WhenToBird

Larus smithsonianus · Laridae

When Do American Herring Gulls Arrive in Michigan?

Adult American Herring Gull
Photo: Priya Sandhu, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

American Herring Gulls are in Michigan all year, but most are here in winter: numbers build from mid October, peak in late November (15% of checklists), and fall back by the second week of January. In the quietest week (mid June) they are still on about 6.0% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildOct 15-21mid October
PeakNov 22-30late November
Fall back byJan 8-14the second week of January
FewestJun 15-21mid June

Best: late November. Here all year; numbers build from mid October and fall back by the second week of January. Peak: on about 15% of Michigan checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%5%10%15%20%Jan 1-7: 13% of 38160 checklistsJan 8-14: 12% of 24696 checklistsJan 15-21: 10% of 23771 checklistsJan 22-31: 9.3% of 31347 checklistsFeb 1-7: 9.2% of 23225 checklistsFeb 8-14: 7.9% of 27398 checklistsFeb 15-21: 6.5% of 36606 checklistsFeb 22-28: 10% of 27127 checklistsMar 1-7: 11% of 29700 checklistsMar 8-14: 11% of 31587 checklistsMar 15-21: 11% of 32118 checklistsMar 22-31: 10% of 47777 checklistsApr 1-7: 9.3% of 38557 checklistsApr 8-14: 8.7% of 42207 checklistsApr 15-21: 8.6% of 42759 checklistsApr 22-30: 7.4% of 64458 checklistsMay 1-7: 5.9% of 60998 checklistsMay 8-14: 5.8% of 72091 checklistsMay 15-21: 8.3% of 59058 checklistsMay 22-31: 8.3% of 64724 checklistsJun 1-7: 6.9% of 35990 checklistsJun 8-14: 6.0% of 32595 checklistsJun 15-21: 5.8% of 30017 checklistsJun 22-30: 6.2% of 33988 checklistsJul 1-7: 6.7% of 28708 checklistsJul 8-14: 7.4% of 25175 checklistsJul 15-21: 8.0% of 24084 checklistsJul 22-31: 8.7% of 33522 checklistsAug 1-7: 10% of 25098 checklistsAug 8-14: 10% of 24353 checklistsAug 15-21: 10% of 25059 checklistsAug 22-31: 11% of 37489 checklistsSep 1-7: 9.7% of 28410 checklistsSep 8-14: 9.6% of 27887 checklistsSep 15-21: 9.6% of 26614 checklistsSep 22-30: 9.3% of 32557 checklistsOct 1-7: 9.1% of 25844 checklistsOct 8-14: 10% of 27741 checklistsOct 15-21: 11% of 24693 checklistsOct 22-31: 11% of 32460 checklistsNov 1-7: 12% of 23660 checklistsNov 8-14: 13% of 21542 checklistsNov 15-21: 15% of 19922 checklistsNov 22-30: 16% of 25069 checklistsDec 1-7: 15% of 18272 checklistsDec 8-14: 15% of 18961 checklistsDec 15-21: 13% of 24171 checklistsDec 22-31: 13% of 30908 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 Michigan 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 Michigan

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Sanilac CountyBest late November · 99 checklists that week, 4,539 in all52%
  2. Delta CountyBest the second week of April · 195 checklists that week, 6,537 in all51%
  3. Schoolcraft CountyBest late November · 23 checklists that week, 3,719 in all51%
  4. Emmet CountyBest the second week of December · 98 checklists that week, 11,769 in all49%
  5. Mackinac CountyBest the second week of November · 76 checklists that week, 7,988 in all48%
  6. Alpena CountyBest mid March · 71 checklists that week, 3,793 in all48%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Picnic RocksMarquette County, best mid March · 23 checklists that week, 190 in all100%
  2. GibraltarWayne County, best early January · 23 checklists that week, 135 in all97%
  3. Ripley RockMarquette County, best late March · 43 checklists that week, 1,191 in all97%
  4. Bay Shore ParkAlger County, best late October · 20 checklists that week, 345 in all96%

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

Best time of day

In Michigan, the American Herring Gull is most often listed on checklists started between 1 and 3 pm (11% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%12 am: too few checklists (712) to judge1 am: too few checklists (592) to judge2 am: too few checklists (532) to judge3 am: too few checklists (516) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1592) to judge5 am: too few checklists (6849) to judge6 am: 9.5% of 39298 checklists7 am: 9.2% of 120344 checklists8 am: 8.9% of 180109 checklists9 am: 9.4% of 171966 checklists10 am: 10% of 156332 checklists11 am: 10% of 134964 checklists12 pm: 10% of 120967 checklists1 pm: 11% of 113852 checklists2 pm: 11% of 110773 checklists3 pm: 10% of 105530 checklists4 pm: 9.1% of 100958 checklists5 pm: 7.6% of 80085 checklists6 pm: 6.9% of 62883 checklists7 pm: 5.9% of 44912 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (21062) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (5920) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1629) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (775) 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
January13%12%10%9.3%
February9.2%7.9%6.5%10%
March11%11%11%10%
April9.3%8.7%8.6%7.4%
May5.9%5.8%8.3%8.3%
June6.9%6.0%5.8%6.2%
July6.7%7.4%8.0%8.7%
August10%10%10%11%
September9.7%9.6%9.6%9.3%
October9.1%10%11%11%
November12%13%15%16%
December15%15%13%13%

Neighboring states

  • Ohio: arrives mid October, in the same week than Michigan
  • Indiana: arrives early July, 14 weeks earlier than Michigan
  • Illinois: arrives early November, 2 weeks later than Michigan
  • Wisconsin: arrives late October, 1 week later than Michigan

Common questions

When do American Herring Gulls arrive in Michigan?
American Herring Gulls are in Michigan all year, but most are here in winter: numbers build from mid October, peak in late November (15% of checklists), and fall back by the second week of January. In the quietest week (mid June) they are still on about 6.0% of checklists.
When do American Herring Gulls leave Michigan?
American Herring Gulls never fully leave Michigan: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by the second week of January, but some are still reported in every week, about 6.0% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a American Herring Gull in Michigan?
The American Herring Gull is reported most often in late November, on about 15% of Michigan checklists.
Where in Michigan are American Herring Gulls seen most often?
By county, Sanilac County, Delta County, and Schoolcraft County have the highest peak reporting rates for the American Herring Gull (counties with at least 200 checklists).