Birds in Maryland in October: What to Photograph (60 Species)

60 birds were recorded seen in Maryland in October in our iNaturalist sample; 10 of the top 50 are at their peak this month. The list is ranked by number of research-grade observations.

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Top birds in October

Great Blue Heron1,161 obs.

White-throated Sparrow1,139 obs.

Bald Eagle837 obs.

Song Sparrow766 obs.

Ruby-crowned Kinglet758 obs.

Eastern Phoebe697 obs.

Canada Goose629 obs.

Yellow-rumped Warbler626 obs.

Mallard596 obs.

Blue Jay577 obs.

Northern Mockingbird537 obs.

Turkey Vulture518 obs.

All birds seen in Maryland in October

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	1,161	May (past peak)
2	White-throated Sparrow	Zonotrichia albicollis	New World Sparrows	1,139	Jan (past peak)
3	Bald Eagle	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	837	Jan (past peak)
4	Song Sparrow	Melospiza melodia	New World Sparrows	766	Jan (past peak)
5	Ruby-crowned Kinglet	Corthylio calendula	Kinglets	758	Oct (peak)
6	Eastern Phoebe	Sayornis phoebe	Tyrant Flycatchers	697	Oct (peak)
7	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	629	Apr (past peak)
8	Yellow-rumped Warbler	Setophaga coronata	New World Warblers	626	Oct (peak)
9	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	596	Apr (past peak)
10	Blue Jay	Cyanocitta cristata	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	577	Apr (past peak)
11	Northern Mockingbird	Mimus polyglottos	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	537	Apr (past peak)
12	Turkey Vulture	Cathartes aura	New World Vultures	518	Apr (past peak)
13	Eastern Bluebird	Sialia sialis	Thrushes	518	Apr (past peak)
14	Northern Cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis	Cardinals and Allies	505	Apr (past peak)
15	Laughing Gull	Leucophaeus atricilla	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	504	Sep (past peak)
16	Double-crested Cormorant	Nannopterum auritum	Cormorants and Shags	475	Apr (past peak)
17	Yellow-bellied Sapsucker	Sphyrapicus varius	Woodpeckers	467	Oct (peak)
18	Red-shouldered Hawk	Buteo lineatus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	452	Jan (past peak)
19	Downy Woodpecker	Dryobates pubescens	Woodpeckers	444	Jan (past peak)
20	Common Yellowthroat	Geothlypis trichas	New World Warblers	443	May (past peak)
21	Red-bellied Woodpecker	Melanerpes carolinus	Woodpeckers	437	Apr (past peak)
22	Palm Warbler	Setophaga palmarum	New World Warblers	436	Oct (peak)
23	Swamp Sparrow	Melospiza georgiana	New World Sparrows	401	Oct (peak)
24	Northern Flicker	Colaptes auratus	Woodpeckers	400	Apr (past peak)
25	Chipping Sparrow	Spizella passerina	New World Sparrows	373	Apr (past peak)
26	Cooper's Hawk	Astur cooperii	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	366	Jan (past peak)
27	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	Old World Sparrows	362	Apr (past peak)
28	Carolina Wren	Thryothorus ludovicianus	Wrens	343	Apr (past peak)
29	Belted Kingfisher	Megaceryle alcyon	Kingfishers	337	Oct (peak)
30	Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura	Pigeons and Doves	332	Apr (past peak)
31	White-breasted Nuthatch	Sitta carolinensis	Nuthatches	322	Mar (past peak)
32	House Finch	Haemorhous mexicanus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	312	Apr (past peak)
33	Black Vulture	Coragyps atratus	New World Vultures	299	Apr (past peak)
34	Hermit Thrush	Catharus guttatus	Thrushes	293	Nov (rising)
35	Gray Catbird	Dumetella carolinensis	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	293	May (past peak)
36	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	292	Apr (past peak)
37	Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	287	Mar (past peak)
38	Tufted Titmouse	Baeolophus bicolor	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	286	Apr (past peak)
39	Ring-billed Gull	Larus delawarensis	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	283	Jan (past peak)
40	Golden-crowned Kinglet	Regulus satrapa	Kinglets	274	Oct (peak)
41	European Starling	Sturnus vulgaris	Starlings	269	Apr (past peak)
42	Carolina Chickadee	Poecile carolinensis	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	252	Apr (past peak)
43	Dark-eyed Junco	Junco hyemalis	New World Sparrows	240	Jan (past peak)
44	Great Egret	Ardea alba	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	223	Aug (past peak)
45	Black-throated Blue Warbler	Setophaga caerulescens	New World Warblers	216	May (past peak)
46	American Goldfinch	Spinus tristis	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	208	Apr (past peak)
47	Blue-headed Vireo	Vireo solitarius	Vireos, Shrike-Babblers, and Erpornis	207	Oct (peak)
48	Wood Duck	Aix sponsa	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	203	Apr (past peak)
49	Pileated Woodpecker	Dryocopus pileatus	Woodpeckers	194	Apr (past peak)
50	Savannah Sparrow	Passerculus sandwichensis	New World Sparrows	188	Oct (peak)

Birds Seen in Maryland in October

Top birds in October

All birds seen in Maryland in October