WhenToBird

Empidonax traillii · Tyrannidae

When Do Willow Flycatchers Arrive in North Carolina?

Adult Willow Flycatcher
Photo: Steven Smethurst, CC0 1.0 via iNaturalist

Willow Flycatchers arrive in North Carolina in early May, peak in mid May (1.1% of checklists), and most are gone by early August.

When to look

First arrivalsMay 1-7early May
Common byMay 1-7early May
PeakMay 15-21mid May
Most gone byAug 1-7early August

Best: mid May. First arrivals early May; most are gone by early August. Peak: on about 1.1% of North Carolina checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marnot usually seen
  4. Aprrare
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julcommon
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Seprare
  10. Octnot usually seen
  11. Novnot usually seen
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%0.5%1%1.5%Jan 1-7: 0% of 30085 checklistsJan 8-14: 0% of 22728 checklistsJan 15-21: 0% of 24292 checklistsJan 22-31: 0% of 34122 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0% of 26352 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0% of 29663 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0% of 41515 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0% of 24318 checklistsMar 1-7: 0% of 23408 checklistsMar 8-14: 0% of 22658 checklistsMar 15-21: 0% of 22784 checklistsMar 22-31: 0% of 36034 checklistsApr 1-7: 0% of 28131 checklistsApr 8-14: 0% of 29190 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.1% of 32847 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.1% of 47966 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.5% of 37076 checklistsMay 8-14: 1.1% of 36228 checklistsMay 15-21: 1.3% of 30378 checklistsMay 22-31: 1.1% of 40237 checklistsJun 1-7: 1.0% of 27551 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.7% of 26473 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.7% of 22789 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.5% of 27615 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.7% of 20022 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.7% of 19315 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.7% of 18934 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.5% of 25600 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.4% of 17987 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.2% of 17307 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.1% of 17080 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.1% of 25844 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.1% of 20818 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.1% of 20070 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.1% of 21984 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.1% of 26979 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.1% of 22605 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.1% of 22677 checklistsOct 15-21: 0% of 21407 checklistsOct 22-31: 0% of 25927 checklistsNov 1-7: 0% of 18830 checklistsNov 8-14: 0% of 18418 checklistsNov 15-21: 0% of 19101 checklistsNov 22-30: 0% of 25709 checklistsDec 1-7: 0% of 18856 checklistsDec 8-14: 0% of 18745 checklistsDec 15-21: 0% of 22478 checklistsDec 22-31: 0% of 34796 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 North Carolina 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 North Carolina

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Watauga CountyBest late May · 1026 checklists that week, 24,164 in all18%
  2. Henderson CountyBest late May · 804 checklists that week, 33,437 in all11%
  3. Transylvania CountyBest mid May · 538 checklists that week, 18,992 in all5.9%
  4. Avery CountyBest early June · 278 checklists that week, 8,724 in all4.1%
  5. Alleghany CountyBest mid July · 49 checklists that week, 2,311 in all3.1%
  6. Forsyth CountyBest late May · 977 checklists that week, 44,762 in all2.7%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Mills River ParkHenderson County, best mid May · 48 checklists that week, 1,786 in all80%
  2. Brookshire ParkWatauga County, best the second week of July · 22 checklists that week, 1,445 in all80%
  3. Rosasco Lake UpperWatauga County, best the second week of June · 28 checklists that week, 1,829 in all70%
  4. Clawson-Burnley ParkWatauga County, best mid May · 27 checklists that week, 811 in all70%

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

Best time of day

In North Carolina, the Willow Flycatcher is most often listed on checklists started between 8 and 10 am (0.3% of those checklists).

0%0.5%12 am: too few checklists (520) to judge1 am: too few checklists (489) to judge2 am: too few checklists (442) to judge3 am: too few checklists (544) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1621) to judge5 am: too few checklists (9671) to judge6 am: 0.2% of 50335 checklists7 am: 0.3% of 150152 checklists8 am: 0.3% of 182902 checklists9 am: 0.3% of 158933 checklists10 am: 0.3% of 128398 checklists11 am: 0.2% of 98671 checklists12 pm: 0.2% of 78640 checklists1 pm: 0.1% of 72510 checklists2 pm: 0.1% of 69179 checklists3 pm: 0.1% of 67669 checklists4 pm: 0.1% of 63964 checklists5 pm: 0.1% of 48520 checklists6 pm: 0.2% of 33196 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (19700) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (6160) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1943) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1119) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (651) 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
January0%0%0%0%
February0%0%0%0%
March0%0%0%0%
April0%0%0.1%0.1%
May0.5%1.1%1.3%1.1%
June1.0%0.7%0.7%0.5%
July0.7%0.7%0.7%0.5%
August0.4%0.2%0.1%0.1%
September0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
October0.1%0.1%0%0%
November0%0%0%0%
December0%0%0%0%

Neighboring states

  • Virginia: arrives the second week of May, 1 week later than North Carolina
  • West Virginia: arrives the second week of May, 1 week later than North Carolina
  • District of Columbia: arrives the second week of May, 1 week later than North Carolina
  • Maryland: arrives the second week of May, 1 week later than North Carolina

Common questions

When do Willow Flycatchers arrive in North Carolina?
Willow Flycatchers arrive in North Carolina in early May, peak in mid May (1.1% of checklists), and most are gone by early August.
When do Willow Flycatchers leave North Carolina?
Most Willow Flycatchers have left North Carolina by early August, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Willow Flycatcher in North Carolina?
The Willow Flycatcher is reported most often in mid May, on about 1.1% of North Carolina checklists.
Where in North Carolina are Willow Flycatchers seen most often?
By county, Watauga County, Henderson County, and Transylvania County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Willow Flycatcher (counties with at least 200 checklists).