WhenToBird

Melanitta americana · Anatidae

When Do Black Scoters Arrive in New York?

Adult male Black Scoter
Photo: Kevin Krebs, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Black Scoters are winter birds in New York: they arrive in mid October, peak in the second week of November (2.6% of checklists), and most are gone by late February.

When to look

First arrivalsOct 15-21mid October
Common byOct 15-21mid October
PeakNov 8-14the second week of November
Most gone byFeb 22-28late February

Best: the second week of November. First arrivals mid October; most are gone by late February. Peak: on about 2.6% of New York checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febcommon
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Mayrare
  6. Junrare
  7. Julrare
  8. Augrare
  9. Seprare
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%1%2%3%Jan 1-7: 2.3% of 66410 checklistsJan 8-14: 2.3% of 49310 checklistsJan 15-21: 2.0% of 49919 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.9% of 62513 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.8% of 43526 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.6% of 49753 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.3% of 65147 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.4% of 50173 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.8% of 50325 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.8% of 55371 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.7% of 56293 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.6% of 82677 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.4% of 65295 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.4% of 73080 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.3% of 73857 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.2% of 106093 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.2% of 102772 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.2% of 110051 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.2% of 94797 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.3% of 101272 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.4% of 59471 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.5% of 55497 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.3% of 51761 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.3% of 59219 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.2% of 48226 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.2% of 42315 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.3% of 40637 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.2% of 57183 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.2% of 40461 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.3% of 39880 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.2% of 41146 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.2% of 63381 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.2% of 48640 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.2% of 47882 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.2% of 49063 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.4% of 57906 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.4% of 48447 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.8% of 51901 checklistsOct 15-21: 1.2% of 46717 checklistsOct 22-31: 2.0% of 61992 checklistsNov 1-7: 2.7% of 44593 checklistsNov 8-14: 2.8% of 42566 checklistsNov 15-21: 2.4% of 39675 checklistsNov 22-30: 2.6% of 51197 checklistsDec 1-7: 2.2% of 36567 checklistsDec 8-14: 2.0% of 37254 checklistsDec 15-21: 2.0% of 43754 checklistsDec 22-31: 2.6% of 62470 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 New York 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.

Embed this map on your site

Where in New York

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Nassau CountyBest early January · 3825 checklists that week, 95,019 in all14%
  2. Suffolk CountyBest mid December · 4187 checklists that week, 208,865 in all10%
  3. Oswego CountyBest the second week of November · 530 checklists that week, 39,208 in all8.0%
  4. Queens CountyBest early January · 1563 checklists that week, 76,201 in all7.4%
  5. Wayne CountyBest early November · 503 checklists that week, 37,738 in all7.0%
  6. Richmond CountyBest late December · 1287 checklists that week, 55,926 in all6.7%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Camp Hero State ParkSuffolk County, best mid February · 31 checklists that week, 447 in all92%
  2. Montauk PointSuffolk County, best mid February · 105 checklists that week, 1,540 in all89%
  3. Franklin D. Roosevelt Boardwalk and Beach (Midland Beach)Richmond County, best late December · 21 checklists that week, 332 in all76%
  4. Cranberry PondMonroe County, best late November · 71 checklists that week, 434 in all72%
  5. Sammys Town BeachSuffolk County, best late November · 39 checklists that week, 1,089 in all69%

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

Best time of day

In New York, the Black Scoter is most often listed on checklists started between 10 am and 12 pm (1.1% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%12 am: too few checklists (1146) to judge1 am: too few checklists (1055) to judge2 am: too few checklists (1121) to judge3 am: too few checklists (1353) to judge4 am: too few checklists (4785) to judge5 am: too few checklists (32052) to judge6 am: 0.8% of 124869 checklists7 am: 0.9% of 298506 checklists8 am: 0.9% of 337334 checklists9 am: 1.1% of 307787 checklists10 am: 1.1% of 270801 checklists11 am: 1.1% of 233238 checklists12 pm: 1.0% of 213830 checklists1 pm: 1.1% of 193321 checklists2 pm: 1.0% of 180741 checklists3 pm: 0.8% of 170348 checklists4 pm: 0.5% of 147224 checklists5 pm: 0.3% of 111962 checklists6 pm: 0.2% of 78261 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (44425) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (15648) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (4795) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (2454) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (1378) 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
January2.3%2.3%2.0%1.9%
February1.8%1.6%1.3%1.4%
March0.8%0.8%0.7%0.6%
April0.4%0.4%0.3%0.2%
May0.2%0.2%0.2%0.3%
June0.4%0.5%0.3%0.3%
July0.2%0.2%0.3%0.2%
August0.2%0.3%0.2%0.2%
September0.2%0.2%0.2%0.4%
October0.4%0.8%1.2%2.0%
November2.7%2.8%2.4%2.6%
December2.2%2.0%2.0%2.6%

Neighboring states

  • Connecticut: arrives late October, 1 week later than New York
  • New Jersey: arrives late September, 3 weeks earlier than New York
  • Vermont: arrives mid October, in the same week than New York
  • Delaware: arrives early October, 2 weeks earlier than New York

Common questions

When do Black Scoters arrive in New York?
Black Scoters are winter birds in New York: they arrive in mid October, peak in the second week of November (2.6% of checklists), and most are gone by late February.
When do Black Scoters leave New York?
Most Black Scoters have left New York by late February, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until early March.
When is the best time to see a Black Scoter in New York?
The Black Scoter is reported most often in the second week of November, on about 2.6% of New York checklists.
Where in New York are Black Scoters seen most often?
By county, Nassau County, Suffolk County, and Oswego County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Black Scoter (counties with at least 200 checklists).