WhenToBird

Aix sponsa · Anatidae

When Do Wood Ducks Arrive in Maryland?

Adult male Wood Duck
Photo: Andrew Lai, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Wood Ducks reach Maryland in early February, are common by late February, peak in early April (13% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of November.

When to look

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

Best: early April. First arrivals early February; most are gone by the second week of November. Peak: on about 13% of Maryland checklists.

  1. Janrare
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decrare

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 1.0% of 28716 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.9% of 21449 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.8% of 21267 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.0% of 29144 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.1% of 21347 checklistsFeb 8-14: 2.1% of 22166 checklistsFeb 15-21: 2.6% of 29986 checklistsFeb 22-28: 6.3% of 22427 checklistsMar 1-7: 8.4% of 21389 checklistsMar 8-14: 11% of 22192 checklistsMar 15-21: 12% of 22823 checklistsMar 22-31: 13% of 33720 checklistsApr 1-7: 13% of 25513 checklistsApr 8-14: 14% of 27718 checklistsApr 15-21: 13% of 29328 checklistsApr 22-30: 12% of 42595 checklistsMay 1-7: 10% of 38532 checklistsMay 8-14: 8.9% of 42722 checklistsMay 15-21: 8.2% of 31936 checklistsMay 22-31: 7.9% of 36903 checklistsJun 1-7: 7.2% of 23191 checklistsJun 8-14: 6.2% of 21853 checklistsJun 15-21: 5.9% of 21000 checklistsJun 22-30: 6.0% of 25133 checklistsJul 1-7: 6.4% of 18715 checklistsJul 8-14: 7.4% of 16376 checklistsJul 15-21: 7.9% of 15793 checklistsJul 22-31: 8.1% of 21969 checklistsAug 1-7: 8.4% of 16013 checklistsAug 8-14: 8.1% of 15249 checklistsAug 15-21: 9.3% of 15674 checklistsAug 22-31: 8.9% of 24925 checklistsSep 1-7: 8.3% of 19808 checklistsSep 8-14: 8.0% of 18513 checklistsSep 15-21: 7.7% of 21901 checklistsSep 22-30: 7.9% of 22901 checklistsOct 1-7: 7.7% of 19111 checklistsOct 8-14: 7.3% of 18482 checklistsOct 15-21: 6.8% of 17380 checklistsOct 22-31: 6.5% of 23992 checklistsNov 1-7: 5.2% of 17915 checklistsNov 8-14: 4.4% of 18905 checklistsNov 15-21: 3.0% of 16259 checklistsNov 22-30: 2.1% of 22852 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.6% of 16108 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.5% of 16512 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.3% of 18952 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.0% 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.

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Where in Maryland

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Prince George's CountyBest early April · 2081 checklists that week, 87,907 in all25%
  2. Garrett CountyBest late September · 636 checklists that week, 37,616 in all20%
  3. Kent CountyBest the second week of May · 434 checklists that week, 13,396 in all19%
  4. Harford CountyBest early April · 964 checklists that week, 39,311 in all18%
  5. Caroline CountyBest early April · 232 checklists that week, 11,067 in all18%
  6. Montgomery CountyBest early April · 5115 checklists that week, 219,548 in all18%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Trout RunGarrett County, best mid September · 21 checklists that week, 1,215 in all97%
  2. Pikesville ReservoirBaltimore County, best the second week of October · 20 checklists that week, 573 in all94%
  3. ParksideMontgomery County, best late June · 22 checklists that week, 862 in all88%
  4. North Point State ParkBaltimore County, best mid September · 32 checklists that week, 2,437 in all83%
  5. Patuxent River ParkAnne Arundel County, best mid February · 23 checklists that week, 1,189 in all79%
  6. Mondays CreekAnne Arundel County, best early April · 32 checklists that week, 1,446 in all79%

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

Best time of day

In Maryland, the Wood Duck is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (11% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%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: 14% of 56604 checklists7 am: 10% of 139255 checklists8 am: 7.4% of 148626 checklists9 am: 6.2% of 126820 checklists10 am: 5.2% of 106973 checklists11 am: 4.5% of 87483 checklists12 pm: 4.2% of 74808 checklists1 pm: 4.3% of 69428 checklists2 pm: 4.6% of 67800 checklists3 pm: 5.2% of 67688 checklists4 pm: 6.3% of 60927 checklists5 pm: 9.1% of 43876 checklists6 pm: 8.9% 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
January1.0%0.9%0.8%1.0%
February1.1%2.1%2.6%6.3%
March8.4%11%12%13%
April13%14%13%12%
May10%8.9%8.2%7.9%
June7.2%6.2%5.9%6.0%
July6.4%7.4%7.9%8.1%
August8.4%8.1%9.3%8.9%
September8.3%8.0%7.7%7.9%
October7.7%7.3%6.8%6.5%
November5.2%4.4%3.0%2.1%
December1.6%1.5%1.3%1.0%

Neighboring states

  • District of Columbia: arrives early February, in the same week than Maryland
  • Delaware: arrives the second week of February, 1 week later than Maryland
  • Virginia: arrives early February, in the same week than Maryland
  • Pennsylvania: arrives mid February, 2 weeks later than Maryland

Common questions

When do Wood Ducks arrive in Maryland?
Wood Ducks reach Maryland in early February, are common by late February, peak in early April (13% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of November.
When do Wood Ducks leave Maryland?
Most Wood Ducks have left Maryland by the second week of November, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until late December.
When is the best time to see a Wood Duck in Maryland?
The Wood Duck is reported most often in early April, on about 13% of Maryland checklists.
Where in Maryland are Wood Ducks seen most often?
By county, Prince George's County, Garrett County, and Kent County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Wood Duck (counties with at least 200 checklists).