WhenToBird

Cygnus columbianus · Anatidae

When Do Tundra Swans Arrive in Michigan?

Adult Tundra Swan
Photo: Jan Ebr & Ivana Ebrová, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Tundra Swans are winter birds in Michigan: the first arrive in late October, they are common by early November, peak in the second week of March (3.2% of checklists), and most are gone by early April.

When to look

First arrivalsOct 22-31late October
Common byNov 1-7early November
PeakMar 8-14the second week of March
Most gone byApr 1-7early April

Best: the second week of March. First arrivals late October; most are gone by early April. Peak: on about 3.2% of Michigan checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maynot usually seen
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepnot usually seen
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%1%2%3%4%Jan 1-7: 2.4% of 38160 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.8% of 24696 checklistsJan 15-21: 2.1% of 23771 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.5% of 31347 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.4% of 23225 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.1% of 27398 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.0% of 36606 checklistsFeb 22-28: 2.0% of 27127 checklistsMar 1-7: 3.0% of 29700 checklistsMar 8-14: 3.5% of 31587 checklistsMar 15-21: 3.0% of 32118 checklistsMar 22-31: 2.2% of 47777 checklistsApr 1-7: 1.2% of 38557 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.5% of 42207 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.4% of 42759 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.3% of 64458 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.1% of 60998 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.1% of 72091 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 59058 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 64724 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 35990 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 32595 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.1% of 30017 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.1% of 33988 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.1% of 28708 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.1% of 25175 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.1% of 24084 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.1% of 33522 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.1% of 25098 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.1% of 24353 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.1% of 25059 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.1% of 37489 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.1% of 28410 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.1% of 27887 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.1% of 26614 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.1% of 32557 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.1% of 25844 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.2% of 27741 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.4% of 24693 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.9% of 32460 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.9% of 23660 checklistsNov 8-14: 2.7% of 21542 checklistsNov 15-21: 2.9% of 19922 checklistsNov 22-30: 3.2% of 25069 checklistsDec 1-7: 3.0% of 18272 checklistsDec 8-14: 2.6% of 18961 checklistsDec 15-21: 2.0% of 24171 checklistsDec 22-31: 2.6% of 30908 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 Michigan 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 Michigan

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Gratiot CountyBest mid March · 162 checklists that week, 5,892 in all30%
  2. Huron CountyBest the second week of March · 50 checklists that week, 4,733 in all30%
  3. Tuscola CountyBest mid March · 136 checklists that week, 5,683 in all29%
  4. Bay CountyBest mid March · 293 checklists that week, 16,522 in all27%
  5. Saginaw CountyBest the second week of March · 236 checklists that week, 8,573 in all27%
  6. Sanilac CountyBest mid March · 72 checklists that week, 4,539 in all25%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Fish Point State Wildlife AreaTuscola County, best mid March · 24 checklists that week, 998 in all86%
  2. Crystal BayouSaginaw County, best the second week of March · 27 checklists that week, 1,554 in all70%
  3. Nayanquing Point State Wildlife AreaBay County, best mid March · 52 checklists that week, 3,152 in all63%
  4. Pointe Mouillee State Game AreaMonroe County, best late January · 35 checklists that week, 3,630 in all56%
  5. Chelsea State Game AreaWashtenaw County, best mid February · 23 checklists that week, 2,399 in all56%

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

Best time of day

In Michigan, the Tundra Swan is most often listed on checklists started between 1 and 3 pm (1.2% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%12 am: too few checklists (712) to judge1 am: too few checklists (592) to judge2 am: too few checklists (532) to judge3 am: too few checklists (516) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1592) to judge5 am: too few checklists (6849) to judge6 am: 0.2% of 39298 checklists7 am: 0.6% of 120344 checklists8 am: 0.8% of 180109 checklists9 am: 0.9% of 171966 checklists10 am: 1.1% of 156332 checklists11 am: 1.1% of 134964 checklists12 pm: 1.1% of 120967 checklists1 pm: 1.2% of 113852 checklists2 pm: 1.1% of 110773 checklists3 pm: 1.2% of 105530 checklists4 pm: 1.1% of 100958 checklists5 pm: 0.7% of 80085 checklists6 pm: 0.4% of 62883 checklists7 pm: 0.3% of 44912 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (21062) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (5920) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1629) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (775) 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
January2.4%1.8%2.1%1.5%
February1.4%1.1%1.0%2.0%
March3.0%3.5%3.0%2.2%
April1.2%0.5%0.4%0.3%
May0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
June0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
July0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
August0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
September0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
October0.1%0.2%0.4%0.9%
November1.9%2.7%2.9%3.2%
December3.0%2.6%2.0%2.6%

Neighboring states

  • Ohio: arrives early November, 1 week later than Michigan
  • Indiana: arrives early November, 1 week later than Michigan
  • Illinois: arrives late October, in the same week than Michigan
  • Wisconsin: arrives late October, in the same week than Michigan

Common questions

When do Tundra Swans arrive in Michigan?
Tundra Swans are winter birds in Michigan: the first arrive in late October, they are common by early November, peak in the second week of March (3.2% of checklists), and most are gone by early April.
When do Tundra Swans leave Michigan?
Most Tundra Swans have left Michigan by early April, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Tundra Swan in Michigan?
The Tundra Swan is reported most often in the second week of March, on about 3.2% of Michigan checklists.
Where in Michigan are Tundra Swans seen most often?
By county, Gratiot County, Huron County, and Tuscola County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Tundra Swan (counties with at least 200 checklists).