of 171966 checklists10 am: 1.8% of 156332 checklists11 am: 1.4% of 134964 checklists12 pm: 1.3% of 120967 checklists1 pm: 1.4% of 113852 checklists2 pm: 1.1% of 110773 checklists3 pm: 1.2% of 105530 checklists4 pm: 1.4% of 100958 checklists5 pm: 1.6% of 80085 checklists6 pm: 1.8% of 62883 checklists7 pm: 1.3% 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%0.1%0.1%
February0%0%0%0%
March0%0%0%0%
April0%0.1%0.1%0.7%
May2.9%6.3%11%4.6%
June0.8%0.7%0.6%0.7%
July0.6%0.6%0.4%0.2%
August0.1%0.2%0.3%1.5%
September8.3%14%12%7.7%
October3.9%1.7%0.3%0.1%
November0.1%0.1%0.1%0%
December0%0%0%0%

Neighboring states

  • Ohio: arrives mid April, 17 weeks earlier than Michigan
  • Indiana: arrives mid August, 1 week earlier than Michigan
  • Illinois: arrives mid August, 1 week earlier than Michigan
  • Wisconsin: arrives mid August, 1 week earlier than Michigan

Common questions

When do Swainson's Thrushes arrive in Michigan?
Swainson's Thrushes mostly pass through Michigan: they arrive in late August, peak in the second week of September (11% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of October.
When do Swainson's Thrushes leave Michigan?
Most Swainson's Thrushes have left Michigan by the second week of October, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Swainson's Thrush in Michigan?
The Swainson's Thrush is reported most often in the second week of September, on about 11% of Michigan checklists.
Where in Michigan are Swainson's Thrushes seen most often?
By county, Marquette County, Berrien County, and St. Joseph County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Swainson's Thrush (counties with at least 200 checklists).