WhenToBird

Melospiza georgiana · Passerellidae

When Do Swamp Sparrows Arrive in Georgia?

Adult Swamp Sparrow
Photo: Sandra Keller, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Swamp Sparrows are winter birds in Georgia: the first arrive in the second week of October, they are common by mid October, peak in the second week of December (10% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of April.

When to look

First arrivalsOct 8-14the second week of October
Common byOct 15-21mid October
PeakDec 8-14the second week of December
Most gone byApr 8-14the second week of April

Best: the second week of December. First arrivals the second week of October; most are gone by the second week of April. Peak: on about 10% of Georgia checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Mayrare
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepnot usually seen
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 8.3% of 22238 checklistsJan 8-14: 7.6% of 16390 checklistsJan 15-21: 7.1% of 16779 checklistsJan 22-31: 6.7% of 22964 checklistsFeb 1-7: 6.6% of 16870 checklistsFeb 8-14: 4.6% of 19486 checklistsFeb 15-21: 3.8% of 28540 checklistsFeb 22-28: 5.4% of 17005 checklistsMar 1-7: 5.9% of 15920 checklistsMar 8-14: 5.7% of 16274 checklistsMar 15-21: 5.8% of 16432 checklistsMar 22-31: 5.3% of 25318 checklistsApr 1-7: 4.6% of 19292 checklistsApr 8-14: 4.4% of 19742 checklistsApr 15-21: 3.8% of 21498 checklistsApr 22-30: 2.2% of 29736 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.6% of 20858 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.1% of 20346 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 15859 checklistsMay 22-31: 0% of 19867 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 13467 checklistsJun 8-14: 0% of 12812 checklistsJun 15-21: 0% of 11379 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 14121 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 11176 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 10695 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 10655 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 15106 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 10650 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 10247 checklistsAug 15-21: 0% of 10371 checklistsAug 22-31: 0% of 15203 checklistsSep 1-7: 0% of 13007 checklistsSep 8-14: 0% of 12541 checklistsSep 15-21: 0% of 12943 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.1% of 17655 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.3% of 14646 checklistsOct 8-14: 2.6% of 15836 checklistsOct 15-21: 6.3% of 13124 checklistsOct 22-31: 9.4% of 15859 checklistsNov 1-7: 11% of 11711 checklistsNov 8-14: 9.6% of 11587 checklistsNov 15-21: 9.8% of 12025 checklistsNov 22-30: 9.5% of 16431 checklistsDec 1-7: 9.8% of 11256 checklistsDec 8-14: 9.6% of 11967 checklistsDec 15-21: 11% of 15618 checklistsDec 22-31: 8.8% of 22453 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 Georgia 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 Georgia

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Stewart CountyBest early March · 21 checklists that week, 1,016 in all49%
  2. Berrien CountyBest early December · 41 checklists that week, 1,955 in all46%
  3. Richmond CountyBest mid December · 306 checklists that week, 9,352 in all42%
  4. McIntosh CountyBest the second week of November · 127 checklists that week, 10,475 in all41%
  5. Chattahoochee CountyBest late November · 14 checklists that week, 448 in all37%
  6. Warren CountyBest mid November · 10 checklists that week, 212 in all37%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Shamrock LakeClayton County, best mid March · 31 checklists that week, 861 in all86%
  2. Azalea ParkFulton County, best late December · 94 checklists that week, 2,471 in all84%
  3. Walter F. George Recreation AreaStewart County, best late February · 21 checklists that week, 392 in all81%
  4. Allatoona Recreation AreaCherokee County, best early November · 25 checklists that week, 1,192 in all78%
  5. Chattahoochee River National Recreation AreaCobb County, best the second week of December · 39 checklists that week, 2,731 in all76%
  6. Mill Creek Nature CenterGwinnett County, best the second week of January · 25 checklists that week, 545 in all74%

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

Best time of day

In Georgia, the Swamp Sparrow is most often listed on checklists started between 8 and 10 am (5.2% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%12 am: too few checklists (334) to judge1 am: too few checklists (277) to judge2 am: too few checklists (264) to judge3 am: too few checklists (282) to judge4 am: too few checklists (463) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1513) to judge6 am: 3.1% of 16790 checklists7 am: 4.7% of 73569 checklists8 am: 5.4% of 104956 checklists9 am: 5.0% of 96241 checklists10 am: 4.5% of 81903 checklists11 am: 4.0% of 66236 checklists12 pm: 3.7% of 56159 checklists1 pm: 3.9% of 48260 checklists2 pm: 4.1% of 46435 checklists3 pm: 3.6% of 46015 checklists4 pm: 3.1% of 47438 checklists5 pm: 2.3% of 38866 checklists6 pm: 1.2% of 26032 checklists7 pm: 0.7% of 16610 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (5490) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (995) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (517) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (310) 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
January8.3%7.6%7.1%6.7%
February6.6%4.6%3.8%5.4%
March5.9%5.7%5.8%5.3%
April4.6%4.4%3.8%2.2%
May0.6%0.1%0.1%0%
June0.1%0%0%0%
July0%0%0%0%
August0%0%0%0%
September0%0%0%0.1%
October0.3%2.6%6.3%9.4%
November11%9.6%9.8%9.5%
December9.8%9.6%11%8.8%

Neighboring states

  • South Carolina: arrives the second week of October, in the same week than Georgia
  • Alabama: arrives early October, 1 week earlier than Georgia
  • Tennessee: arrives early October, 1 week earlier than Georgia
  • North Carolina: arrives early October, 1 week earlier than Georgia

Common questions

When do Swamp Sparrows arrive in Georgia?
Swamp Sparrows are winter birds in Georgia: the first arrive in the second week of October, they are common by mid October, peak in the second week of December (10% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of April.
When do Swamp Sparrows leave Georgia?
Most Swamp Sparrows have left Georgia by the second week of April, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until early May.
When is the best time to see a Swamp Sparrow in Georgia?
The Swamp Sparrow is reported most often in the second week of December, on about 10% of Georgia checklists.
Where in Georgia are Swamp Sparrows seen most often?
By county, Stewart County, Berrien County, and Richmond County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Swamp Sparrow (counties with at least 200 checklists).