WhenToBird

Larus smithsonianus · Laridae

When Do American Herring Gulls Arrive in Rhode Island?

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

The American Herring Gull is in Rhode Island all year. It turns up on about 51% of checklists at its peak (the second week of August) and on 26% in its quietest week (the second week of May).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekAug 8-14the second week of August
Quietest weekMay 8-14the second week of May

Best: the second week of August. Here all year. Peak: on about 51% of Rhode Island checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%20%40%60%Jan 1-7: 42% of 5678 checklistsJan 8-14: 45% of 4004 checklistsJan 15-21: 44% of 3691 checklistsJan 22-31: 43% of 4738 checklistsFeb 1-7: 43% of 3178 checklistsFeb 8-14: 37% of 3262 checklistsFeb 15-21: 35% of 4286 checklistsFeb 22-28: 43% of 3449 checklistsMar 1-7: 40% of 3014 checklistsMar 8-14: 37% of 3259 checklistsMar 15-21: 37% of 3320 checklistsMar 22-31: 35% of 4692 checklistsApr 1-7: 33% of 3280 checklistsApr 8-14: 30% of 3872 checklistsApr 15-21: 33% of 4037 checklistsApr 22-30: 28% of 5595 checklistsMay 1-7: 27% of 5699 checklistsMay 8-14: 26% of 6089 checklistsMay 15-21: 26% of 4937 checklistsMay 22-31: 27% of 5445 checklistsJun 1-7: 30% of 3031 checklistsJun 8-14: 31% of 2793 checklistsJun 15-21: 35% of 2736 checklistsJun 22-30: 40% of 3318 checklistsJul 1-7: 45% of 2629 checklistsJul 8-14: 47% of 2561 checklistsJul 15-21: 49% of 2580 checklistsJul 22-31: 49% of 3654 checklistsAug 1-7: 51% of 2629 checklistsAug 8-14: 52% of 2912 checklistsAug 15-21: 50% of 2850 checklistsAug 22-31: 45% of 4007 checklistsSep 1-7: 44% of 2893 checklistsSep 8-14: 43% of 2850 checklistsSep 15-21: 42% of 2770 checklistsSep 22-30: 39% of 3888 checklistsOct 1-7: 37% of 3174 checklistsOct 8-14: 38% of 3278 checklistsOct 15-21: 37% of 3008 checklistsOct 22-31: 38% of 3678 checklistsNov 1-7: 36% of 3270 checklistsNov 8-14: 45% of 3405 checklistsNov 15-21: 42% of 2907 checklistsNov 22-30: 44% of 3607 checklistsDec 1-7: 45% of 2415 checklistsDec 8-14: 44% of 2345 checklistsDec 15-21: 45% of 2836 checklistsDec 22-31: 47% of 4826 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 Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Newport CountyBest early August · 504 checklists that week, 33,574 in all70%
  2. Bristol CountyBest mid January · 305 checklists that week, 15,899 in all68%
  3. Washington CountyBest late July · 1408 checklists that week, 65,038 in all62%
  4. Kent CountyBest the second week of August · 361 checklists that week, 16,966 in all37%
  5. Providence CountyBest mid December · 774 checklists that week, 40,898 in all24%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Fisherman'sNewport County, best late September · 20 checklists that week, 840 in all98%
  2. Misquamicut State BeachWashington County, best mid August · 28 checklists that week, 969 in all98%
  3. Napatree PointWashington County, best late March · 81 checklists that week, 3,109 in all97%
  4. Galilee Salt Pond HarborWashington County, best the second week of January · 26 checklists that week, 442 in all97%
  5. South Shore Management AreaWashington County, best the second week of September · 21 checklists that week, 1,182 in all97%
  6. Trustom Pond National Wildlife Refuge (southeast)Washington County, best mid September · 50 checklists that week, 1,460 in all97%

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

Best time of day

In Rhode Island, the American Herring Gull is most often listed on checklists started between 1 and 3 pm (41% of those checklists).

0%20%40%60%12 am: too few checklists (42) to judge1 am: too few checklists (58) to judge2 am: too few checklists (45) to judge3 am: too few checklists (69) to judge4 am: too few checklists (319) to judge5 am: too few checklists (3170) to judge6 am: 45% of 10493 checklists7 am: 39% of 17631 checklists8 am: 38% of 18834 checklists9 am: 38% of 17725 checklists10 am: 39% of 16696 checklists11 am: 39% of 14799 checklists12 pm: 38% of 12580 checklists1 pm: 41% of 12779 checklists2 pm: 41% of 12302 checklists3 pm: 40% of 11884 checklists4 pm: 35% of 9762 checklists5 pm: 33% of 6442 checklists6 pm: 29% of 3947 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (2119) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (452) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (105) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (69) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (53) 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
January42%45%44%43%
February43%37%35%43%
March40%37%37%35%
April33%30%33%28%
May27%26%26%27%
June30%31%35%40%
July45%47%49%49%
August51%52%50%45%
September44%43%42%39%
October37%38%37%38%
November36%45%42%44%
December45%44%45%47%

Neighboring states

Common questions

When do American Herring Gulls arrive in Rhode Island?
The American Herring Gull is in Rhode Island all year. It turns up on about 51% of checklists at its peak (the second week of August) and on 26% in its quietest week (the second week of May).
When do American Herring Gulls leave Rhode Island?
The American Herring Gull does not leave Rhode Island: it is reported all year, from 26% of checklists in the second week of May to 51% in the second week of August.
When is the best time to see a American Herring Gull in Rhode Island?
The American Herring Gull is reported most often in the second week of August, on about 51% of Rhode Island checklists.
Where in Rhode Island are American Herring Gulls seen most often?
By county, Newport County, Bristol County, and Washington County have the highest peak reporting rates for the American Herring Gull (counties with at least 200 checklists).