WhenToBird

Melospiza georgiana · Passerellidae

When Do Swamp Sparrows Arrive in Indiana?

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

Swamp Sparrows are winter birds in Indiana: the first arrive in mid September, they are common by late September, peak in mid October (14% of checklists), and most are gone by late July.

When to look

First arrivalsSep 15-21mid September
Common bySep 22-30late September
PeakOct 15-21mid October
Most gone byJul 22-31late July

Best: mid October. First arrivals mid September; most are gone by late July. Peak: on about 14% of Indiana checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Jununcommon
  7. Juluncommon
  8. Augrare
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%5%10%15%20%Jan 1-7: 3.5% of 18123 checklistsJan 8-14: 3.5% of 12006 checklistsJan 15-21: 3.1% of 12403 checklistsJan 22-31: 3.4% of 16181 checklistsFeb 1-7: 2.6% of 12546 checklistsFeb 8-14: 2.3% of 14250 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.9% of 18077 checklistsFeb 22-28: 2.5% of 13590 checklistsMar 1-7: 2.7% of 14545 checklistsMar 8-14: 2.5% of 14594 checklistsMar 15-21: 3.6% of 13894 checklistsMar 22-31: 4.7% of 22400 checklistsApr 1-7: 6.6% of 18069 checklistsApr 8-14: 8.6% of 19579 checklistsApr 15-21: 11% of 19518 checklistsApr 22-30: 9.7% of 30544 checklistsMay 1-7: 8.0% of 28430 checklistsMay 8-14: 5.4% of 30624 checklistsMay 15-21: 4.5% of 22920 checklistsMay 22-31: 2.7% of 21234 checklistsJun 1-7: 2.5% of 12279 checklistsJun 8-14: 2.1% of 10904 checklistsJun 15-21: 2.1% of 9488 checklistsJun 22-30: 2.2% of 11362 checklistsJul 1-7: 2.3% of 9947 checklistsJul 8-14: 2.2% of 9585 checklistsJul 15-21: 2.5% of 8929 checklistsJul 22-31: 2.4% of 12639 checklistsAug 1-7: 2.1% of 9528 checklistsAug 8-14: 1.5% of 9451 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.8% of 9442 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.7% of 14969 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.7% of 12628 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.9% of 11793 checklistsSep 15-21: 1.3% of 11396 checklistsSep 22-30: 3.2% of 14203 checklistsOct 1-7: 8.2% of 11365 checklistsOct 8-14: 13% of 12092 checklistsOct 15-21: 16% of 10440 checklistsOct 22-31: 13% of 13883 checklistsNov 1-7: 9.7% of 10476 checklistsNov 8-14: 6.9% of 9776 checklistsNov 15-21: 6.0% of 9035 checklistsNov 22-30: 5.3% of 12547 checklistsDec 1-7: 4.0% of 9078 checklistsDec 8-14: 4.6% of 8732 checklistsDec 15-21: 5.0% of 11024 checklistsDec 22-31: 4.2% of 15432 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 Indiana 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 Indiana

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Benton CountyBest mid October · 18 checklists that week, 993 in all72%
  2. Brown CountyBest mid January · 63 checklists that week, 5,917 in all60%
  3. Pike CountyBest late October · 32 checklists that week, 2,105 in all58%
  4. Montgomery CountyBest the second week of October · 92 checklists that week, 2,917 in all58%
  5. Greene CountyBest mid October · 318 checklists that week, 17,518 in all53%
  6. Spencer CountyBest late October · 35 checklists that week, 2,477 in all47%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Goose Pond Fish and Wildlife Area (northeast 2)Greene County, best early November · 23 checklists that week, 452 in all94%
  2. Ball Wetlands Nature PreserveKosciusko County, best the second week of May · 20 checklists that week, 127 in all91%
  3. Vaughn HollowBrown County, best the second week of February · 27 checklists that week, 919 in all88%
  4. Tern Bar SloughGibson County, best late October · 24 checklists that week, 569 in all81%

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

Best time of day

In Indiana, the Swamp Sparrow is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (7.9% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%12 am: too few checklists (240) to judge1 am: too few checklists (231) to judge2 am: too few checklists (222) to judge3 am: too few checklists (202) to judge4 am: too few checklists (674) to judge5 am: too few checklists (4329) to judge6 am: 10% of 20589 checklists7 am: 7.1% of 58470 checklists8 am: 6.2% of 86931 checklists9 am: 5.4% of 78239 checklists10 am: 4.7% of 66080 checklists11 am: 4.1% of 54904 checklists12 pm: 3.8% of 47610 checklists1 pm: 3.8% of 44814 checklists2 pm: 3.8% of 43790 checklists3 pm: 3.6% of 42983 checklists4 pm: 3.6% of 45349 checklists5 pm: 3.9% of 35993 checklists6 pm: 3.4% of 26447 checklists7 pm: 2.5% of 17740 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (7603) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1721) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (517) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (272) 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
January3.5%3.5%3.1%3.4%
February2.6%2.3%1.9%2.5%
March2.7%2.5%3.6%4.7%
April6.6%8.6%11%9.7%
May8.0%5.4%4.5%2.7%
June2.5%2.1%2.1%2.2%
July2.3%2.2%2.5%2.4%
August2.1%1.5%0.8%0.7%
September0.7%0.9%1.3%3.2%
October8.2%13%16%13%
November9.7%6.9%6.0%5.3%
December4.0%4.6%5.0%4.2%

Neighboring states

  • Illinois: arrives the second week of September, 1 week earlier than Indiana
  • Kentucky: arrives late September, 1 week later than Indiana
  • Ohio: arrives mid September, in the same week than Indiana
  • Michigan: arrives late March, 23 weeks earlier than Indiana

Common questions

When do Swamp Sparrows arrive in Indiana?
Swamp Sparrows are winter birds in Indiana: the first arrive in mid September, they are common by late September, peak in mid October (14% of checklists), and most are gone by late July.
When do Swamp Sparrows leave Indiana?
Most Swamp Sparrows have left Indiana by late July, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until the second week of August.
When is the best time to see a Swamp Sparrow in Indiana?
The Swamp Sparrow is reported most often in mid October, on about 14% of Indiana checklists.
Where in Indiana are Swamp Sparrows seen most often?
By county, Benton County, Brown County, and Pike County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Swamp Sparrow (counties with at least 200 checklists).