WhenToBird

Catharus ustulatus · Turdidae

When Do Swainson's Thrushes Arrive in North Carolina?

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

Swainson's Thrushes mostly pass through North Carolina: they arrive in early September, peak in late September (12% of checklists), and most are gone by late October.

When to look

First arrivalsSep 1-7early September
Common bySep 1-7early September
PeakSep 22-30late September
Most gone byOct 22-31late October

Best: late September. First arrivals early September; most are gone by late October. Peak: on about 12% of North Carolina checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marnot usually seen
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  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: 0.1% of 30085 checklistsJan 8-14: 0% of 22728 checklistsJan 15-21: 0% of 24292 checklistsJan 22-31: 0% of 34122 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0% of 26352 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0% of 29663 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0% of 41515 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0% of 24318 checklistsMar 1-7: 0% of 23408 checklistsMar 8-14: 0% of 22658 checklistsMar 15-21: 0% of 22784 checklistsMar 22-31: 0% of 36034 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.1% of 28131 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.1% of 29190 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.3% of 32847 checklistsApr 22-30: 1.8% of 47966 checklistsMay 1-7: 5.2% of 37076 checklistsMay 8-14: 7.3% of 36228 checklistsMay 15-21: 3.9% of 30378 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.5% of 40237 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 27551 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 26473 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.1% of 22789 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.1% of 27615 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 20022 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 19315 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.1% of 18934 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 25600 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 17987 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 17307 checklistsAug 15-21: 0% of 17080 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.1% of 25844 checklistsSep 1-7: 1.0% of 20818 checklistsSep 8-14: 4.7% of 20070 checklistsSep 15-21: 11% of 21984 checklistsSep 22-30: 12% of 26979 checklistsOct 1-7: 12% of 22605 checklistsOct 8-14: 7.2% of 22677 checklistsOct 15-21: 2.7% of 21407 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.5% of 25927 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.1% of 18830 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.1% of 18418 checklistsNov 15-21: 0% of 19101 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.1% of 25709 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.1% of 18856 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.1% of 18745 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.1% of 22478 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.1% of 34796 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 North Carolina 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 North Carolina

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Graham CountyBest late September · 126 checklists that week, 2,381 in all45%
  2. Madison CountyBest late September · 106 checklists that week, 6,254 in all39%
  3. Henderson CountyBest late September · 934 checklists that week, 33,437 in all32%
  4. Transylvania CountyBest late September · 465 checklists that week, 18,992 in all31%
  5. McDowell CountyBest late September · 160 checklists that week, 5,848 in all31%
  6. Yancey CountyBest late September · 394 checklists that week, 11,714 in all30%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Mecklenburg County Open Space - Ribbonwalk Nature PreserveMecklenburg County, best the second week of May · 29 checklists that week, 576 in all80%
  2. Mecklenburg County Open Space - Latta ParkMecklenburg County, best the second week of May · 212 checklists that week, 1,868 in all78%
  3. Santeetlah GapGraham County, best late September · 50 checklists that week, 341 in all78%
  4. Patton Mountain EstatesTransylvania County, best mid September · 22 checklists that week, 192 in all77%
  5. AudubonGuilford County, best the second week of May · 26 checklists that week, 288 in all64%

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

Best time of day

In North Carolina, the Swainson's Thrush is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (3.0% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%4%12 am: too few checklists (520) to judge1 am: too few checklists (489) to judge2 am: too few checklists (442) to judge3 am: too few checklists (544) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1621) to judge5 am: too few checklists (9671) to judge6 am: 3.1% of 50335 checklists7 am: 2.9% of 150152 checklists8 am: 2.3% of 182902 checklists9 am: 1.6% of 158933 checklists10 am: 1.1% of 128398 checklists11 am: 0.9% of 98671 checklists12 pm: 0.8% of 78640 checklists1 pm: 0.7% of 72510 checklists2 pm: 0.8% of 69179 checklists3 pm: 0.7% of 67669 checklists4 pm: 0.9% of 63964 checklists5 pm: 1.0% of 48520 checklists6 pm: 0.8% of 33196 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (19700) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (6160) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1943) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1119) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (651) 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%0%
February0%0%0%0%
March0%0%0%0%
April0.1%0.1%0.3%1.8%
May5.2%7.3%3.9%0.5%
June0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
July0%0%0.1%0%
August0%0%0%0.1%
September1.0%4.7%11%12%
October12%7.2%2.7%0.5%
November0.1%0.1%0%0.1%
December0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%

Neighboring states

  • South Carolina: arrives the second week of September, 1 week later than North Carolina
  • Virginia: arrives late April, 17 weeks earlier than North Carolina
  • West Virginia: arrives late August, 1 week earlier than North Carolina
  • District of Columbia: arrives late April, 17 weeks earlier than North Carolina

Common questions

When do Swainson's Thrushes arrive in North Carolina?
Swainson's Thrushes mostly pass through North Carolina: they arrive in early September, peak in late September (12% of checklists), and most are gone by late October.
When do Swainson's Thrushes leave North Carolina?
Most Swainson's Thrushes have left North Carolina by late October, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Swainson's Thrush in North Carolina?
The Swainson's Thrush is reported most often in late September, on about 12% of North Carolina checklists.
Where in North Carolina are Swainson's Thrushes seen most often?
By county, Graham County, Madison County, and Henderson County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Swainson's Thrush (counties with at least 200 checklists).