WhenToBird

Zonotrichia albicollis · Passerellidae

When Do White-throated Sparrows Arrive in Delaware?

Adult White-throated Sparrow
Photo: northerly, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

White-throated Sparrows are winter birds in Delaware: the first arrive in late September, they are common by the second week of October, peak in early November (50% of checklists), and most are gone by early May.

When to look

First arrivalsSep 22-30late September
Common byOct 8-14the second week of October
PeakNov 1-7early November
Most gone byMay 1-7early May

Best: early November. First arrivals late September; most are gone by early May. Peak: on about 50% of Delaware checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maycommon
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Seprare
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%20%40%60%Jan 1-7: 41% of 5901 checklistsJan 8-14: 40% of 4091 checklistsJan 15-21: 40% of 3841 checklistsJan 22-31: 39% of 5084 checklistsFeb 1-7: 39% of 3705 checklistsFeb 8-14: 43% of 3991 checklistsFeb 15-21: 38% of 6056 checklistsFeb 22-28: 38% of 4036 checklistsMar 1-7: 39% of 3822 checklistsMar 8-14: 39% of 3873 checklistsMar 15-21: 40% of 3856 checklistsMar 22-31: 40% of 5702 checklistsApr 1-7: 46% of 4104 checklistsApr 8-14: 48% of 4456 checklistsApr 15-21: 52% of 4871 checklistsApr 22-30: 49% of 7249 checklistsMay 1-7: 33% of 6806 checklistsMay 8-14: 13% of 7229 checklistsMay 15-21: 2.0% of 6466 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.4% of 7437 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 3596 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 2847 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.1% of 2901 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.1% of 3644 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.1% of 3142 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.1% of 2767 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 2882 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 4175 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 3482 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 3477 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.1% of 3386 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.1% of 5028 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.1% of 3631 checklistsSep 8-14: 0% of 3507 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.4% of 3404 checklistsSep 22-30: 2.9% of 4252 checklistsOct 1-7: 13% of 3563 checklistsOct 8-14: 27% of 3440 checklistsOct 15-21: 40% of 3282 checklistsOct 22-31: 50% of 4025 checklistsNov 1-7: 53% of 3030 checklistsNov 8-14: 47% of 3141 checklistsNov 15-21: 44% of 2858 checklistsNov 22-30: 47% of 4104 checklistsDec 1-7: 47% of 2472 checklistsDec 8-14: 48% of 2415 checklistsDec 15-21: 50% of 3306 checklistsDec 22-31: 41% of 5527 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 Delaware 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 Delaware

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. New Castle CountyBest early November · 1222 checklists that week, 72,140 in all65%
  2. Kent CountyBest the second week of December · 438 checklists that week, 36,693 in all43%
  3. Sussex CountyBest mid April · 2160 checklists that week, 91,027 in all41%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. White Clay Creek State Park (Lost Stream)New Castle County, best the second week of April · 25 checklists that week, 534 in all98%
  2. WoodlawnNew Castle County, best late November · 29 checklists that week, 1,011 in all97%
  3. Middle Run Valley ParkNew Castle County, best early November · 23 checklists that week, 2,212 in all95%
  4. Turkle Pond (Shell Beach Pond)Sussex County, best late December · 28 checklists that week, 260 in all94%
  5. Porter ReservoirNew Castle County, best early April · 26 checklists that week, 671 in all94%
  6. White Clay Creek State ParkNew Castle County, best mid April · 25 checklists that week, 547 in all93%

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

Best time of day

In Delaware, the White-throated Sparrow is most often listed on checklists started between 7 and 9 am (33% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%40%12 am: too few checklists (129) to judge1 am: too few checklists (122) to judge2 am: too few checklists (102) to judge3 am: too few checklists (114) to judge4 am: too few checklists (210) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1334) to judge6 am: 25% of 8055 checklists7 am: 33% of 21367 checklists8 am: 33% of 25648 checklists9 am: 29% of 22669 checklists10 am: 27% of 20679 checklists11 am: 25% of 17516 checklists12 pm: 24% of 15361 checklists1 pm: 24% of 14319 checklists2 pm: 24% of 13726 checklists3 pm: 25% of 12793 checklists4 pm: 22% of 10392 checklists5 pm: 18% of 6859 checklists6 pm: 13% of 4542 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (2633) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (831) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (211) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (150) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (98) 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
January41%40%40%39%
February39%43%38%38%
March39%39%40%40%
April46%48%52%49%
May33%13%2.0%0.4%
June0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
July0.1%0.1%0%0%
August0%0%0.1%0.1%
September0.1%0%0.4%2.9%
October13%27%40%50%
November53%47%44%47%
December47%48%50%41%

Neighboring states

  • Maryland: arrives early October, 1 week later than Delaware
  • New Jersey: arrives late September, in the same week than Delaware
  • District of Columbia: arrives late September, in the same week than Delaware
  • Pennsylvania: arrives late September, in the same week than Delaware

Common questions

When do White-throated Sparrows arrive in Delaware?
White-throated Sparrows are winter birds in Delaware: the first arrive in late September, they are common by the second week of October, peak in early November (50% of checklists), and most are gone by early May.
When do White-throated Sparrows leave Delaware?
Most White-throated Sparrows have left Delaware by early May, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until mid May.
When is the best time to see a White-throated Sparrow in Delaware?
The White-throated Sparrow is reported most often in early November, on about 50% of Delaware checklists.
Where in Delaware are White-throated Sparrows seen most often?
By county, New Castle County, Kent County, and Sussex County have the highest peak reporting rates for the White-throated Sparrow (counties with at least 200 checklists).