Birds in Michigan in September: What to Photograph (60 Species)

60 birds were recorded seen in Michigan in September in our iNaturalist sample; 6 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 September

Mallard677 obs.

Great Blue Heron670 obs.

Canada Goose598 obs.

Wild Turkey571 obs.

Sandhill Crane478 obs.

Ring-billed Gull463 obs.

Great Egret389 obs.

Ruby-throated Hummingbird368 obs.

Red-tailed Hawk336 obs.

Double-crested Cormorant325 obs.

Blue Jay318 obs.

Tennessee Warbler318 obs.

All birds seen in Michigan in September

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	677	Apr (past peak)
2	Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	670	Aug (past peak)
3	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	598	Apr (past peak)
4	Wild Turkey	Meleagris gallopavo	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	571	Apr (past peak)
5	Sandhill Crane	Antigone canadensis	Cranes	478	May (past peak)
6	Ring-billed Gull	Larus delawarensis	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	463	Jul (past peak)
7	Great Egret	Ardea alba	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	389	Aug (past peak)
8	Ruby-throated Hummingbird	Archilochus colubris	Hummingbirds	368	Aug (past peak)
9	Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	336	Apr (past peak)
10	Double-crested Cormorant	Nannopterum auritum	Cormorants and Shags	325	Aug (past peak)
11	Blue Jay	Cyanocitta cristata	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	318	May (past peak)
12	Tennessee Warbler	Leiothlypis peregrina	New World Warblers	318	Sep (peak)
13	American Goldfinch	Spinus tristis	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	313	Aug (past peak)
14	Bald Eagle	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	304	May (past peak)
15	Black-capped Chickadee	Poecile atricapillus	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	303	Apr (past peak)
16	Downy Woodpecker	Dryobates pubescens	Woodpeckers	301	Apr (past peak)
17	Wood Duck	Aix sponsa	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	300	Apr (past peak)
18	Yellow-rumped Warbler	Setophaga coronata	New World Warblers	292	Apr (past peak)
19	Bay-breasted Warbler	Setophaga castanea	New World Warblers	291	Sep (peak)
20	Green Heron	Butorides virescens	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	276	Aug (past peak)
21	Nashville Warbler	Leiothlypis ruficapilla	New World Warblers	273	Sep (peak)
22	Northern Flicker	Colaptes auratus	Woodpeckers	264	Apr (past peak)
23	Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura	Pigeons and Doves	254	Apr (past peak)
24	Swainson's Thrush	Catharus ustulatus	Thrushes	251	Sep (peak)
25	Black-throated Green Warbler	Setophaga virens	New World Warblers	245	May (past peak)
26	American Redstart	Setophaga ruticilla	New World Warblers	239	May (past peak)
27	Mute Swan	Cygnus olor	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	236	May (past peak)
28	Northern Cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis	Cardinals and Allies	223	Apr (past peak)
29	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	Old World Sparrows	222	Apr (past peak)
30	Turkey Vulture	Cathartes aura	New World Vultures	218	Apr (past peak)
31	Magnolia Warbler	Setophaga magnolia	New World Warblers	215	May (past peak)
32	Sanderling	Calidris alba	Sandpipers and Allies	212	Sep (peak)
33	Pileated Woodpecker	Dryocopus pileatus	Woodpeckers	195	May (past peak)
34	Common Yellowthroat	Geothlypis trichas	New World Warblers	186	May (past peak)
35	Common Merganser	Mergus merganser	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	178	May (past peak)
36	Cooper's Hawk	Astur cooperii	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	176	Jan (past peak)
37	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	171	Apr (past peak)
38	Blackpoll Warbler	Setophaga striata	New World Warblers	166	Sep (peak)
39	White-throated Sparrow	Zonotrichia albicollis	New World Sparrows	163	Apr (past peak)
40	Red-eyed Vireo	Vireo olivaceus	Vireos, Shrike-Babblers, and Erpornis	161	May (past peak)
41	White-breasted Nuthatch	Sitta carolinensis	Nuthatches	158	Apr (past peak)
42	Eastern Phoebe	Sayornis phoebe	Tyrant Flycatchers	149	Apr (past peak)
43	Cape May Warbler	Setophaga tigrina	New World Warblers	149	May (past peak)
44	Palm Warbler	Setophaga palmarum	New World Warblers	145	May (past peak)
45	Rose-breasted Grosbeak	Pheucticus ludovicianus	Cardinals and Allies	142	May (past peak)
46	Eastern Wood-Pewee	Contopus virens	Tyrant Flycatchers	139	May (past peak)
47	Red-bellied Woodpecker	Melanerpes carolinus	Woodpeckers	139	May (past peak)
48	Trumpeter Swan	Cygnus buccinator	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	134	Jun (past peak)
49	Northern Parula	Setophaga americana	New World Warblers	134	May (past peak)
50	Black-and-white Warbler	Mniotilta varia	New World Warblers	132	May (past peak)

Birds Seen in Michigan in September

Top birds in September

All birds seen in Michigan in September