WhenToBird

Cygnus columbianus · Anatidae

When Do Tundra Swans Arrive in Pennsylvania?

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

Tundra Swans are winter birds in Pennsylvania: they arrive in the second week of November, peak in early March (5.7% of checklists), and most are gone by late March.

When to look

First arrivalsNov 8-14the second week of November
Common byNov 8-14the second week of November
PeakMar 1-7early March
Most gone byMar 22-31late March

Best: early March. First arrivals the second week of November; most are gone by late March. Peak: on about 5.7% of Pennsylvania checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprrare
  5. Maynot usually seen
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepnot usually seen
  10. Octrare
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%2%4%6%8%Jan 1-7: 1.4% of 47145 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.0% of 35840 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.3% of 35423 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.2% of 49126 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.6% of 36366 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.7% of 42248 checklistsFeb 15-21: 2.0% of 55888 checklistsFeb 22-28: 4.9% of 42050 checklistsMar 1-7: 7.0% of 42709 checklistsMar 8-14: 5.3% of 43985 checklistsMar 15-21: 3.0% of 44547 checklistsMar 22-31: 1.4% of 66940 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.5% of 51147 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.3% of 54868 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.2% of 57252 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.1% of 81727 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.1% of 76472 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.1% of 79341 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 61724 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 70722 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 45652 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 41810 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.1% of 38973 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.1% of 44255 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.1% of 34822 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.1% of 31104 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.1% of 29262 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.1% of 41436 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.1% of 29189 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.1% of 28840 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.1% of 29948 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.1% of 48235 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.1% of 37175 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.1% of 36527 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.1% of 37261 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.1% of 43583 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.1% of 35352 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.1% of 35560 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.1% of 33119 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.2% of 44654 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.5% of 32965 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.4% of 31305 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.4% of 29471 checklistsNov 22-30: 2.0% of 38642 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.7% of 28779 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.3% of 29486 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.1% of 37465 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.3% 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.

Embed this map on your site

Where in Pennsylvania

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Lancaster CountyBest early March · 2427 checklists that week, 97,892 in all26%
  2. Montour CountyBest early March · 183 checklists that week, 6,082 in all25%
  3. Lebanon CountyBest early March · 915 checklists that week, 33,727 in all19%
  4. Snyder CountyBest the second week of March · 163 checklists that week, 5,676 in all17%
  5. Clearfield CountyBest the second week of March · 203 checklists that week, 9,768 in all15%
  6. Crawford CountyBest the second week of March · 620 checklists that week, 23,552 in all11%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Middle Creek Reservoir (northeast)Lancaster County, best the second week of January · 25 checklists that week, 1,773 in all95%
  2. State Game Land 290Dauphin County, best the second week of March · 33 checklists that week, 890 in all90%
  3. Middle Creek ReservoirLancaster County, best mid February · 226 checklists that week, 7,274 in all84%
  4. Curwensville Lake Recreation AreaClearfield County, best early March · 31 checklists that week, 986 in all74%
  5. Witmers RunLancaster County, best late February · 89 checklists that week, 1,838 in all68%

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

Best time of day

In Pennsylvania, the Tundra Swan is most often listed on checklists started between 2 and 4 pm (1.2% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%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: 0.5% of 92903 checklists7 am: 0.6% of 241233 checklists8 am: 0.7% of 271994 checklists9 am: 0.9% of 236842 checklists10 am: 1.1% of 199508 checklists11 am: 1.1% of 161893 checklists12 pm: 1.1% of 143945 checklists1 pm: 1.2% of 134352 checklists2 pm: 1.2% of 129692 checklists3 pm: 1.2% of 126132 checklists4 pm: 1.1% of 115055 checklists5 pm: 0.9% of 90719 checklists6 pm: 0.5% of 67534 checklists7 pm: 0.3% 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
January1.4%1.0%1.3%1.2%
February1.6%1.7%2.0%4.9%
March7.0%5.3%3.0%1.4%
April0.5%0.3%0.2%0.1%
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%0.1%0.1%0.2%
November0.5%1.4%1.4%2.0%
December1.7%1.3%1.1%1.3%

Neighboring states

  • Maryland: arrives early November, 1 week earlier than Pennsylvania
  • Delaware: arrives early November, 1 week earlier than Pennsylvania
  • New Jersey: arrives the second week of November, in the same week than Pennsylvania
  • New York: arrives the second week of November, in the same week than Pennsylvania

Common questions

When do Tundra Swans arrive in Pennsylvania?
Tundra Swans are winter birds in Pennsylvania: they arrive in the second week of November, peak in early March (5.7% of checklists), and most are gone by late March.
When do Tundra Swans leave Pennsylvania?
Most Tundra Swans have left Pennsylvania by late March, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Tundra Swan in Pennsylvania?
The Tundra Swan is reported most often in early March, on about 5.7% of Pennsylvania checklists.
Where in Pennsylvania are Tundra Swans seen most often?
By county, Lancaster County, Montour County, and Lebanon County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Tundra Swan (counties with at least 200 checklists).