Earliest and Latest Migration Dates for
Northeast Indiana
Based on Tieben et al, "A Checklist of the Birds of Northeastern Indiana with Migration Dates," (IAQ, Nov. 1978), expanded and updated by records through the
present by James Haw. Records included go back to 1969.
Area covered: Adams, Allen,
DeKalb, Huntington, Noble, Lagrange, Steuben Counties, eastern Wabash (east of
SR 524/America Road), Wells, and Whitley.
Records in parentheses are
the only records for that season.
Regularly occurring permanent residents are excluded.
WR=Winter Resident; SR=Summer Resident;
SV=Summer Visitor
Spring
Spring Fall Fall
Species Early
Late Early Late Notes
Red-throated Loon 27 Mar 18 Apr 25 Oct 9 Dec
Pacific Loon (28
Jun) 22 Oct 11 Dec
Common Loon 28Feb 18 May 30 Sep 20 Dec SR very rare
Pied-billed Grebe 21 Feb SR SR 12 Dec WR rare
Horned Grebe 3 Mar 23 May 30 Sep 20 Dec WR very rare; 12 Aug
Red-necked Grebe 27 Jan 24 Mar 18
Oct 20 Nov
Eared Grebe 29 Mar 6 Jun 20 Aug 24 Nov Casual
Western Grebe (20 Apr) (7
Dec) (9 Dec) 2 records
White Pelican (8
Jul) (9 Jul) 2 records
Double-crested Cormorant 11 Mar 4 Jun 16 Aug 15 Dec SR increasing; 17-18 Jun
American Bittern 27 Mar 19 May 19
Sep 10 Oct SR very rare
Least Bittern 28 Apr SR SR 4 Aug
Great Egret
15 Mar 6 Jun 28 Jul 21
Nov
SR rare; 12 Dec–3 Jan
Snowy Egret (7 May) (9 May) 24
Jul 14 Aug
Little Blue Heron 16 Apr 30 May 24 Jul 3
Sep Casual
Cattle Egret 15 Apr 20 May 1 Nov 17
Nov
Green Heron
28 Mar
SR SR
5
Oct 2 & 11 Nov, 15 Jan
Black-crowned Night-Heron 20 Mar 29 Apr 20 Aug 20 Dec 6 Mar, 17 Jan; SR very rare
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron 18 Apr SR SR
15 Sep SR very rare
Plegadis Sp. (2-3
Oct)
Tundra Swan 1 Feb 11 May 25 Oct 20 Dec 1&16 Jan
Great White-fronted Goose 19 Feb 23 Apr 5 Nov 27 Dec 19 Oct
Snow Goose 18 Feb 18 Apr 19 Sep 22 Dec WR very rare; 3 May, 22 Jul
Ross's Goose (3 Apr) (6 Apr) (29 Nov - 2
Dec) Accidental
Cackling Goose 14 Dec
Wood Duck 19 Feb SR SR 21 Nov WR rare
Green-winged Teal 17 Feb 31 May 2 Aug 12
Dec WR very rare; 6 Jul
Northern Pintail 12 Feb 12 May 22 Aug 12
Dec WR very rare; 4 Jun, 28
Jul
Blue-winged Teal 10 Mar SR SR
3 Nov WR casual
Cinnamon Teal 2 Apr 20 Apr No
Fall records Accidental
Northern Shoveler 18 Feb 29 May 19 Aug 06
Dec WR rare
Gadwall WR
17 May 22 Aug WR
Eurasian Wigeon 9 Mar 13 Apr No
Fall records Casual
American Wigeon 9 Feb 17 May 3
Sep 13 Dec WR rare
Canvasback WR 21 May 13 Oct WR
Redhead 7
Feb 24 May 7 Oct 13 Dec 11 June, 6 Sep; WR rare
Ring-necked Duck 9 Feb 19 May 19
Sep 20 Dec WR rare; 5 Jun, 2 Jul
Greater Scaup 4 Feb 9 May 22 Oct 12 Dec 5 Oct
Lesser Scaup 9 Feb 6 Jun 22 Sep 19 Dec WR rare
Oldsquaw 14 Mar 21 Apr 22 Oct 15 Dec 27 Dec–7 Jan, 20 Feb
Black Scoter (19 Mar) 28
Oct 14 Nov 17 Dec
Surf Scoter 25 Feb 23 May 22 Oct 15
Nov 17 Dec, 18 Dec
White-winged scoter 10 Apr 8 May 22 Oct 30
Nov
Common Goldeneye WR 24 Apr 7
Oct WR
Bufflehead WR 15 May 25 Oct WR
Hooded Merganser 9 Feb 2 May 19
Oct 20 Dec SR rare, WR rare
Common Merganser WR 17 Apr 31
Oct WR 28 May
Red-breasted Merganser 15 Feb 18 May 6 Oct 12
Dec 23 Jul ; WR rare
Ruddy Duck 22 Feb 6 Jun 13 Sep 18 Dec WR very rare; SV very rare
Black Vulture (24 Mar) Accidental
Turkey Vulture 2 Feb SR SR 13 Dec WR very rare
Osprey 17
Mar 23 May 18 Jul 1 Dec
Mississippi Kite (21 May) (10 Jun) No Fall records Accidental
Bald eagle 7 Feb 30 May 15 Aug 16 Dec WR
rare; 12 Jul
Sharp-shinned Hawk WR 18 May 4 Sep WR 10 Aug
Northern Goshawk WR 15 Mar 13
Nov WR
Broad-winged Hawk 5 Apr SR SR 5 Oct 16 Mar
Swainson’s Hawk (12 May)
Ferruginous Hawk (20 Jan) Accidental
Rough-legged Hawk WR 23 Apr 16 Oct WR 28 Sep, 2 Oct
Golden Eagle WR rare 11 Apr 18 Oct WR
rare
Merlin 16
Apr 23 Apr 28 Sep 6 Nov WR very rare; 7 Sept
Peregrine Falcon 6 Feb 15 Mar 19 Sep 25 Oct Introduced SR
Yellow Rail (6 Apr) (23 Apr) (8
Oct)
King Rail ?-Mar 10 May No
Fall records
Virginia Rail 1 Apr SR SR 23 Oct 24 Dec, 16 Mar
Sora 31
Mar SR SR 13 Oct
Common Moorhen 11 Apr SR SR
16 Oct
American Coot WR 25 May 11 Sep WR SR very rare
Sandhill Crane 9 Feb SR SR 23 Dec 13 Jan, 20 Jan
Black-bellied Plover 8 May 30 May 28 Aug 28 Oct 13
Aug
American Golden Plover 29 Mar 16 May 11 Aug 28
Oct
Semipalmated Plover 30 Apr 4 Jun 12 Jul 19 Oct 16 Jun
Piping Plover (6 Apr) 11
Aug 18 Aug
Killdeer 3 Feb SR SR 14 Dec WR rare
American Avocet 2 May 7 May 7
Jul 28 Aug
Greater Yellowlegs 22 Mar 29 May 9 Jul 16
Nov
Lesser yellowlegs 26 Mar 5 Jun 30 Jun 4 Nov
Solitary Sandpiper 26 Mar 31 May 27 Jun
15
Oct
Willet 27
Apr 14 May 27 Jun 23 Sep
Spotted Sandpiper 3 Apr SR SR 29 Oct
Upland Sandpiper 11 Apr SR SR
22 Aug
Hudsonian Godwit (14 May - 16 May) (7
Sep - 8 Sep) 2 records
Marbled Godwit (17 Apr) (2 May)
Ruddy Turnstone 11 May 24 May 3
Aug 11 Oct
Red Knot No Spring records (5
Aug)
Sanderling 11 May 25 May 31 Jul
24
Sep
Semipalmated Sandpiper 26 Apr 8 Jun 2 Jul 4 Nov 16 Jun, 22 Jun
Western Sandpiper 12 May 30 May 15 Aug 24
Sep 4 Jul
Least Sandpiper 9 Apr 30 May 29 Jun 31 Oct 1 Dec
White-rumped Sandpiper 6 May 4 Jun 24 Aug 26 Oct
Baird's Sandpiper (28 Apr) (29 May) 22 Jul
6 Nov
Pectoral Sandpiper 19 Mar 28 May 4 Jul 18
Nov 10 Dec
Dunlin 29
Mar
4 Jun 27 Sep 28 Nov
Stilt Sandpiper 1 May 17 May 9 Jul 14 Oct
Buff-breasted Sandpiper No Spring records 6
Aug 1 Sep
Ruff 26
Apr 19 May No Fall records 3 records;
accidental
Short-billed Dowitcher 7 May 25 May 29 Jun 12 Oct 17 Apr
Long-billed Dowitcher 2 May 12 May 5 Sep 31 Oct 13 Jul, 13 Aug
Common Snipe 22 Feb 14 May 12 Jul 10
Dec WR rare
American Woodcock 14 Feb SR SR 19 Nov 20 Dec
Wilson's Phalarope 22 Apr 22 May 25 Jul 7
Sep
Red-necked Phalarope 15 May 19 May 26 Aug 23
Sep
Whimbrel No Spring records (17
Sep - 21 Sep) 1 record
Laughing Gull No Spring records (19
Jul)
16 Dec, Accidental
Franklin's Gull (8 April) 16
Sep 2 Dec
Bonaparte's Gull 3 Mar 13 May 27 Jul
20 Dec 4
Jun; 13 Jan, 18 Feb
Ring-billed Gull 19 Feb SR SR 20 Dec WR rare
Herring Gull 22 Mar 25 May 6 Nov 6
Dec SR & WR rare
Thayer's Gull (23 Mar) No
Fall records
Lesser Black-backed Gull (28 Mar) No
Fall records Accidental
Glaucous Gull (12
Dec - 2 Jan)
Great Black-backed Gull (15 Apr) No
Fall records
Black-legged Kittiwake No Spring records (27
Nov) (8 Dec)
Sabine's Gull No Spring records (23
Sep)
Caspian Tern
5
Apr 14 May
7 Jul 22 Sep 9 Mar, 6 Jun
Common Tern 22 Apr 31 May 12 Aug 8
Oct 7 Nov
Forster's Tern 11 Apr 24 May 31 Jul
1
Nov 7 Jul
Black Tern 29 Apr 28 May 4 Jul 11
Sep SR extirpated
Eurasian Collared-Dove (23 March)
Black-billed cuckoo 27 Apr SR SR 7 Oct
Yellow-billed Cuckoo 6 May SR SR 13 Oct 30 Oct, 6 Nov
Barn Owl No Spring records (12
Sep) (14 Nov) SR very rare
Snowy Owl WR 3 Mar 28
Oct WR
Long-eared Owl WR 24 Mar 16
Oct WR SR casual
Short-eared owl WR 27 Apr 11 Oct WR SR casual
Burrowing Owl (24 Apr) Accidental
Northern Saw-whet Owl WR 21 Mar 2 Oct WR 23 Apr
Common Nighthawk 5 May SR SR
15 Oct 10 Apr
Chuck-will's-Widow (28 Apr) No
Fall records Accidental
Whip-poor-will 11 Apr SR SR No Fall records
Chimney Swift 26 Mar SR SR 21
Oct
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 30 Apr SR SR
21 Oct
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 26 Feb 27 May 14 Sep 26
Nov WR rare
Olive-sided Flycatcher 8 May 3 Jun 8 Aug 9 Oct
Eastern Wood Pewee 26 Apr SR SR 19 Oct
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher 9 May 10 Jun 17 Aug 5 Oct
Acadian Flycatcher 2 May SR SR 26 Sep
Alder Flycatcher 12 May SR SR
13 Aug Empidonax often
Willow Flycatcher 6 May SR SR 14 Sep unidentifiable in fall
Least Flycatcher 22 Apr SR SR 4 Oct
Eastern Phoebe 8 Mar SR SR 8 Nov 24 Nov, 3 Dec
Great Crested Flycatcher 20 Apr SR SR 30 Sep 24 Oct
Western Kingbird No Spring records (6 Sep) Accidental
Eastern Kingbird 21 Apr SR SR
21 Sep
Purple Martin 31 Mar SR SR 4
Oct
Tree Swallow 11 Mar SR SR 24
Oct 7&25 Nov
Northern Rough-winged Swallow 1 Apr SR SR
7 Oct
Bank Swallow 12 Apr SR SR 23 Sep
Cliff Swallow
12 Apr SR SR 20 Sep
Barn Swallow 6 Apr SR SR
21 Oct 13, 28, 30 Nov; 19 Mar
Boreal Chickadee (8 May - 12 May) No
Fall records Accidental
Red-breasted Nuthatch WR 26 May 21 Aug WR 27
Jun
Bewick's Wren (28 Apr) (9 May) No Fall records Accidental
House Wren 16 Apr SR SR 24 Oct
Winter Wren 22 Feb 11 May 19 Sep 23
Nov WR rare
Sedge Wren 25 Apr SR SR 06 Nov
Marsh Wren 21 Apr SR SR 24 Oct
Golden-crowned Kinglet WR 11 May 21 Sep WR
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 24 Mar 23 May 9 Sep 23
Nov WR very rare
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 3 Apr SR SR 27 Sep
Townsend's Solitaire 31
Dec - 5 Jan; accidental
Veery 20
Apr SR SR 27 Sep
Gray-cheeked Thrush 21 Apr 29 May 23 Aug 14
Oct
Swainson's Thrush 18 Apr 8 Jun 21 Aug 25 Oct 16 Dec
Hermit Thrush 6 Apr 14 May 19 Sep 25 Nov WR very rare
Wood Thrush 18 Apr SR SR 18 Oct
Varied Thrush 15 Feb – 8 Apr 7-Dec
-2-Jan accidental;
2 birds
Gray Catbird 13 Apr SR SR
9 Nov 18 Nov, 11 Dec, 14 Jan
Brown Thrasher 2 Apr SR SR 11 Nov WR very rare
American Pipit 19 Mar 17 May 12 Sep 27
Nov 6 Jan
Northern Shrike WR 24 Mar 27 Oct WR
Loggerhead Shrike 11 Mar SR SR 19
Sep 23 Jan; SR very rare
White-eyed Vireo 11 Apr SR SR 1