WhenToBird

Catharus ustulatus · Turdidae

When Do Swainson's Thrushes Arrive in Ohio?

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

Swainson's Thrushes mostly pass through Ohio: the first show up in mid April, they are common by late April, peak in mid May (15% of checklists), and most are gone by early June.

When to look

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

Best: mid May. First arrivals mid April; most are gone by early June. Peak: on about 15% of Ohio 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. Auguncommon
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novnot usually seen
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%10%20%30%Jan 1-7: 0% of 46637 checklistsJan 8-14: 0% of 31056 checklistsJan 15-21: 0% of 30129 checklistsJan 22-31: 0% of 38665 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0% of 27203 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0% of 30626 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0% of 40705 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0% of 31391 checklistsMar 1-7: 0% of 32914 checklistsMar 8-14: 0% of 33973 checklistsMar 15-21: 0% of 33678 checklistsMar 22-31: 0% of 49889 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.1% of 41225 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.1% of 47174 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.3% of 47017 checklistsApr 22-30: 2.9% of 73055 checklistsMay 1-7: 9.3% of 80637 checklistsMay 8-14: 15% of 102552 checklistsMay 15-21: 21% of 64582 checklistsMay 22-31: 7.4% of 52766 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.4% of 29279 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 25773 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.1% of 23163 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 27794 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 23334 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 22147 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 20998 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 29749 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 22899 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.1% of 21972 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.1% of 22215 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.9% of 35087 checklistsSep 1-7: 6.5% of 29148 checklistsSep 8-14: 14% of 28042 checklistsSep 15-21: 15% of 26751 checklistsSep 22-30: 13% of 32398 checklistsOct 1-7: 7.0% of 26209 checklistsOct 8-14: 2.8% of 26809 checklistsOct 15-21: 1.1% of 23504 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.3% of 33269 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.1% of 25563 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.1% of 23810 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.1% of 22127 checklistsNov 22-30: 0% of 29449 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.1% of 22370 checklistsDec 8-14: 0% of 21581 checklistsDec 15-21: 0% of 24232 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.1% of 36084 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 Ohio 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 Ohio

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Coshocton CountyBest mid September · 20 checklists that week, 2,932 in all38%
  2. Lawrence CountyBest mid September · 53 checklists that week, 3,077 in all30%
  3. Putnam CountyBest late May · 33 checklists that week, 927 in all27%
  4. Lake CountyBest mid September · 1094 checklists that week, 59,983 in all26%
  5. Butler CountyBest mid September · 437 checklists that week, 28,183 in all24%
  6. Hamilton CountyBest the second week of May · 2979 checklists that week, 67,536 in all24%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. East Fork State Park (southwest)Clermont County, best late September · 21 checklists that week, 399 in all76%
  2. Glen Echo Ravine Restoration & ProtectionFranklin County, best mid May · 176 checklists that week, 2,272 in all76%
  3. Lawrence Woods Dedicated Nature PreserveHardin County, best mid May · 44 checklists that week, 523 in all72%
  4. Cleveland Lakefront State Park - Gordon ParkCuyahoga County, best mid September · 400 checklists that week, 11,083 in all69%

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

Best time of day

In Ohio, the Swainson's Thrush is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (7.6% of those checklists).

0%5%10%12 am: too few checklists (574) to judge1 am: too few checklists (609) to judge2 am: too few checklists (466) to judge3 am: too few checklists (478) to judge4 am: too few checklists (662) to judge5 am: too few checklists (4366) to judge6 am: 8.8% of 43093 checklists7 am: 7.2% of 142017 checklists8 am: 4.9% of 205296 checklists9 am: 3.7% of 196322 checklists10 am: 3.2% of 170882 checklists11 am: 2.8% of 144567 checklists12 pm: 2.6% of 126551 checklists1 pm: 2.4% of 117855 checklists2 pm: 2.4% of 112869 checklists3 pm: 2.4% of 109786 checklists4 pm: 2.5% of 103116 checklists5 pm: 2.8% of 78409 checklists6 pm: 3.1% of 56785 checklists7 pm: 2.2% of 37923 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (14954) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2710) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (854) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (486) 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%
April0.1%0.1%0.3%2.9%
May9.3%15%21%7.4%
June0.4%0.1%0.1%0%
July0%0%0%0%
August0%0.1%0.1%0.9%
September6.5%14%15%13%
October7.0%2.8%1.1%0.3%
November0.1%0.1%0.1%0%
December0.1%0%0%0.1%

Neighboring states

  • West Virginia: arrives late August, 17 weeks later than Ohio
  • Indiana: arrives mid August, 16 weeks later than Ohio
  • Michigan: arrives late August, 17 weeks later than Ohio
  • Kentucky: arrives mid April, in the same week than Ohio

Common questions

When do Swainson's Thrushes arrive in Ohio?
Swainson's Thrushes mostly pass through Ohio: the first show up in mid April, they are common by late April, peak in mid May (15% of checklists), and most are gone by early June.
When do Swainson's Thrushes leave Ohio?
Most Swainson's Thrushes have left Ohio by early June, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Swainson's Thrush in Ohio?
The Swainson's Thrush is reported most often in mid May, on about 15% of Ohio checklists.
Where in Ohio are Swainson's Thrushes seen most often?
By county, Coshocton County, Lawrence County, and Putnam County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Swainson's Thrush (counties with at least 200 checklists).