WhenToBird

Synthliboramphus antiquus · Alcidae

When Do Ancient Murrelets Arrive in Washington?

Adult Ancient Murrelet
Photo: nickajacket, CC0 1.0 via iNaturalist

Ancient Murrelets are winter birds in Washington: they arrive in the second week of October, peak in late November (1.3% of checklists), and most are gone by late January.

When to look

First arrivalsOct 8-14the second week of October
Common byOct 8-14the second week of October
PeakNov 22-30late November
Most gone byJan 22-31late January

Best: late November. First arrivals the second week of October; most are gone by late January. Peak: on about 1.3% of Washington checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marrare
  4. Aprnot usually seen
  5. Maynot usually seen
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Seprare
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%0.5%1%1.5%Jan 1-7: 0.4% of 41928 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.5% of 31152 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.6% of 31753 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.4% of 42530 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.3% of 29739 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.2% of 32746 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.1% of 40328 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.1% of 28432 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.1% of 30758 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.1% of 29368 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.1% of 32580 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.1% of 45614 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.1% of 33997 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.1% of 34729 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.1% of 38474 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.1% of 52185 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.1% of 44236 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.1% of 48708 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 41742 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 57082 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 39193 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 36042 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.1% of 34003 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.1% of 39711 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.1% of 31949 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 29086 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.1% of 28045 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.1% of 38275 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.1% of 28846 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.1% of 28036 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.1% of 27614 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.1% of 40356 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.1% of 31214 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.1% of 27795 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.1% of 29677 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.1% of 35241 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.2% of 28605 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.4% of 28655 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.5% of 24643 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.5% of 34874 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.8% of 25658 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.9% of 25700 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.3% of 24331 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.3% of 32784 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.2% of 24099 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.9% of 23339 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.8% of 27666 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.5% of 42130 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 Washington 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 Washington

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Jefferson CountyBest the second week of December · 902 checklists that week, 59,663 in all6.5%
  2. San Juan CountyBest late November · 555 checklists that week, 35,337 in all6.4%
  3. Whatcom CountyBest late November · 1528 checklists that week, 64,687 in all3.8%
  4. Pierce CountyBest the second week of November · 1492 checklists that week, 92,224 in all3.1%
  5. Kitsap CountyBest late November · 1559 checklists that week, 74,545 in all2.9%
  6. Clallam CountyBest early December · 1151 checklists that week, 85,362 in all2.6%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Point WilsonJefferson County, best the second week of December · 33 checklists that week, 1,948 in all64%
  2. Cattle Point Natural Resources Conservation AreaSan Juan County, best mid January · 23 checklists that week, 849 in all38%
  3. Dash Point ParkPierce County, best the second week of November · 25 checklists that week, 498 in all32%
  4. Point No PointKitsap County, best the second week of December · 46 checklists that week, 4,564 in all31%
  5. Washington ParkSkagit County, best early December · 24 checklists that week, 1,066 in all31%
  6. Port WilliamsClallam County, best late January · 23 checklists that week, 612 in all31%

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

Best time of day

In Washington, the Ancient Murrelet is most often listed on checklists started between 1 and 3 pm (0.3% of those checklists).

0%0.5%12 am: too few checklists (796) to judge1 am: too few checklists (776) to judge2 am: too few checklists (709) to judge3 am: too few checklists (901) to judge4 am: too few checklists (3221) to judge5 am: too few checklists (16576) to judge6 am: 0.1% of 56744 checklists7 am: 0.3% of 133294 checklists8 am: 0.2% of 184196 checklists9 am: 0.2% of 186303 checklists10 am: 0.3% of 177063 checklists11 am: 0.3% of 154936 checklists12 pm: 0.3% of 138061 checklists1 pm: 0.3% of 127449 checklists2 pm: 0.3% of 121511 checklists3 pm: 0.2% of 107793 checklists4 pm: 0.1% of 82862 checklists5 pm: 0.1% of 57183 checklists6 pm: 0.1% of 39886 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (26969) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (12427) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (3658) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1500) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (834) 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
January0.4%0.5%0.6%0.4%
February0.3%0.2%0.1%0.1%
March0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
April0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
May0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
June0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
July0.1%0%0.1%0.1%
August0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
September0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
October0.2%0.4%0.5%0.5%
November0.8%0.9%1.3%1.3%
December1.2%0.9%0.8%0.5%

Common questions

When do Ancient Murrelets arrive in Washington?
Ancient Murrelets are winter birds in Washington: they arrive in the second week of October, peak in late November (1.3% of checklists), and most are gone by late January.
When do Ancient Murrelets leave Washington?
Most Ancient Murrelets have left Washington by late January, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Ancient Murrelet in Washington?
The Ancient Murrelet is reported most often in late November, on about 1.3% of Washington checklists.
Where in Washington are Ancient Murrelets seen most often?
By county, Jefferson County, San Juan County, and Whatcom County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Ancient Murrelet (counties with at least 200 checklists).