WhenToBird

Troglodytes hiemalis · Troglodytidae

When Do Winter Wrens Arrive in Michigan?

Adult Winter Wren
Photo: Derek Spencer, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Winter Wrens are winter birds in Michigan: they arrive in mid September, peak in the second week of October (3.5% of checklists), and most are gone by early January.

When to look

First arrivalsSep 15-21mid September
Common bySep 15-21mid September
PeakOct 8-14the second week of October
Most gone byJan 1-7early January

Best: the second week of October. First arrivals mid September; most are gone by early January. Peak: on about 3.5% of Michigan checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%1%2%3%4%Jan 1-7: 0.8% of 38160 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.7% of 24696 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.6% of 23771 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.7% of 31347 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.7% of 23225 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.5% of 27398 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.4% of 36606 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.5% of 27127 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.4% of 29700 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.4% of 31587 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.5% of 32118 checklistsMar 22-31: 1.2% of 47777 checklistsApr 1-7: 2.7% of 38557 checklistsApr 8-14: 3.2% of 42207 checklistsApr 15-21: 3.4% of 42759 checklistsApr 22-30: 2.9% of 64458 checklistsMay 1-7: 2.1% of 60998 checklistsMay 8-14: 1.8% of 72091 checklistsMay 15-21: 1.7% of 59058 checklistsMay 22-31: 1.9% of 64724 checklistsJun 1-7: 1.8% of 35990 checklistsJun 8-14: 2.2% of 32595 checklistsJun 15-21: 2.4% of 30017 checklistsJun 22-30: 2.4% of 33988 checklistsJul 1-7: 2.2% of 28708 checklistsJul 8-14: 2.1% of 25175 checklistsJul 15-21: 1.7% of 24084 checklistsJul 22-31: 1.2% of 33522 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.8% of 25098 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.5% of 24353 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.3% of 25059 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.3% of 37489 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.4% of 28410 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.6% of 27887 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.7% of 26614 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.9% of 32557 checklistsOct 1-7: 3.2% of 25844 checklistsOct 8-14: 3.7% of 27741 checklistsOct 15-21: 3.7% of 24693 checklistsOct 22-31: 2.3% of 32460 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.9% of 23660 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.5% of 21542 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.6% of 19922 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.4% of 25069 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.1% of 18272 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.1% of 18961 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.3% of 24171 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.3% of 30908 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 Michigan 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 Michigan

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Ogemaw CountyBest early May · 143 checklists that week, 4,675 in all32%
  2. Baraga CountyBest the second week of May · 185 checklists that week, 3,662 in all24%
  3. Ontonagon CountyBest late April · 63 checklists that week, 3,548 in all22%
  4. Keweenaw CountyBest late June · 379 checklists that week, 12,437 in all20%
  5. Crawford CountyBest mid April · 200 checklists that week, 16,949 in all15%
  6. Marquette CountyBest early July · 365 checklists that week, 25,107 in all13%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Teichner PreserveLeelanau County, best early May · 28 checklists that week, 304 in all89%
  2. Klienstuck PreserveKalamazoo County, best the second week of April · 118 checklists that week, 2,273 in all68%
  3. Grass River Natural AreaAntrim County, best late April · 29 checklists that week, 699 in all61%
  4. Luzerne PondOscoda County, best late May · 25 checklists that week, 125 in all61%
  5. County of Baraga ParkBaraga County, best the second week of May · 43 checklists that week, 177 in all60%
  6. Newberry State Forest Area (south)Chippewa County, best early June · 29 checklists that week, 426 in all57%

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

Best time of day

In Michigan, the Winter Wren is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (2.7% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%4%12 am: too few checklists (712) to judge1 am: too few checklists (592) to judge2 am: too few checklists (532) to judge3 am: too few checklists (516) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1592) to judge5 am: too few checklists (6849) to judge6 am: 3.3% of 39298 checklists7 am: 2.4% of 120344 checklists8 am: 2.4% of 180109 checklists9 am: 2.1% of 171966 checklists10 am: 1.8% of 156332 checklists11 am: 1.5% of 134964 checklists12 pm: 1.3% of 120967 checklists1 pm: 1.3% of 113852 checklists2 pm: 1.2% of 110773 checklists3 pm: 1.1% of 105530 checklists4 pm: 1.0% of 100958 checklists5 pm: 0.9% of 80085 checklists6 pm: 0.8% of 62883 checklists7 pm: 0.6% of 44912 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (21062) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (5920) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1629) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (775) 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
January0.8%0.7%0.6%0.7%
February0.7%0.5%0.4%0.5%
March0.4%0.4%0.5%1.2%
April2.7%3.2%3.4%2.9%
May2.1%1.8%1.7%1.9%
June1.8%2.2%2.4%2.4%
July2.2%2.1%1.7%1.2%
August0.8%0.5%0.3%0.3%
September0.4%0.6%0.7%1.9%
October3.2%3.7%3.7%2.3%
November1.9%1.5%1.6%1.4%
December1.1%1.1%1.3%1.3%

Neighboring states

  • Ohio: arrives late September, 1 week later than Michigan
  • Indiana: arrives early October, 2 weeks later than Michigan
  • Illinois: arrives mid September, in the same week than Michigan
  • Wisconsin: arrives mid September, in the same week than Michigan

Common questions

When do Winter Wrens arrive in Michigan?
Winter Wrens are winter birds in Michigan: they arrive in mid September, peak in the second week of October (3.5% of checklists), and most are gone by early January.
When do Winter Wrens leave Michigan?
Most Winter Wrens have left Michigan by early January, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Winter Wren in Michigan?
The Winter Wren is reported most often in the second week of October, on about 3.5% of Michigan checklists.
Where in Michigan are Winter Wrens seen most often?
By county, Ogemaw County, Baraga County, and Ontonagon County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Winter Wren (counties with at least 200 checklists).