WhenToBird

Bucephala islandica · Anatidae

When Do Barrow's Goldeneyes Arrive in Washington?

Adult male Barrow's Goldeneye
Photo: Kevin Krebs, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Barrow's Goldeneyes are winter birds in Washington: the first arrive in late October, they are common by early November, peak in the second week of January (6.1% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of April.

When to look

First arrivalsOct 22-31late October
Common byNov 1-7early November
PeakJan 8-14the second week of January
Most gone byApr 8-14the second week of April

Best: the second week of January. First arrivals late October; most are gone by the second week of April. Peak: on about 6.1% of Washington checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Mayrare
  6. Junrare
  7. Julrare
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepnot usually seen
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%2%4%6%8%Jan 1-7: 6.3% of 41928 checklistsJan 8-14: 5.9% of 31152 checklistsJan 15-21: 5.9% of 31753 checklistsJan 22-31: 5.9% of 42530 checklistsFeb 1-7: 5.5% of 29739 checklistsFeb 8-14: 4.9% of 32746 checklistsFeb 15-21: 4.7% of 40328 checklistsFeb 22-28: 5.4% of 28432 checklistsMar 1-7: 5.2% of 30758 checklistsMar 8-14: 4.7% of 29368 checklistsMar 15-21: 4.7% of 32580 checklistsMar 22-31: 4.0% of 45614 checklistsApr 1-7: 3.8% of 33997 checklistsApr 8-14: 2.8% of 34729 checklistsApr 15-21: 2.1% of 38474 checklistsApr 22-30: 1.1% of 52185 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.7% of 44236 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.5% of 48708 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.5% of 41742 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.4% of 57082 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.5% of 39193 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.3% of 36042 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.5% of 34003 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.3% of 39711 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.3% of 31949 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.2% of 29086 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.2% of 28045 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.2% of 38275 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.2% of 28846 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.2% 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: 0.2% of 28655 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.4% of 24643 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.7% of 34874 checklistsNov 1-7: 3.1% of 25658 checklistsNov 8-14: 4.2% of 25700 checklistsNov 15-21: 4.9% of 24331 checklistsNov 22-30: 5.6% of 32784 checklistsDec 1-7: 5.5% of 24099 checklistsDec 8-14: 5.2% of 23339 checklistsDec 15-21: 5.0% of 27666 checklistsDec 22-31: 5.3% 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. Garfield CountyBest the second week of December · 17 checklists that week, 1,130 in all32%
  2. Mason CountyBest the second week of January · 499 checklists that week, 27,853 in all18%
  3. Kitsap CountyBest the second week of March · 1280 checklists that week, 74,545 in all14%
  4. Skamania CountyBest late January · 169 checklists that week, 10,140 in all12%
  5. Okanogan CountyBest late April · 485 checklists that week, 23,048 in all11%
  6. Island CountyBest the second week of March · 844 checklists that week, 46,092 in all10%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Miller CreekKing County, best late March · 22 checklists that week, 836 in all97%
  2. Wandermere LakeSpokane County, best early January · 34 checklists that week, 544 in all95%
  3. Joe Block ParkKing County, best the second week of December · 26 checklists that week, 996 in all92%
  4. Commodore ParkKing County, best early March · 23 checklists that week, 404 in all91%
  5. Woodard Bay Natural Resources Conservation AreaThurston County, best late November · 27 checklists that week, 798 in all89%

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

Best time of day

In Washington, the Barrow's Goldeneye is most often listed on checklists started between 1 and 3 pm (3.0% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%4%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: 1.4% of 56744 checklists7 am: 2.3% of 133294 checklists8 am: 2.4% of 184196 checklists9 am: 2.5% of 186303 checklists10 am: 2.8% of 177063 checklists11 am: 2.9% of 154936 checklists12 pm: 3.0% of 138061 checklists1 pm: 3.0% of 127449 checklists2 pm: 3.0% of 121511 checklists3 pm: 2.7% of 107793 checklists4 pm: 1.9% of 82862 checklists5 pm: 1.0% of 57183 checklists6 pm: 0.6% 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
January6.3%5.9%5.9%5.9%
February5.5%4.9%4.7%5.4%
March5.2%4.7%4.7%4.0%
April3.8%2.8%2.1%1.1%
May0.7%0.5%0.5%0.4%
June0.5%0.3%0.5%0.3%
July0.3%0.2%0.2%0.2%
August0.2%0.2%0.1%0.1%
September0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
October0.2%0.2%0.4%1.7%
November3.1%4.2%4.9%5.6%
December5.5%5.2%5.0%5.3%

Neighboring states

  • Oregon: arrives late October, in the same week than Washington
  • Idaho: arrives late October, in the same week than Washington
  • Montana: arrives the second week of October, 2 weeks earlier than Washington
  • Nevada: arrives mid November, 3 weeks later than Washington

Common questions

When do Barrow's Goldeneyes arrive in Washington?
Barrow's Goldeneyes are winter birds in Washington: the first arrive in late October, they are common by early November, peak in the second week of January (6.1% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of April.
When do Barrow's Goldeneyes leave Washington?
Most Barrow's Goldeneyes have left Washington by the second week of April, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until late April.
When is the best time to see a Barrow's Goldeneye in Washington?
The Barrow's Goldeneye is reported most often in the second week of January, on about 6.1% of Washington checklists.
Where in Washington are Barrow's Goldeneyes seen most often?
By county, Garfield County, Mason County, and Kitsap County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Barrow's Goldeneye (counties with at least 200 checklists).