WhenToBird

Melospiza georgiana · Passerellidae

When Do Swamp Sparrows Arrive in Pennsylvania?

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

Swamp Sparrows are winter birds in Pennsylvania: the first arrive in the second week of September, they are common by mid September, peak in the second week of October (13% 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 13% of Pennsylvania checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febrare
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Jununcommon
  7. Juluncommon
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 2.8% of 47145 checklistsJan 8-14: 2.8% of 35840 checklistsJan 15-21: 2.1% of 35423 checklistsJan 22-31: 2.1% of 49126 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.9% of 36366 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.5% of 42248 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.1% of 55888 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.6% of 42050 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.5% of 42709 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.6% of 43985 checklistsMar 15-21: 2.2% of 44547 checklistsMar 22-31: 3.2% of 66940 checklistsApr 1-7: 5.4% of 51147 checklistsApr 8-14: 7.9% of 54868 checklistsApr 15-21: 8.1% of 57252 checklistsApr 22-30: 8.1% of 81727 checklistsMay 1-7: 6.6% of 76472 checklistsMay 8-14: 4.8% of 79341 checklistsMay 15-21: 3.7% of 61724 checklistsMay 22-31: 3.1% of 70722 checklistsJun 1-7: 3.1% of 45652 checklistsJun 8-14: 3.1% of 41810 checklistsJun 15-21: 3.5% of 38973 checklistsJun 22-30: 3.0% of 44255 checklistsJul 1-7: 3.3% of 34822 checklistsJul 8-14: 3.5% of 31104 checklistsJul 15-21: 3.6% of 29262 checklistsJul 22-31: 3.2% of 41436 checklistsAug 1-7: 2.4% of 29189 checklistsAug 8-14: 1.8% of 28840 checklistsAug 15-21: 1.2% of 29948 checklistsAug 22-31: 1.0% of 48235 checklistsSep 1-7: 1.0% of 37175 checklistsSep 8-14: 1.3% of 36527 checklistsSep 15-21: 2.1% of 37261 checklistsSep 22-30: 5.4% of 43583 checklistsOct 1-7: 12% of 35352 checklistsOct 8-14: 14% of 35560 checklistsOct 15-21: 15% of 33119 checklistsOct 22-31: 12% of 44654 checklistsNov 1-7: 8.4% of 32965 checklistsNov 8-14: 6.2% of 31305 checklistsNov 15-21: 4.9% of 29471 checklistsNov 22-30: 4.6% of 38642 checklistsDec 1-7: 4.0% of 28779 checklistsDec 8-14: 3.8% of 29486 checklistsDec 15-21: 3.8% of 37465 checklistsDec 22-31: 3.5% of 50651 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 Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Philadelphia CountyBest mid October · 1681 checklists that week, 96,503 in all29%
  2. Wayne CountyBest early October · 126 checklists that week, 10,444 in all26%
  3. Bucks CountyBest the second week of October · 1837 checklists that week, 95,030 in all26%
  4. Luzerne CountyBest the second week of October · 488 checklists that week, 34,996 in all24%
  5. Sullivan CountyBest late July · 106 checklists that week, 4,362 in all23%
  6. Crawford CountyBest late June · 574 checklists that week, 23,552 in all21%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Municipal LandDelaware County, best late October · 25 checklists that week, 628 in all93%
  2. State Game Land 313Tioga County, best early May · 47 checklists that week, 868 in all86%
  3. Doylestown Bike & Hike PathBucks County, best late October · 23 checklists that week, 779 in all84%

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

Best time of day

In Pennsylvania, the Swamp Sparrow is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (6.1% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%8%12 am: too few checklists (1558) to judge1 am: too few checklists (1136) to judge2 am: too few checklists (839) to judge3 am: too few checklists (842) to judge4 am: too few checklists (2550) to judge5 am: too few checklists (18294) to judge6 am: 6.1% of 92903 checklists7 am: 6.1% of 241233 checklists8 am: 5.9% of 271994 checklists9 am: 5.0% of 236842 checklists10 am: 4.3% of 199508 checklists11 am: 3.7% of 161893 checklists12 pm: 3.4% of 143945 checklists1 pm: 3.3% of 134352 checklists2 pm: 3.1% of 129692 checklists3 pm: 3.0% of 126132 checklists4 pm: 3.0% of 115055 checklists5 pm: 3.3% of 90719 checklists6 pm: 2.7% of 67534 checklists7 pm: 2.7% of 43004 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (13966) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (3913) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1989) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (1146) 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
January2.8%2.8%2.1%2.1%
February1.9%1.5%1.1%1.6%
March1.5%1.6%2.2%3.2%
April5.4%7.9%8.1%8.1%
May6.6%4.8%3.7%3.1%
June3.1%3.1%3.5%3.0%
July3.3%3.5%3.6%3.2%
August2.4%1.8%1.2%1.0%
September1.0%1.3%2.1%5.4%
October12%14%15%12%
November8.4%6.2%4.9%4.6%
December4.0%3.8%3.8%3.5%

Neighboring states

  • Maryland: arrives mid September, 1 week later than Pennsylvania
  • District of Columbia: arrives late September, 2 weeks later than Pennsylvania
  • Delaware: arrives mid September, 1 week later than Pennsylvania
  • New Jersey: arrives mid September, 1 week later than Pennsylvania

Common questions

When do Swamp Sparrows arrive in Pennsylvania?
Swamp Sparrows are winter birds in Pennsylvania: the first arrive in the second week of September, they are common by mid September, peak in the second week of October (13% of checklists), and most are gone by early August.
When do Swamp Sparrows leave Pennsylvania?
Most Swamp Sparrows have left Pennsylvania by early August, 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 Pennsylvania?
The Swamp Sparrow is reported most often in the second week of October, on about 13% of Pennsylvania checklists.
Where in Pennsylvania are Swamp Sparrows seen most often?
By county, Philadelphia County, Wayne County, and Bucks County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Swamp Sparrow (counties with at least 200 checklists).