WhenToBird

Pluvialis squatarola · Charadriidae

When Do Black-bellied Plovers Arrive in California?

Adult Black-bellied Plover
Photo: Евгений Маринкин, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Black-bellied Plovers are winter birds in California: the first arrive in early July, they are common by mid July, peak in early November (5.7% of checklists), and most are gone by early April.

When to look

First arrivalsJul 1-7early July
Common byJul 15-21mid July
PeakNov 1-7early November
Most gone byApr 1-7early April

Best: early November. First arrivals early July; most are gone by early April. Peak: on about 5.7% of California checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Junrare
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%2%4%6%Jan 1-7: 4.6% of 112336 checklistsJan 8-14: 4.4% of 85518 checklistsJan 15-21: 4.5% of 86488 checklistsJan 22-31: 4.0% of 116174 checklistsFeb 1-7: 3.6% of 75171 checklistsFeb 8-14: 3.2% of 84467 checklistsFeb 15-21: 2.9% of 105683 checklistsFeb 22-28: 3.4% of 83396 checklistsMar 1-7: 3.0% of 77470 checklistsMar 8-14: 2.8% of 75180 checklistsMar 15-21: 2.5% of 80770 checklistsMar 22-31: 2.4% of 114116 checklistsApr 1-7: 2.4% of 84057 checklistsApr 8-14: 2.1% of 83692 checklistsApr 15-21: 2.1% of 89242 checklistsApr 22-30: 1.6% of 114289 checklistsMay 1-7: 1.1% of 85728 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.8% of 91984 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.7% of 75478 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.5% of 106250 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.5% of 70051 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.6% of 67485 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.5% of 66269 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.7% of 79172 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.9% of 62877 checklistsJul 8-14: 1.8% of 60328 checklistsJul 15-21: 3.4% of 59705 checklistsJul 22-31: 5.0% of 83796 checklistsAug 1-7: 5.6% of 60215 checklistsAug 8-14: 5.9% of 60172 checklistsAug 15-21: 5.4% of 59877 checklistsAug 22-31: 4.9% of 89107 checklistsSep 1-7: 4.8% of 72000 checklistsSep 8-14: 4.5% of 71228 checklistsSep 15-21: 4.1% of 76808 checklistsSep 22-30: 4.5% of 100204 checklistsOct 1-7: 4.8% of 76571 checklistsOct 8-14: 5.1% of 80874 checklistsOct 15-21: 5.5% of 74581 checklistsOct 22-31: 5.8% of 97498 checklistsNov 1-7: 5.7% of 70851 checklistsNov 8-14: 5.7% of 72431 checklistsNov 15-21: 5.3% of 66767 checklistsNov 22-30: 5.5% of 94737 checklistsDec 1-7: 5.4% of 65393 checklistsDec 8-14: 5.1% of 67449 checklistsDec 15-21: 4.0% of 83421 checklistsDec 22-31: 4.4% of 124993 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 California 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 California

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Alameda CountyBest the second week of August · 2561 checklists that week, 161,052 in all21%
  2. Del Norte CountyBest late September · 472 checklists that week, 16,363 in all18%
  3. Napa CountyBest the second week of August · 283 checklists that week, 18,976 in all17%
  4. Solano CountyBest early August · 357 checklists that week, 25,325 in all17%
  5. Imperial CountyBest early September · 387 checklists that week, 24,551 in all16%
  6. Kings CountyBest mid August · 78 checklists that week, 3,688 in all16%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Crown Memorial Regional ShorelineAlameda County, best the second week of August · 176 checklists that week, 3,508 in all95%
  2. Campus Lagoon (Goleta Point)Santa Barbara County, best late October · 21 checklists that week, 505 in all94%
  3. Coal Oil Point Natural ReserveSanta Barbara County, best the second week of October · 47 checklists that week, 2,974 in all93%
  4. Candlestick Point State Recreation Area (Double Rock)San Francisco County, best the second week of August · 38 checklists that week, 875 in all93%
  5. Middle Harbor Shoreline ParkAlameda County, best late October · 57 checklists that week, 2,089 in all93%
  6. Asilomar State BeachMonterey County, best mid August · 80 checklists that week, 1,870 in all90%

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

Best time of day

In California, the Black-bellied Plover is most often listed on checklists started between 1 and 3 pm (4.1% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%12 am: too few checklists (1688) to judge1 am: too few checklists (1451) to judge2 am: too few checklists (1402) to judge3 am: too few checklists (1743) to judge4 am: too few checklists (4647) to judge5 am: too few checklists (32158) to judge6 am: 2.9% of 186053 checklists7 am: 3.5% of 444086 checklists8 am: 3.6% of 535846 checklists9 am: 3.5% of 486061 checklists10 am: 3.5% of 411130 checklists11 am: 3.5% of 325798 checklists12 pm: 3.6% of 269132 checklists1 pm: 4.1% of 244762 checklists2 pm: 4.0% of 235420 checklists3 pm: 4.0% of 232365 checklists4 pm: 3.5% of 208688 checklists5 pm: 3.0% of 146104 checklists6 pm: 2.4% of 96867 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (50942) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (14803) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (5561) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (3546) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (2092) 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
January4.6%4.4%4.5%4.0%
February3.6%3.2%2.9%3.4%
March3.0%2.8%2.5%2.4%
April2.4%2.1%2.1%1.6%
May1.1%0.8%0.7%0.5%
June0.5%0.6%0.5%0.7%
July0.9%1.8%3.4%5.0%
August5.6%5.9%5.4%4.9%
September4.8%4.5%4.1%4.5%
October4.8%5.1%5.5%5.8%
November5.7%5.7%5.3%5.5%
December5.4%5.1%4.0%4.4%

Neighboring states

  • Oregon: arrives mid July, 2 weeks later than California
  • Washington: arrives mid July, 2 weeks later than California
  • Kansas: arrives early August, 4 weeks later than California
  • Texas: arrives early August, 4 weeks later than California

Common questions

When do Black-bellied Plovers arrive in California?
Black-bellied Plovers are winter birds in California: the first arrive in early July, they are common by mid July, peak in early November (5.7% of checklists), and most are gone by early April.
When do Black-bellied Plovers leave California?
Most Black-bellied Plovers have left California by early April, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until early May.
When is the best time to see a Black-bellied Plover in California?
The Black-bellied Plover is reported most often in early November, on about 5.7% of California checklists.
Where in California are Black-bellied Plovers seen most often?
By county, Alameda County, Del Norte County, and Napa County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Black-bellied Plover (counties with at least 200 checklists).