WhenToBird

Melanitta americana · Anatidae

When Do Black Scoters Arrive in Ohio?

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

Black Scoters mostly pass through Ohio: they arrive in late October, peak in the second week of November (1.7% of checklists), and most are gone by early December.

When to look

First arrivalsOct 22-31late October
Common byOct 22-31late October
PeakNov 8-14the second week of November
Most gone byDec 1-7early December

Best: the second week of November. First arrivals late October; most are gone by early December. Peak: on about 1.7% of Ohio checklists.

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

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

0%0.5%1%1.5%2%Jan 1-7: 0.3% of 46637 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.2% of 31056 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.1% of 30129 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.1% of 38665 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.1% of 27203 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.1% of 30626 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.1% of 40705 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.1% of 31391 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.1% of 32914 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.1% of 33973 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.1% of 33678 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.1% of 49889 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.1% of 41225 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.1% of 47174 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.1% of 47017 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.1% of 73055 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.1% of 80637 checklistsMay 8-14: 0% of 102552 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 64582 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 52766 checklistsJun 1-7: 0% of 29279 checklistsJun 8-14: 0% of 25773 checklistsJun 15-21: 0% of 23163 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 27794 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 23334 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 22147 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 20998 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 29749 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 22899 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 21972 checklistsAug 15-21: 0% of 22215 checklistsAug 22-31: 0% of 35087 checklistsSep 1-7: 0% of 29148 checklistsSep 8-14: 0% of 28042 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.1% of 26751 checklistsSep 22-30: 0% of 32398 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.1% of 26209 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.1% of 26809 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.3% of 23504 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.2% of 33269 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.2% of 25563 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.9% of 23810 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.9% of 22127 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.0% of 29449 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.6% of 22370 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.3% of 21581 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.2% of 24232 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.3% of 36084 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 Ohio 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 Ohio

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Montgomery CountyBest mid November · 633 checklists that week, 46,673 in all7.1%
  2. Hancock CountyBest mid November · 85 checklists that week, 9,040 in all6.3%
  3. Williams CountyBest late November · 33 checklists that week, 2,778 in all6.2%
  4. Cuyahoga CountyBest the second week of November · 2629 checklists that week, 158,034 in all6.2%
  5. Lake CountyBest mid November · 982 checklists that week, 59,983 in all5.2%
  6. Noble CountyBest late November · 51 checklists that week, 1,516 in all3.5%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Schmidt PlayfieldsHamilton County, best mid March · 21 checklists that week, 199 in all76%
  2. Sims ParkCuyahoga County, best mid November · 90 checklists that week, 1,453 in all52%
  3. Cahoon ParkCuyahoga County, best mid October · 30 checklists that week, 1,070 in all40%
  4. Griggs Park (northwest)Franklin County, best the second week of November · 41 checklists that week, 688 in all39%
  5. Columbia Rd ParkCuyahoga County, best late December · 45 checklists that week, 379 in all35%

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

Best time of day

In Ohio, the Black Scoter is most often listed on checklists started between 11 am and 1 pm (0.2% of those checklists).

0%0.5%12 am: too few checklists (574) to judge1 am: too few checklists (609) to judge2 am: too few checklists (466) to judge3 am: too few checklists (478) to judge4 am: too few checklists (662) to judge5 am: too few checklists (4366) to judge6 am: 0.1% of 43093 checklists7 am: 0.2% of 142017 checklists8 am: 0.2% of 205296 checklists9 am: 0.2% of 196322 checklists10 am: 0.2% of 170882 checklists11 am: 0.2% of 144567 checklists12 pm: 0.2% of 126551 checklists1 pm: 0.2% of 117855 checklists2 pm: 0.2% of 112869 checklists3 pm: 0.2% of 109786 checklists4 pm: 0.2% of 103116 checklists5 pm: 0.1% of 78409 checklists6 pm: 0.1% of 56785 checklists7 pm: 0.1% of 37923 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (14954) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2710) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (854) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (486) 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%0.2%0.1%0.1%
February0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
March0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
April0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
May0.1%0%0.1%0.1%
June0%0%0%0%
July0%0%0%0%
August0%0%0%0%
September0%0%0.1%0%
October0.1%0.1%0.3%1.2%
November1.2%1.9%1.9%1.0%
December0.6%0.3%0.2%0.3%

Neighboring states

  • Indiana: arrives early November, 1 week later than Ohio
  • Michigan: arrives the second week of October, 2 weeks earlier than Ohio
  • Virginia: arrives late October, in the same week than Ohio
  • District of Columbia: arrives early November, 1 week later than Ohio

Common questions

When do Black Scoters arrive in Ohio?
Black Scoters mostly pass through Ohio: they arrive in late October, peak in the second week of November (1.7% of checklists), and most are gone by early December.
When do Black Scoters leave Ohio?
Most Black Scoters have left Ohio by early December, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Black Scoter in Ohio?
The Black Scoter is reported most often in the second week of November, on about 1.7% of Ohio checklists.
Where in Ohio are Black Scoters seen most often?
By county, Montgomery County, Hancock County, and Williams County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Black Scoter (counties with at least 200 checklists).