WhenToBird

Catharus ustulatus · Turdidae

When Do Swainson's Thrushes Arrive in Utah?

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

Swainson's Thrushes mostly pass through Utah: the first show up in late May, they are common by early June, peak in early July (5.0% of checklists), and most are gone by mid July.

When to look

First arrivalsMay 22-31late May
Common byJun 1-7early June
PeakJul 1-7early July
Most gone byJul 15-21mid July

Best: early July. First arrivals late May; most are gone by mid July. Peak: on about 5.0% of Utah checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marnot usually seen
  4. Aprnot usually seen
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augrare
  9. Seprare
  10. Octnot usually seen
  11. Novnot usually seen
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%2%4%6%Jan 1-7: 0% of 10857 checklistsJan 8-14: 0% of 8333 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.1% of 8360 checklistsJan 22-31: 0% of 10516 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0% of 7416 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0% of 8082 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0% of 9643 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0% of 7960 checklistsMar 1-7: 0% of 7998 checklistsMar 8-14: 0% of 8581 checklistsMar 15-21: 0% of 8637 checklistsMar 22-31: 0% of 13006 checklistsApr 1-7: 0% of 10562 checklistsApr 8-14: 0% of 11694 checklistsApr 15-21: 0% of 11382 checklistsApr 22-30: 0% of 16626 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.1% of 13523 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.2% of 14714 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.3% of 13711 checklistsMay 22-31: 1.2% of 16546 checklistsJun 1-7: 2.6% of 10284 checklistsJun 8-14: 3.6% of 9530 checklistsJun 15-21: 4.2% of 8854 checklistsJun 22-30: 4.9% of 10566 checklistsJul 1-7: 5.0% of 7987 checklistsJul 8-14: 5.1% of 7471 checklistsJul 15-21: 2.9% of 7240 checklistsJul 22-31: 1.2% of 9329 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.3% of 6521 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.2% of 6423 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.2% of 6208 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.3% of 9089 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.3% of 7081 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.3% of 7306 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.2% of 7208 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.1% of 8876 checklistsOct 1-7: 0% of 7265 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.1% of 7226 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.1% of 7007 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.1% of 8443 checklistsNov 1-7: 0% of 6711 checklistsNov 8-14: 0% of 6290 checklistsNov 15-21: 0% of 6169 checklistsNov 22-30: 0% of 8228 checklistsDec 1-7: 0% of 6011 checklistsDec 8-14: 0% of 6044 checklistsDec 15-21: 0% of 6721 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.1% of 9982 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 Utah 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 Utah

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Morgan CountyBest mid June · 95 checklists that week, 3,178 in all19%
  2. Salt Lake CountyBest early July · 1953 checklists that week, 104,432 in all12%
  3. Weber CountyBest mid June · 216 checklists that week, 13,172 in all9.8%
  4. Wasatch CountyBest early July · 245 checklists that week, 7,780 in all7.5%
  5. Cache CountyBest late June · 501 checklists that week, 21,769 in all5.6%
  6. Utah CountyBest early July · 983 checklists that week, 70,971 in all4.7%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Wasatch National ForestSalt Lake County, best the second week of June · 22 checklists that week, 265 in all89%
  2. Coalpit GulchSalt Lake County, best early July · 22 checklists that week, 228 in all65%
  3. Mueller Park Recreation SiteDavis County, best late June · 20 checklists that week, 392 in all64%
  4. Mount Olympus WildernessSalt Lake County, best late June · 21 checklists that week, 220 in all55%
  5. Little Dell ReservoirSalt Lake County, best early July · 21 checklists that week, 1,326 in all50%
  6. Pleasant Valley ReservoirSalt Lake County, best late June · 50 checklists that week, 1,034 in all29%

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

Best time of day

In Utah, the Swainson's Thrush is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 pm (1.4% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%2%12 am: too few checklists (242) to judge1 am: too few checklists (178) to judge2 am: too few checklists (169) to judge3 am: too few checklists (162) to judge4 am: too few checklists (284) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1984) to judge6 am: 1.4% of 11714 checklists7 am: 1.0% of 33209 checklists8 am: 0.7% of 46944 checklists9 am: 0.6% of 46290 checklists10 am: 0.5% of 43144 checklists11 am: 0.4% of 36893 checklists12 pm: 0.3% of 32758 checklists1 pm: 0.3% of 30142 checklists2 pm: 0.3% of 29414 checklists3 pm: 0.4% of 29491 checklists4 pm: 0.4% of 29154 checklists5 pm: 0.6% of 22256 checklists6 pm: 0.9% of 17383 checklists7 pm: 2.0% of 13099 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (6647) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1753) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (599) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (307) 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%0.1%0%
February0%0%0%0%
March0%0%0%0%
April0%0%0%0%
May0.1%0.2%0.3%1.2%
June2.6%3.6%4.2%4.9%
July5.0%5.1%2.9%1.2%
August0.3%0.2%0.2%0.3%
September0.3%0.3%0.2%0.1%
October0%0.1%0.1%0.1%
November0%0%0%0%
December0%0%0%0.1%

Neighboring states

  • Wyoming: arrives early May, 3 weeks earlier than Utah
  • Nevada: arrives the second week of May, 2 weeks earlier than Utah
  • Colorado: arrives early May, 3 weeks earlier than Utah
  • Idaho: arrives mid May, 1 week earlier than Utah

Common questions

When do Swainson's Thrushes arrive in Utah?
Swainson's Thrushes mostly pass through Utah: the first show up in late May, they are common by early June, peak in early July (5.0% of checklists), and most are gone by mid July.
When do Swainson's Thrushes leave Utah?
Most Swainson's Thrushes have left Utah by mid July, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until late July.
When is the best time to see a Swainson's Thrush in Utah?
The Swainson's Thrush is reported most often in early July, on about 5.0% of Utah checklists.
Where in Utah are Swainson's Thrushes seen most often?
By county, Morgan County, Salt Lake County, and Weber County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Swainson's Thrush (counties with at least 200 checklists).