WhenToBird

Gallinago delicata · Scolopacidae

When Do Wilson's Snipe Arrive in Pennsylvania?

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

Wilson's Snipe arrive in Pennsylvania in late February, peak in early April (2.3% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of May.

When to look

First arrivalsFeb 22-28late February
Common byFeb 22-28late February
PeakApr 1-7early April
Most gone byMay 8-14the second week of May

Best: early April. First arrivals late February; most are gone by the second week of May. Peak: on about 2.3% of Pennsylvania checklists.

  1. Janrare
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augrare
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%1%2%3%Jan 1-7: 0.2% of 47145 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.2% of 35840 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.2% of 35423 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.3% of 49126 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.3% of 36366 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.3% of 42248 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.2% of 55888 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.3% of 42050 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.7% of 42709 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.1% of 43985 checklistsMar 15-21: 1.7% of 44547 checklistsMar 22-31: 2.5% of 66940 checklistsApr 1-7: 2.2% of 51147 checklistsApr 8-14: 2.1% of 54868 checklistsApr 15-21: 1.9% of 57252 checklistsApr 22-30: 1.6% of 81727 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.8% of 76472 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.2% 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: 0.2% of 29948 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.2% of 48235 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.3% of 37175 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.4% of 36527 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.4% of 37261 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.6% of 43583 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.7% of 35352 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.9% of 35560 checklistsOct 15-21: 1.0% of 33119 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.1% of 44654 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.0% of 32965 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.7% of 31305 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.6% of 29471 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.4% of 38642 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.3% of 28779 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.3% of 29486 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.2% of 37465 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.2% 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.

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Where in Pennsylvania

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Northumberland CountyBest early April · 269 checklists that week, 9,183 in all9.3%
  2. Crawford CountyBest early April · 645 checklists that week, 23,552 in all6.6%
  3. Cameron CountyBest early April · 104 checklists that week, 5,057 in all6.4%
  4. Dauphin CountyBest late March · 1280 checklists that week, 35,877 in all5.3%
  5. Somerset CountyBest early November · 150 checklists that week, 11,903 in all5.1%
  6. Clearfield CountyBest late April · 455 checklists that week, 9,768 in all5.0%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Sedimentation Pond Number ThreeAllegheny County, best the second week of April · 30 checklists that week, 1,371 in all60%
  2. Mammoth County ParkWestmoreland County, best late October · 23 checklists that week, 897 in all52%
  3. Bradford Reservoir Recreation AreaBucks County, best mid March · 89 checklists that week, 4,249 in all51%

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

Best time of day

In Pennsylvania, the Wilson's Snipe is most often listed on checklists started between 5 and 7 pm (0.8% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%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: 0.6% of 92903 checklists7 am: 0.6% of 241233 checklists8 am: 0.6% of 271994 checklists9 am: 0.6% of 236842 checklists10 am: 0.6% of 199508 checklists11 am: 0.6% of 161893 checklists12 pm: 0.6% of 143945 checklists1 pm: 0.6% of 134352 checklists2 pm: 0.6% of 129692 checklists3 pm: 0.6% of 126132 checklists4 pm: 0.7% of 115055 checklists5 pm: 0.9% of 90719 checklists6 pm: 0.8% of 67534 checklists7 pm: 0.6% 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
January0.2%0.2%0.2%0.3%
February0.3%0.3%0.2%0.3%
March0.7%1.1%1.7%2.5%
April2.2%2.1%1.9%1.6%
May0.8%0.2%0.1%0.1%
June0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
July0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
August0.1%0.1%0.2%0.2%
September0.3%0.4%0.4%0.6%
October0.7%0.9%1.0%1.1%
November1.0%0.7%0.6%0.4%
December0.3%0.3%0.2%0.2%

Neighboring states

  • Maryland: arrives early October, 19 weeks earlier than Pennsylvania
  • District of Columbia: arrives late February, in the same week than Pennsylvania
  • Delaware: arrives mid October, 17 weeks earlier than Pennsylvania
  • New Jersey: arrives late February, in the same week than Pennsylvania

Common questions

When do Wilson's Snipe arrive in Pennsylvania?
Wilson's Snipe arrive in Pennsylvania in late February, peak in early April (2.3% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of May.
When do Wilson's Snipe leave Pennsylvania?
Most Wilson's Snipe have left Pennsylvania by the second week of May, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Wilson's Snipe in Pennsylvania?
The Wilson's Snipe is reported most often in early April, on about 2.3% of Pennsylvania checklists.
Where in Pennsylvania are Wilson's Snipe seen most often?
By county, Northumberland County, Crawford County, and Cameron County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Wilson's Snipe (counties with at least 200 checklists).