WhenToBird

Melospiza georgiana · Passerellidae

When Do Swamp Sparrows Arrive in Illinois?

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

Swamp Sparrows are winter birds in Illinois: the first arrive in the second week of September, they are common by mid September, peak in the second week of October (18% of checklists), and most are gone by early August.

When to look

First arrivalsSep 8-14the second week of September
Common bySep 15-21mid September
PeakOct 8-14the second week of October
Most gone byAug 1-7early August

Best: the second week of October. First arrivals the second week of September; most are gone by early August. Peak: on about 18% of Illinois checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febrare
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Jununcommon
  7. Juluncommon
  8. Augrare
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%5%10%15%20%Jan 1-7: 2.7% of 29700 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.9% of 20189 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.7% of 19784 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.8% of 26641 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.5% of 20478 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.4% of 21967 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.1% of 28735 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.3% of 24223 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.7% of 26775 checklistsMar 8-14: 2.5% of 27579 checklistsMar 15-21: 2.9% of 27193 checklistsMar 22-31: 4.6% of 42278 checklistsApr 1-7: 7.4% of 34579 checklistsApr 8-14: 12% of 38290 checklistsApr 15-21: 16% of 39261 checklistsApr 22-30: 19% of 59584 checklistsMay 1-7: 15% of 60485 checklistsMay 8-14: 9.5% of 59647 checklistsMay 15-21: 5.9% of 43173 checklistsMay 22-31: 3.4% of 47913 checklistsJun 1-7: 3.3% of 31151 checklistsJun 8-14: 3.4% of 27692 checklistsJun 15-21: 3.2% of 23983 checklistsJun 22-30: 3.2% of 28448 checklistsJul 1-7: 3.7% of 21273 checklistsJul 8-14: 3.5% of 19284 checklistsJul 15-21: 3.6% of 17712 checklistsJul 22-31: 3.4% of 24500 checklistsAug 1-7: 2.4% of 18498 checklistsAug 8-14: 1.7% of 19331 checklistsAug 15-21: 1.0% of 19983 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.8% of 31892 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.9% of 26396 checklistsSep 8-14: 1.2% of 25011 checklistsSep 15-21: 1.9% of 23597 checklistsSep 22-30: 6.9% of 30638 checklistsOct 1-7: 14% of 23949 checklistsOct 8-14: 19% of 24412 checklistsOct 15-21: 20% of 22359 checklistsOct 22-31: 15% of 29794 checklistsNov 1-7: 11% of 21877 checklistsNov 8-14: 6.3% of 19742 checklistsNov 15-21: 5.0% of 18989 checklistsNov 22-30: 4.0% of 23905 checklistsDec 1-7: 3.3% of 16935 checklistsDec 8-14: 3.2% of 16687 checklistsDec 15-21: 3.6% of 20931 checklistsDec 22-31: 3.3% of 29011 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 Illinois 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 Illinois

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Wayne CountyBest mid October · 12 checklists that week, 394 in all75%
  2. Putnam CountyBest late October · 91 checklists that week, 3,333 in all62%
  3. Crawford CountyBest late October · 11 checklists that week, 804 in all57%
  4. Clay CountyBest late October · 12 checklists that week, 236 in all52%
  5. Jasper CountyBest mid October · 12 checklists that week, 1,292 in all51%
  6. Douglas CountyBest late October · 27 checklists that week, 992 in all50%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Watershed Nature CenterMadison County, best late October · 28 checklists that week, 973 in all88%
  2. Otter Creek Bend Wetland ParkKane County, best late April · 24 checklists that week, 136 in all87%
  3. Rainbow BeachCook County, best mid October · 120 checklists that week, 2,955 in all84%
  4. Douglas (Stephen)Cook County, best early November · 23 checklists that week, 1,219 in all81%
  5. Park No. 566Cook County, best the second week of October · 108 checklists that week, 3,444 in all73%
  6. Weaver ParkChampaign County, best the second week of October · 104 checklists that week, 962 in all73%

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

Best time of day

In Illinois, the Swamp Sparrow is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (9.7% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%12 am: too few checklists (484) to judge1 am: too few checklists (631) to judge2 am: too few checklists (485) to judge3 am: too few checklists (610) to judge4 am: too few checklists (2321) to judge5 am: too few checklists (23536) to judge6 am: 10% of 95511 checklists7 am: 9.3% of 164584 checklists8 am: 7.5% of 163654 checklists9 am: 6.4% of 141804 checklists10 am: 5.7% of 122882 checklists11 am: 5.0% of 100640 checklists12 pm: 5.1% of 89894 checklists1 pm: 4.7% of 82729 checklists2 pm: 4.5% of 79801 checklists3 pm: 4.5% of 82169 checklists4 pm: 5.2% of 75124 checklists5 pm: 5.3% of 57708 checklists6 pm: 4.1% of 41843 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (20943) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (6131) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1677) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (843) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (448) 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
January2.7%1.9%1.7%1.8%
February1.5%1.4%1.1%1.3%
March1.7%2.5%2.9%4.6%
April7.4%12%16%19%
May15%9.5%5.9%3.4%
June3.3%3.4%3.2%3.2%
July3.7%3.5%3.6%3.4%
August2.4%1.7%1.0%0.8%
September0.9%1.2%1.9%6.9%
October14%19%20%15%
November11%6.3%5.0%4.0%
December3.3%3.2%3.6%3.3%

Neighboring states

  • Indiana: arrives mid September, 1 week later than Illinois
  • Wisconsin: arrives late March, 22 weeks earlier than Illinois
  • Michigan: arrives late March, 22 weeks earlier than Illinois
  • Iowa: arrives the second week of September, in the same week than Illinois

Common questions

When do Swamp Sparrows arrive in Illinois?
Swamp Sparrows are winter birds in Illinois: the first arrive in the second week of September, they are common by mid September, peak in the second week of October (18% of checklists), and most are gone by early August.
When do Swamp Sparrows leave Illinois?
Most Swamp Sparrows have left Illinois by early August, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until mid August.
When is the best time to see a Swamp Sparrow in Illinois?
The Swamp Sparrow is reported most often in the second week of October, on about 18% of Illinois checklists.
Where in Illinois are Swamp Sparrows seen most often?
By county, Wayne County, Putnam County, and Crawford County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Swamp Sparrow (counties with at least 200 checklists).