WhenToBird

Rissa tridactyla · Laridae

When Do Black-legged Kittiwakes Arrive in Alaska?

Adult Black-legged Kittiwake
Photo: Iona M., CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Black-legged Kittiwakes reach Alaska in late February, are common by late April, peak in the second week of September (14% of checklists), and most are gone by early November.

When to look

First arrivalsFeb 22-28late February
Common byApr 22-30late April
PeakSep 8-14the second week of September
Most gone byNov 1-7early November

Best: the second week of September. First arrivals late February; most are gone by early November. Peak: on about 14% of Alaska checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febrare
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Decrare

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

0%5%10%15%20%Jan 1-7: 0.3% of 3788 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.3% of 2852 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.4% of 2810 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.4% of 3629 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.7% of 2519 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.8% of 2927 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.6% of 3743 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.1% of 2846 checklistsMar 1-7: 2.0% of 2904 checklistsMar 8-14: 2.6% of 3073 checklistsMar 15-21: 3.0% of 3359 checklistsMar 22-31: 3.7% of 5855 checklistsApr 1-7: 3.6% of 4329 checklistsApr 8-14: 4.0% of 4949 checklistsApr 15-21: 4.1% of 7114 checklistsApr 22-30: 3.7% of 10916 checklistsMay 1-7: 6.5% of 11827 checklistsMay 8-14: 6.8% of 14115 checklistsMay 15-21: 5.4% of 12152 checklistsMay 22-31: 6.7% of 19919 checklistsJun 1-7: 9.9% of 15816 checklistsJun 8-14: 7.8% of 17194 checklistsJun 15-21: 7.6% of 15943 checklistsJun 22-30: 7.5% of 16192 checklistsJul 1-7: 9.8% of 9815 checklistsJul 8-14: 12% of 8263 checklistsJul 15-21: 12% of 7081 checklistsJul 22-31: 11% of 9434 checklistsAug 1-7: 12% of 6380 checklistsAug 8-14: 12% of 6258 checklistsAug 15-21: 12% of 6114 checklistsAug 22-31: 11% of 8189 checklistsSep 1-7: 14% of 5848 checklistsSep 8-14: 14% of 4853 checklistsSep 15-21: 15% of 4415 checklistsSep 22-30: 13% of 5086 checklistsOct 1-7: 12% of 3576 checklistsOct 8-14: 12% of 4212 checklistsOct 15-21: 7.0% of 3339 checklistsOct 22-31: 7.1% of 4169 checklistsNov 1-7: 3.9% of 2844 checklistsNov 8-14: 3.2% of 2753 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.3% of 2291 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.1% of 3066 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.8% of 2199 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.6% of 2472 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.5% of 3071 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.1% of 3442 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 Alaska 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 Alaska

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Kodiak Island BoroughBest the second week of September · 134 checklists that week, 11,483 in all61%
  2. Aleutians West Census AreaBest early July · 88 checklists that week, 6,087 in all56%
  3. North Slope BoroughBest mid October · 42 checklists that week, 10,891 in all49%
  4. Nome Census AreaBest mid September · 179 checklists that week, 13,472 in all46%
  5. Chugach Census AreaBest the second week of August · 174 checklists that week, 7,540 in all46%
  6. Aleutians East BoroughBest late July · 45 checklists that week, 1,634 in all44%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Coal PointKenai Peninsula Borough, best mid August · 22 checklists that week, 745 in all98%
  2. Kachemak Bay Critical Habitat AreaKenai Peninsula Borough, best the second week of July · 22 checklists that week, 314 in all97%
  3. Northwest CapeNome Census Area, best late May · 60 checklists that week, 272 in all96%
  4. Middleton IslandChugach Census Area, best early May · 21 checklists that week, 269 in all89%
  5. Kittilngook BayNome Census Area, best early October · 26 checklists that week, 838 in all89%

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

Best time of day

In Alaska, the Black-legged Kittiwake is most often listed on checklists started between 7 and 9 pm (9.0% of those checklists).

0%5%10%12 am: too few checklists (549) to judge1 am: too few checklists (365) to judge2 am: too few checklists (291) to judge3 am: too few checklists (624) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1241) to judge5 am: too few checklists (3532) to judge6 am: 6.3% of 9751 checklists7 am: 6.3% of 17236 checklists8 am: 6.7% of 24936 checklists9 am: 6.6% of 30139 checklists10 am: 6.9% of 30866 checklists11 am: 6.7% of 28207 checklists12 pm: 6.3% of 25650 checklists1 pm: 6.8% of 24144 checklists2 pm: 7.5% of 23323 checklists3 pm: 8.1% of 20763 checklists4 pm: 8.9% of 18245 checklists5 pm: 8.2% of 14895 checklists6 pm: 8.4% of 11707 checklists7 pm: 9.0% of 9365 checklists8 pm: 8.9% of 6934 checklists9 pm: too few checklists (4176) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (2050) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (952) 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
January0.3%0.3%0.4%0.4%
February0.7%0.8%0.6%1.1%
March2.0%2.6%3.0%3.7%
April3.6%4.0%4.1%3.7%
May6.5%6.8%5.4%6.7%
June9.9%7.8%7.6%7.5%
July9.8%12%12%11%
August12%12%12%11%
September14%14%15%13%
October12%12%7.0%7.1%
November3.9%3.2%1.3%1.1%
December0.8%0.6%0.5%0.1%

Common questions

When do Black-legged Kittiwakes arrive in Alaska?
Black-legged Kittiwakes reach Alaska in late February, are common by late April, peak in the second week of September (14% of checklists), and most are gone by early November.
When do Black-legged Kittiwakes leave Alaska?
Most Black-legged Kittiwakes have left Alaska by early November, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until late November.
When is the best time to see a Black-legged Kittiwake in Alaska?
The Black-legged Kittiwake is reported most often in the second week of September, on about 14% of Alaska checklists.
Where in Alaska are Black-legged Kittiwakes seen most often?
By county, Kodiak Island Borough, Aleutians West Census Area, and North Slope Borough have the highest peak reporting rates for the Black-legged Kittiwake (counties with at least 200 checklists).