WhenToBird

Aix sponsa · Anatidae

When Do Wood Ducks Arrive in South Carolina?

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

The Wood Duck is in South Carolina all year. It turns up on about 8.8% of checklists at its peak (mid March) and on 4.7% in its quietest week (early January).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekMar 15-21mid March
Quietest weekJan 1-7early January

Best: mid March. Here all year. Peak: on about 8.8% of South Carolina checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%5%10%Jan 1-7: 4.9% of 15487 checklistsJan 8-14: 4.8% of 11691 checklistsJan 15-21: 4.6% of 11994 checklistsJan 22-31: 5.4% of 16225 checklistsFeb 1-7: 5.7% of 12192 checklistsFeb 8-14: 6.1% of 14044 checklistsFeb 15-21: 6.3% of 18483 checklistsFeb 22-28: 8.1% of 12045 checklistsMar 1-7: 8.5% of 11511 checklistsMar 8-14: 8.4% of 11704 checklistsMar 15-21: 9.4% of 11526 checklistsMar 22-31: 8.8% of 17386 checklistsApr 1-7: 8.3% of 13148 checklistsApr 8-14: 8.3% of 13193 checklistsApr 15-21: 7.6% of 13936 checklistsApr 22-30: 7.5% of 19002 checklistsMay 1-7: 7.2% of 14133 checklistsMay 8-14: 5.8% of 13668 checklistsMay 15-21: 6.0% of 11064 checklistsMay 22-31: 5.7% of 14461 checklistsJun 1-7: 5.2% of 10231 checklistsJun 8-14: 4.6% of 9417 checklistsJun 15-21: 5.2% of 8012 checklistsJun 22-30: 5.2% of 9720 checklistsJul 1-7: 5.2% of 7907 checklistsJul 8-14: 5.3% of 7338 checklistsJul 15-21: 5.5% of 7312 checklistsJul 22-31: 5.7% of 10877 checklistsAug 1-7: 6.0% of 7816 checklistsAug 8-14: 5.8% of 7655 checklistsAug 15-21: 5.7% of 7797 checklistsAug 22-31: 6.1% of 11246 checklistsSep 1-7: 5.6% of 8956 checklistsSep 8-14: 5.5% of 8929 checklistsSep 15-21: 5.1% of 9389 checklistsSep 22-30: 5.5% of 13028 checklistsOct 1-7: 5.2% of 11063 checklistsOct 8-14: 4.9% of 10968 checklistsOct 15-21: 5.0% of 10264 checklistsOct 22-31: 4.8% of 12917 checklistsNov 1-7: 5.0% of 8802 checklistsNov 8-14: 5.3% of 8339 checklistsNov 15-21: 5.2% of 8798 checklistsNov 22-30: 4.8% of 12925 checklistsDec 1-7: 5.5% of 8541 checklistsDec 8-14: 5.3% of 8609 checklistsDec 15-21: 5.6% of 9961 checklistsDec 22-31: 4.4% of 17541 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 South 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 South Carolina

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Barnwell CountyBest mid March · 16 checklists that week, 1,096 in all31%
  2. Sumter CountyBest the second week of March · 33 checklists that week, 1,757 in all28%
  3. Clarendon CountyBest the second week of March · 168 checklists that week, 9,189 in all27%
  4. Saluda CountyBest late March · 93 checklists that week, 1,965 in all27%
  5. Allendale CountyBest mid November · 20 checklists that week, 1,172 in all26%
  6. Hampton CountyBest early November · 13 checklists that week, 1,038 in all26%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Hartwell Recreation Area (Barton Creek)Oconee County, best late June · 22 checklists that week, 246 in all84%
  2. Magnolia Plantation and Gardens (Charleston, South Carolina)Charleston County, best early August · 20 checklists that week, 1,378 in all84%
  3. Brick Pond ParkAiken County, best the second week of October · 21 checklists that week, 767 in all83%
  4. Bailey Creek Reservoir (historical)Anderson County, best the second week of August · 27 checklists that week, 1,125 in all79%
  5. Hartwell Recreation AreaAnderson County, best the second week of March · 26 checklists that week, 1,049 in all78%

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

Best time of day

In South Carolina, the Wood Duck is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (9.5% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%12 am: too few checklists (222) to judge1 am: too few checklists (160) to judge2 am: too few checklists (132) to judge3 am: too few checklists (212) to judge4 am: too few checklists (267) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1898) to judge6 am: 11% of 19280 checklists7 am: 9.2% of 66492 checklists8 am: 8.9% of 73941 checklists9 am: 6.7% of 63039 checklists10 am: 4.9% of 52652 checklists11 am: 4.2% of 41908 checklists12 pm: 3.8% of 36782 checklists1 pm: 4.2% of 33300 checklists2 pm: 4.3% of 32248 checklists3 pm: 4.0% of 35451 checklists4 pm: 4.6% of 34410 checklists5 pm: 4.5% of 27073 checklists6 pm: 4.5% of 17375 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (10313) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (2756) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (672) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (412) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (256) 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
January4.9%4.8%4.6%5.4%
February5.7%6.1%6.3%8.1%
March8.5%8.4%9.4%8.8%
April8.3%8.3%7.6%7.5%
May7.2%5.8%6.0%5.7%
June5.2%4.6%5.2%5.2%
July5.2%5.3%5.5%5.7%
August6.0%5.8%5.7%6.1%
September5.6%5.5%5.1%5.5%
October5.2%4.9%5.0%4.8%
November5.0%5.3%5.2%4.8%
December5.5%5.3%5.6%4.4%

Neighboring states

Common questions

When do Wood Ducks arrive in South Carolina?
The Wood Duck is in South Carolina all year. It turns up on about 8.8% of checklists at its peak (mid March) and on 4.7% in its quietest week (early January).
When do Wood Ducks leave South Carolina?
The Wood Duck does not leave South Carolina: it is reported all year, from 4.7% of checklists in early January to 8.8% in mid March.
When is the best time to see a Wood Duck in South Carolina?
The Wood Duck is reported most often in mid March, on about 8.8% of South Carolina checklists.
Where in South Carolina are Wood Ducks seen most often?
By county, Barnwell County, Sumter County, and Clarendon County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Wood Duck (counties with at least 200 checklists).