WhenToBird

Catharus ustulatus · Turdidae

When Do Swainson's Thrushes Arrive in Vermont?

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

Swainson's Thrushes arrive in Vermont in mid May, peak in late June (3.2% of checklists), and most are gone by late July.

When to look

First arrivalsMay 15-21mid May
Common byMay 15-21mid May
PeakJun 22-30late June
Most gone byJul 22-31late July

Best: late June. First arrivals mid May; most are gone by late July. Peak: on about 3.2% of Vermont checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marnot usually seen
  4. Aprnot usually seen
  5. Maycommon
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  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%1%2%3%4%Jan 1-7: 0% of 12234 checklistsJan 8-14: 0% of 8293 checklistsJan 15-21: 0% of 7885 checklistsJan 22-31: 0% of 10534 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0% of 7212 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0% of 8144 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0% of 10480 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0% of 7932 checklistsMar 1-7: 0% of 8192 checklistsMar 8-14: 0% of 9383 checklistsMar 15-21: 0% of 10620 checklistsMar 22-31: 0% of 16257 checklistsApr 1-7: 0% of 12568 checklistsApr 8-14: 0% of 14677 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.1% of 14106 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.1% of 19617 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.1% of 18143 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.6% of 19626 checklistsMay 15-21: 1.7% of 17779 checklistsMay 22-31: 1.8% of 20310 checklistsJun 1-7: 2.2% of 11493 checklistsJun 8-14: 2.2% of 10215 checklistsJun 15-21: 3.8% of 9951 checklistsJun 22-30: 3.0% of 11050 checklistsJul 1-7: 2.9% of 8690 checklistsJul 8-14: 2.4% of 7679 checklistsJul 15-21: 1.4% of 7687 checklistsJul 22-31: 1.1% of 10712 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.6% of 7703 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.3% of 7743 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.2% of 8314 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.4% of 12428 checklistsSep 1-7: 1.2% of 9526 checklistsSep 8-14: 2.3% of 8493 checklistsSep 15-21: 3.5% of 8283 checklistsSep 22-30: 3.4% of 10352 checklistsOct 1-7: 1.7% of 8802 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.9% of 9088 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.5% of 7739 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.1% of 10907 checklistsNov 1-7: 0% of 7868 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.1% of 7223 checklistsNov 15-21: 0% of 7224 checklistsNov 22-30: 0% of 8375 checklistsDec 1-7: 0% of 6580 checklistsDec 8-14: 0% of 6800 checklistsDec 15-21: 0% of 8334 checklistsDec 22-31: 0% of 10579 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 Vermont 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 Vermont

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Essex CountyBest early July · 301 checklists that week, 9,416 in all28%
  2. Lamoille CountyBest early July · 435 checklists that week, 16,426 in all10%
  3. Orleans CountyBest early July · 322 checklists that week, 11,785 in all5.8%
  4. Rutland CountyBest mid September · 651 checklists that week, 46,909 in all5.3%
  5. Bennington CountyBest mid September · 342 checklists that week, 21,621 in all4.9%
  6. Chittenden CountyBest late September · 2453 checklists that week, 109,477 in all3.8%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife RefugeEssex County, best the second week of July · 25 checklists that week, 462 in all58%
  2. The NoseLamoille County, best early July · 34 checklists that week, 220 in all52%
  3. Wenlock Wildlife Management AreaEssex County, best early July · 110 checklists that week, 3,032 in all46%
  4. Winooski Valley Park DistrictChittenden County, best late September · 24 checklists that week, 1,524 in all17%
  5. Colchester PondChittenden County, best mid September · 48 checklists that week, 3,341 in all15%

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

Best time of day

In Vermont, the Swainson's Thrush is most often listed on checklists started between 5 and 7 am (2.0% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%12 am: too few checklists (384) to judge1 am: too few checklists (418) to judge2 am: too few checklists (568) to judge3 am: too few checklists (1183) to judge4 am: too few checklists (3460) to judge5 am: 3.0% of 10340 checklists6 am: 1.7% of 30951 checklists7 am: 1.1% of 64150 checklists8 am: 0.9% of 70252 checklists9 am: 0.7% of 55280 checklists10 am: 0.6% of 47111 checklists11 am: 0.5% of 37615 checklists12 pm: 0.5% of 32195 checklists1 pm: 0.4% of 30185 checklists2 pm: 0.4% of 29679 checklists3 pm: 0.3% of 26483 checklists4 pm: 0.6% of 20110 checklists5 pm: 0.6% of 15993 checklists6 pm: 0.6% of 12110 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (8203) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (4425) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1829) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (597) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (309) 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%0.1%
May0.1%0.6%1.7%1.8%
June2.2%2.2%3.8%3.0%
July2.9%2.4%1.4%1.1%
August0.6%0.3%0.2%0.4%
September1.2%2.3%3.5%3.4%
October1.7%0.9%0.5%0.1%
November0%0.1%0%0%
December0%0%0%0%

Neighboring states

  • New Hampshire: arrives the second week of May, 1 week earlier than Vermont
  • Massachusetts: arrives early May, 2 weeks earlier than Vermont
  • Connecticut: arrives early May, 2 weeks earlier than Vermont
  • Rhode Island: arrives early May, 2 weeks earlier than Vermont

Common questions

When do Swainson's Thrushes arrive in Vermont?
Swainson's Thrushes arrive in Vermont in mid May, peak in late June (3.2% of checklists), and most are gone by late July.
When do Swainson's Thrushes leave Vermont?
Most Swainson's Thrushes have left Vermont by late July, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Swainson's Thrush in Vermont?
The Swainson's Thrush is reported most often in late June, on about 3.2% of Vermont checklists.
Where in Vermont are Swainson's Thrushes seen most often?
By county, Essex County, Lamoille County, and Orleans County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Swainson's Thrush (counties with at least 200 checklists).