WhenToBird

Rynchops niger · Laridae

When Do Black Skimmers Arrive in Florida?

Adult Black Skimmer
Photo: Luciano Massa, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Black Skimmers reach Florida in late October, are common by mid November, peak in the second week of July (5.4% of checklists), and most are gone by mid September.

When to look

First arrivalsOct 22-31late October
Common byNov 15-21mid November
PeakJul 8-14the second week of July
Most gone bySep 15-21mid September

Best: the second week of July. First arrivals late October; most are gone by mid September. Peak: on about 5.4% of Florida checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%2%4%6%Jan 1-7: 3.1% of 74446 checklistsJan 8-14: 3.8% of 60074 checklistsJan 15-21: 3.8% of 62945 checklistsJan 22-31: 4.3% of 84954 checklistsFeb 1-7: 3.9% of 59204 checklistsFeb 8-14: 3.2% of 63259 checklistsFeb 15-21: 2.7% of 77150 checklistsFeb 22-28: 2.9% of 62850 checklistsMar 1-7: 2.7% of 58560 checklistsMar 8-14: 2.7% of 57756 checklistsMar 15-21: 2.6% of 54898 checklistsMar 22-31: 2.6% of 76702 checklistsApr 1-7: 2.7% of 55096 checklistsApr 8-14: 2.8% of 55892 checklistsApr 15-21: 2.9% of 59358 checklistsApr 22-30: 2.9% of 73124 checklistsMay 1-7: 3.4% of 47915 checklistsMay 8-14: 3.5% of 44114 checklistsMay 15-21: 4.2% of 31858 checklistsMay 22-31: 4.3% of 40723 checklistsJun 1-7: 4.8% of 31668 checklistsJun 8-14: 4.9% of 27802 checklistsJun 15-21: 5.1% of 26698 checklistsJun 22-30: 5.1% of 32346 checklistsJul 1-7: 5.6% of 23826 checklistsJul 8-14: 5.4% of 23071 checklistsJul 15-21: 5.3% of 22903 checklistsJul 22-31: 5.3% of 32952 checklistsAug 1-7: 5.3% of 25093 checklistsAug 8-14: 4.6% of 24888 checklistsAug 15-21: 4.2% of 26030 checklistsAug 22-31: 4.1% of 38612 checklistsSep 1-7: 3.9% of 31023 checklistsSep 8-14: 3.2% of 30022 checklistsSep 15-21: 2.8% of 31611 checklistsSep 22-30: 2.1% of 42108 checklistsOct 1-7: 2.1% of 36219 checklistsOct 8-14: 1.8% of 43113 checklistsOct 15-21: 2.1% of 40987 checklistsOct 22-31: 2.1% of 53457 checklistsNov 1-7: 2.2% of 38587 checklistsNov 8-14: 2.6% of 39208 checklistsNov 15-21: 2.6% of 39729 checklistsNov 22-30: 2.6% of 54965 checklistsDec 1-7: 2.5% of 42070 checklistsDec 8-14: 3.0% of 43424 checklistsDec 15-21: 2.5% of 50581 checklistsDec 22-31: 3.2% of 82405 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 Florida 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 Florida

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Sarasota CountyBest the second week of June · 1304 checklists that week, 120,976 in all21%
  2. Wakulla CountyBest early September · 263 checklists that week, 27,521 in all21%
  3. Pinellas CountyBest mid July · 1480 checklists that week, 148,901 in all21%
  4. Dixie CountyBest early April · 33 checklists that week, 2,113 in all17%
  5. Citrus CountyBest mid August · 131 checklists that week, 15,247 in all17%
  6. Nassau CountyBest late January · 408 checklists that week, 10,618 in all16%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Pahokee Marina and CampgroundPalm Beach County, best the second week of December · 26 checklists that week, 388 in all100%
  2. Lido KeySarasota County, best early July · 45 checklists that week, 1,322 in all100%
  3. Rock Island BayHernando County, best early November · 29 checklists that week, 1,103 in all99%
  4. Fort Island BeachCitrus County, best mid August · 25 checklists that week, 1,372 in all96%
  5. Carlos PointLee County, best mid June · 26 checklists that week, 567 in all96%
  6. Sarasota BeachSarasota County, best late July · 25 checklists that week, 874 in all96%

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

Best time of day

In Florida, the Black Skimmer is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (5.2% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%12 am: too few checklists (771) to judge1 am: too few checklists (771) to judge2 am: too few checklists (701) to judge3 am: too few checklists (752) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1378) to judge5 am: too few checklists (9462) to judge6 am: 6.0% of 94591 checklists7 am: 4.9% of 296183 checklists8 am: 3.4% of 319987 checklists9 am: 2.9% of 254830 checklists10 am: 2.7% of 209480 checklists11 am: 2.7% of 163924 checklists12 pm: 2.6% of 133478 checklists1 pm: 2.6% of 125012 checklists2 pm: 2.6% of 125299 checklists3 pm: 2.6% of 131072 checklists4 pm: 2.6% of 134410 checklists5 pm: 2.4% of 113373 checklists6 pm: 3.0% of 69886 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (37509) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (8966) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2093) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1485) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (862) 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
January3.1%3.8%3.8%4.3%
February3.9%3.2%2.7%2.9%
March2.7%2.7%2.6%2.6%
April2.7%2.8%2.9%2.9%
May3.4%3.5%4.2%4.3%
June4.8%4.9%5.1%5.1%
July5.6%5.4%5.3%5.3%
August5.3%4.6%4.2%4.1%
September3.9%3.2%2.8%2.1%
October2.1%1.8%2.1%2.1%
November2.2%2.6%2.6%2.6%
December2.5%3.0%2.5%3.2%

Neighboring states

  • Georgia: year-round, peaks the second week of June
  • South Carolina: arrives late February, 16 weeks later than Florida
  • Alabama: arrives the second week of April, 22 weeks later than Florida
  • Mississippi: year-round, peaks early September

Common questions

When do Black Skimmers arrive in Florida?
Black Skimmers reach Florida in late October, are common by mid November, peak in the second week of July (5.4% of checklists), and most are gone by mid September.
When do Black Skimmers leave Florida?
Most Black Skimmers have left Florida by mid September, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until late September.
When is the best time to see a Black Skimmer in Florida?
The Black Skimmer is reported most often in the second week of July, on about 5.4% of Florida checklists.
Where in Florida are Black Skimmers seen most often?
By county, Sarasota County, Wakulla County, and Pinellas County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Black Skimmer (counties with at least 200 checklists).