WhenToBird

Melospiza georgiana · Passerellidae

When Do Swamp Sparrows Arrive in Ohio?

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

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

When to look

First arrivalsSep 15-21mid September
Common bySep 22-30late September
PeakOct 15-21mid October
Most gone byDec 15-21mid December

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

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febrare
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Auguncommon
  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: 2.9% of 46637 checklistsJan 8-14: 2.7% of 31056 checklistsJan 15-21: 2.3% of 30129 checklistsJan 22-31: 2.3% of 38665 checklistsFeb 1-7: 2.0% of 27203 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.8% of 30626 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.2% of 40705 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.6% of 31391 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.7% of 32914 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.7% of 33973 checklistsMar 15-21: 1.9% of 33678 checklistsMar 22-31: 3.4% of 49889 checklistsApr 1-7: 6.2% of 41225 checklistsApr 8-14: 9.2% of 47174 checklistsApr 15-21: 11% of 47017 checklistsApr 22-30: 11% of 73055 checklistsMay 1-7: 10% of 80637 checklistsMay 8-14: 6.9% of 102552 checklistsMay 15-21: 5.5% of 64582 checklistsMay 22-31: 5.2% of 52766 checklistsJun 1-7: 5.5% of 29279 checklistsJun 8-14: 5.8% of 25773 checklistsJun 15-21: 5.6% of 23163 checklistsJun 22-30: 4.8% of 27794 checklistsJul 1-7: 5.3% of 23334 checklistsJul 8-14: 5.8% of 22147 checklistsJul 15-21: 6.0% of 20998 checklistsJul 22-31: 5.4% of 29749 checklistsAug 1-7: 4.6% of 22899 checklistsAug 8-14: 3.1% of 21972 checklistsAug 15-21: 2.1% of 22215 checklistsAug 22-31: 1.3% of 35087 checklistsSep 1-7: 1.4% of 29148 checklistsSep 8-14: 1.4% of 28042 checklistsSep 15-21: 2.3% of 26751 checklistsSep 22-30: 4.8% of 32398 checklistsOct 1-7: 10% of 26209 checklistsOct 8-14: 15% of 26809 checklistsOct 15-21: 15% of 23504 checklistsOct 22-31: 12% of 33269 checklistsNov 1-7: 8.2% of 25563 checklistsNov 8-14: 5.5% of 23810 checklistsNov 15-21: 4.6% of 22127 checklistsNov 22-30: 4.0% of 29449 checklistsDec 1-7: 3.4% of 22370 checklistsDec 8-14: 3.3% of 21581 checklistsDec 15-21: 3.8% of 24232 checklistsDec 22-31: 3.5% of 36084 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 Ohio 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.

Embed this map on your site

Where in Ohio

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Harrison CountyBest mid April · 87 checklists that week, 3,150 in all34%
  2. Mahoning CountyBest the second week of October · 212 checklists that week, 14,421 in all34%
  3. Wayne CountyBest mid October · 475 checklists that week, 37,443 in all30%
  4. Lorain CountyBest mid October · 884 checklists that week, 59,913 in all28%
  5. Carroll CountyBest mid July · 28 checklists that week, 2,027 in all28%
  6. Medina CountyBest mid October · 341 checklists that week, 23,697 in all27%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Burton LakeGeauga County, best the second week of May · 29 checklists that week, 647 in all92%
  2. Chippewa Lake Nature AreasMedina County, best mid May · 20 checklists that week, 462 in all90%
  3. Buckeye Woods ParkMedina County, best the second week of July · 51 checklists that week, 2,525 in all89%
  4. Springville Marsh Dedicated Nature PreserveSeneca County, best late April · 48 checklists that week, 482 in all88%

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

Best time of day

In Ohio, the Swamp Sparrow is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (9.1% of those checklists).

0%5%10%12 am: too few checklists (574) to judge1 am: too few checklists (609) to judge2 am: too few checklists (466) to judge3 am: too few checklists (478) to judge4 am: too few checklists (662) to judge5 am: too few checklists (4366) to judge6 am: 9.8% of 43093 checklists7 am: 8.9% of 142017 checklists8 am: 7.4% of 205296 checklists9 am: 6.2% of 196322 checklists10 am: 5.3% of 170882 checklists11 am: 4.7% of 144567 checklists12 pm: 4.0% of 126551 checklists1 pm: 3.9% of 117855 checklists2 pm: 3.7% of 112869 checklists3 pm: 3.8% of 109786 checklists4 pm: 4.1% of 103116 checklists5 pm: 4.6% of 78409 checklists6 pm: 4.5% of 56785 checklists7 pm: 4.2% of 37923 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (14954) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2710) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (854) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (486) 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
January2.9%2.7%2.3%2.3%
February2.0%1.8%1.2%1.6%
March1.7%1.7%1.9%3.4%
April6.2%9.2%11%11%
May10%6.9%5.5%5.2%
June5.5%5.8%5.6%4.8%
July5.3%5.8%6.0%5.4%
August4.6%3.1%2.1%1.3%
September1.4%1.4%2.3%4.8%
October10%15%15%12%
November8.2%5.5%4.6%4.0%
December3.4%3.3%3.8%3.5%

Neighboring states

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

Common questions

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