WhenToBird

Larus smithsonianus · Laridae

When Do American Herring Gulls Arrive in Virginia?

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

American Herring Gulls are in Virginia all year, but most are here in winter: numbers build from mid September, peak in late January (9.0% of checklists), and fall back by the second week of March. In the quietest week (the second week of June) they are still on about 2.4% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildSep 15-21mid September
PeakJan 22-31late January
Fall back byMar 8-14the second week of March
FewestJun 8-14the second week of June

Best: late January. Here all year; numbers build from mid September and fall back by the second week of March. Peak: on about 9.0% of Virginia checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Jununcommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 8.5% of 32817 checklistsJan 8-14: 8.2% of 25111 checklistsJan 15-21: 9.0% of 25510 checklistsJan 22-31: 8.6% of 34492 checklistsFeb 1-7: 9.4% of 24950 checklistsFeb 8-14: 6.7% of 28224 checklistsFeb 15-21: 6.0% of 43578 checklistsFeb 22-28: 7.5% of 26467 checklistsMar 1-7: 6.8% of 25851 checklistsMar 8-14: 5.8% of 25901 checklistsMar 15-21: 5.6% of 26747 checklistsMar 22-31: 5.0% of 40819 checklistsApr 1-7: 4.2% of 31351 checklistsApr 8-14: 3.8% of 33239 checklistsApr 15-21: 3.5% of 37284 checklistsApr 22-30: 2.8% of 54364 checklistsMay 1-7: 2.8% of 47698 checklistsMay 8-14: 2.6% of 46174 checklistsMay 15-21: 3.1% of 36444 checklistsMay 22-31: 2.7% of 43203 checklistsJun 1-7: 2.3% of 28503 checklistsJun 8-14: 2.4% of 25485 checklistsJun 15-21: 2.3% of 23728 checklistsJun 22-30: 2.6% of 28785 checklistsJul 1-7: 3.5% of 22294 checklistsJul 8-14: 3.5% of 20481 checklistsJul 15-21: 4.1% of 18914 checklistsJul 22-31: 4.2% of 26976 checklistsAug 1-7: 4.9% of 19555 checklistsAug 8-14: 5.3% of 18744 checklistsAug 15-21: 5.2% of 18721 checklistsAug 22-31: 5.2% of 28763 checklistsSep 1-7: 5.6% of 23594 checklistsSep 8-14: 6.0% of 22581 checklistsSep 15-21: 4.9% of 23036 checklistsSep 22-30: 6.0% of 29687 checklistsOct 1-7: 6.2% of 24321 checklistsOct 8-14: 5.4% of 23946 checklistsOct 15-21: 5.7% of 22191 checklistsOct 22-31: 6.2% of 30161 checklistsNov 1-7: 7.1% of 21431 checklistsNov 8-14: 10% of 22758 checklistsNov 15-21: 7.3% of 19988 checklistsNov 22-30: 8.7% of 27665 checklistsDec 1-7: 7.8% of 19324 checklistsDec 8-14: 7.2% of 20316 checklistsDec 15-21: 7.0% of 25675 checklistsDec 22-31: 9.0% of 38677 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 Virginia 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 Virginia

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Poquoson CountyBest late March · 83 checklists that week, 2,669 in all67%
  2. Hampton CountyBest mid November · 124 checklists that week, 9,881 in all48%
  3. Accomack CountyBest mid August · 587 checklists that week, 43,278 in all47%
  4. Mathews CountyBest early September · 83 checklists that week, 3,594 in all45%
  5. Norfolk CountyBest the second week of December · 295 checklists that week, 21,204 in all44%
  6. Northampton CountyBest mid March · 275 checklists that week, 27,227 in all43%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Ocean View ParkNorfolk County, best the second week of March · 26 checklists that week, 547 in all94%
  2. Back CovePoquoson County, best early September · 23 checklists that week, 1,001 in all91%
  3. The Nature Conservancy Private Conservation Fee OwnershipNorthampton County, best late September · 29 checklists that week, 459 in all90%
  4. Horse MarshAccomack County, best late March · 29 checklists that week, 556 in all90%
  5. Little Toms Cove (south)Accomack County, best late December · 32 checklists that week, 1,099 in all89%

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

Best time of day

In Virginia, the American Herring Gull is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (6.6% of those checklists).

0%5%10%12 am: too few checklists (485) to judge1 am: too few checklists (488) to judge2 am: too few checklists (423) to judge3 am: too few checklists (565) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1410) to judge5 am: too few checklists (10265) to judge6 am: 8.5% of 64788 checklists7 am: 5.9% of 169128 checklists8 am: 4.8% of 180748 checklists9 am: 4.9% of 153462 checklists10 am: 5.3% of 128966 checklists11 am: 5.7% of 104204 checklists12 pm: 5.8% of 91604 checklists1 pm: 6.4% of 85547 checklists2 pm: 6.5% of 82355 checklists3 pm: 5.9% of 82265 checklists4 pm: 5.0% of 76714 checklists5 pm: 3.9% of 56782 checklists6 pm: 2.9% of 40131 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (24290) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (7744) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2383) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1122) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (651) 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
January8.5%8.2%9.0%8.6%
February9.4%6.7%6.0%7.5%
March6.8%5.8%5.6%5.0%
April4.2%3.8%3.5%2.8%
May2.8%2.6%3.1%2.7%
June2.3%2.4%2.3%2.6%
July3.5%3.5%4.1%4.2%
August4.9%5.3%5.2%5.2%
September5.6%6.0%4.9%6.0%
October6.2%5.4%5.7%6.2%
November7.1%10%7.3%8.7%
December7.8%7.2%7.0%9.0%

Neighboring states

  • District of Columbia: arrives early October, 2 weeks later than Virginia
  • Maryland: arrives mid October, 4 weeks later than Virginia
  • West Virginia: arrives early November, 6 weeks later than Virginia
  • Delaware: arrives early October, 2 weeks later than Virginia

Common questions

When do American Herring Gulls arrive in Virginia?
American Herring Gulls are in Virginia all year, but most are here in winter: numbers build from mid September, peak in late January (9.0% of checklists), and fall back by the second week of March. In the quietest week (the second week of June) they are still on about 2.4% of checklists.
When do American Herring Gulls leave Virginia?
American Herring Gulls never fully leave Virginia: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by the second week of March, but some are still reported in every week, about 2.4% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a American Herring Gull in Virginia?
The American Herring Gull is reported most often in late January, on about 9.0% of Virginia checklists.
Where in Virginia are American Herring Gulls seen most often?
By county, Poquoson County, Hampton County, and Accomack County have the highest peak reporting rates for the American Herring Gull (counties with at least 200 checklists).