WhenToBird

Gallinago delicata · Scolopacidae

When Do Wilson's Snipe Arrive in Maryland?

Adult Wilson's Snipe
Photo: datadan, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Wilson's Snipe are winter birds in Maryland: they arrive in early October, peak in mid March (2.5% of checklists), and most are gone by early May.

When to look

First arrivalsOct 1-7early October
Common byOct 1-7early October
PeakMar 15-21mid March
Most gone byMay 1-7early May

Best: mid March. First arrivals early October; most are gone by early May. Peak: on about 2.5% of Maryland checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augrare
  9. Seprare
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%1%2%3%Jan 1-7: 0.5% of 28716 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.7% of 21449 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.4% of 21267 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.6% of 29144 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.5% of 21347 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.4% of 22166 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.4% of 29986 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.1% of 22427 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.6% of 21389 checklistsMar 8-14: 2.1% of 22192 checklistsMar 15-21: 2.6% of 22823 checklistsMar 22-31: 2.8% of 33720 checklistsApr 1-7: 2.1% of 25513 checklistsApr 8-14: 2.2% of 27718 checklistsApr 15-21: 1.7% of 29328 checklistsApr 22-30: 1.1% of 42595 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.6% of 38532 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.2% of 42722 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 31936 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 36903 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 23191 checklistsJun 8-14: 0% of 21853 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.1% of 21000 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 25133 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 18715 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 16376 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 15793 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.1% of 21969 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 16013 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.1% of 15249 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.1% of 15674 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.1% of 24925 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.1% of 19808 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.2% of 18513 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.2% of 21901 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.3% of 22901 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.2% of 19111 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.5% of 18482 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.4% of 17380 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.7% of 23992 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.8% of 17915 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.8% of 18905 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.5% of 16259 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.6% of 22852 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.6% of 16108 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.5% of 16512 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.5% of 18952 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.7% of 29728 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 Maryland 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 Maryland

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Somerset CountyBest early January · 131 checklists that week, 9,451 in all9.2%
  2. Caroline CountyBest late March · 320 checklists that week, 11,067 in all8.2%
  3. Harford CountyBest late March · 1406 checklists that week, 39,311 in all5.9%
  4. Dorchester CountyBest early April · 392 checklists that week, 26,161 in all5.7%
  5. Prince George's CountyBest late March · 2676 checklists that week, 87,907 in all4.2%
  6. Talbot CountyBest mid March · 668 checklists that week, 31,140 in all3.4%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Fairmount WmaSomerset County, best late December · 24 checklists that week, 123 in all54%
  2. Patuxent Oxbow Heritage ConservationAnne Arundel County, best late March · 85 checklists that week, 1,693 in all49%
  3. Schoolhouse PondPrince George's County, best the second week of April · 50 checklists that week, 2,059 in all47%
  4. Swan Harbor FarmHarford County, best mid March · 104 checklists that week, 4,020 in all42%

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

Best time of day

In Maryland, the Wilson's Snipe is most often listed on checklists started between 4 and 6 pm (0.9% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%12 am: too few checklists (486) to judge1 am: too few checklists (451) to judge2 am: too few checklists (447) to judge3 am: too few checklists (766) to judge4 am: too few checklists (2076) to judge5 am: too few checklists (11098) to judge6 am: 0.8% of 56604 checklists7 am: 0.7% of 139255 checklists8 am: 0.6% of 148626 checklists9 am: 0.6% of 126820 checklists10 am: 0.6% of 106973 checklists11 am: 0.6% of 87483 checklists12 pm: 0.6% of 74808 checklists1 pm: 0.6% of 69428 checklists2 pm: 0.7% of 67800 checklists3 pm: 0.7% of 67688 checklists4 pm: 0.8% of 60927 checklists5 pm: 0.9% of 43876 checklists6 pm: 0.7% of 32930 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (19051) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (5708) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1977) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1170) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (635) 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
January0.5%0.7%0.4%0.6%
February0.5%0.4%0.4%1.1%
March1.6%2.1%2.6%2.8%
April2.1%2.2%1.7%1.1%
May0.6%0.2%0.1%0.1%
June0.1%0%0.1%0%
July0%0%0%0.1%
August0%0.1%0.1%0.1%
September0.1%0.2%0.2%0.3%
October0.2%0.5%0.4%0.7%
November0.8%0.8%0.5%0.6%
December0.6%0.5%0.5%0.7%

Neighboring states

  • District of Columbia: arrives late February, 19 weeks later than Maryland
  • Delaware: arrives mid October, 2 weeks later than Maryland
  • Virginia: arrives mid October, 2 weeks later than Maryland
  • Pennsylvania: arrives late February, 19 weeks later than Maryland

Common questions

When do Wilson's Snipe arrive in Maryland?
Wilson's Snipe are winter birds in Maryland: they arrive in early October, peak in mid March (2.5% of checklists), and most are gone by early May.
When do Wilson's Snipe leave Maryland?
Most Wilson's Snipe have left Maryland by early May, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Wilson's Snipe in Maryland?
The Wilson's Snipe is reported most often in mid March, on about 2.5% of Maryland checklists.
Where in Maryland are Wilson's Snipe seen most often?
By county, Somerset County, Caroline County, and Harford County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Wilson's Snipe (counties with at least 200 checklists).