WhenToBird

Arenaria melanocephala · Scolopacidae

When Do Black Turnstones Arrive in Alaska?

Adult Black Turnstone
Photo: Nicole, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Black Turnstones arrive in Alaska in early July, peak in the second week of August (3.4% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of June.

When to look

First arrivalsJul 1-7early July
Common byJul 1-7early July
PeakAug 8-14the second week of August
Most gone byJun 8-14the second week of June

Best: the second week of August. First arrivals early July; most are gone by the second week of June. Peak: on about 3.4% of Alaska checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Jununcommon
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%1%2%3%4%Jan 1-7: 1.5% of 3788 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.1% of 2852 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.5% of 2810 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.6% of 3629 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.6% of 2519 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.2% of 2927 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.3% of 3743 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.0% of 2846 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.8% of 2904 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.5% of 3073 checklistsMar 15-21: 1.1% of 3359 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.7% of 5855 checklistsApr 1-7: 1.2% of 4329 checklistsApr 8-14: 1.0% of 4949 checklistsApr 15-21: 1.1% of 7114 checklistsApr 22-30: 1.9% of 10916 checklistsMay 1-7: 2.3% of 11827 checklistsMay 8-14: 1.5% of 14115 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.6% of 12152 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.6% of 19919 checklistsJun 1-7: 1.2% of 15816 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.7% of 17194 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.5% of 15943 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.5% of 16192 checklistsJul 1-7: 1.4% of 9815 checklistsJul 8-14: 3.0% of 8263 checklistsJul 15-21: 3.2% of 7081 checklistsJul 22-31: 3.0% of 9434 checklistsAug 1-7: 2.9% of 6380 checklistsAug 8-14: 3.6% of 6258 checklistsAug 15-21: 3.6% of 6114 checklistsAug 22-31: 2.7% of 8189 checklistsSep 1-7: 2.5% of 5848 checklistsSep 8-14: 1.9% of 4853 checklistsSep 15-21: 1.4% of 4415 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.6% of 5086 checklistsOct 1-7: 1.8% of 3576 checklistsOct 8-14: 1.1% of 4212 checklistsOct 15-21: 1.3% of 3339 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.6% of 4169 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.9% of 2844 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.2% of 2753 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.9% of 2291 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.7% of 3066 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.4% of 2199 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.4% of 2472 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.0% of 3071 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.6% 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. Kusilvak Census AreaBest the second week of June · 19 checklists that week, 573 in all41%
  2. Bristol Bay BoroughBest early August · 25 checklists that week, 980 in all28%
  3. Wrangell City and BoroughBest the second week of November · 23 checklists that week, 2,509 in all24%
  4. Sitka City and BoroughBest mid August · 275 checklists that week, 13,693 in all14%
  5. Ketchikan Gateway BoroughBest late August · 160 checklists that week, 4,641 in all13%
  6. Kodiak Island BoroughBest early August · 200 checklists that week, 11,483 in all13%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Anchor RiverKenai Peninsula Borough, best mid July · 22 checklists that week, 293 in all89%
  2. Anchor PointKenai Peninsula Borough, best the second week of July · 20 checklists that week, 513 in all73%
  3. Kasilof RiverKenai Peninsula Borough, best the second week of July · 35 checklists that week, 929 in all73%
  4. Sitka National Historical ParkSitka City and Borough, best late April · 60 checklists that week, 803 in all54%
  5. Granite CreekSitka City and Borough, best early May · 23 checklists that week, 289 in all36%

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

Best time of day

In Alaska, the Black Turnstone is most often listed on checklists started between 9 and 11 am (1.6% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%2%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: 1.2% of 9751 checklists7 am: 1.5% of 17236 checklists8 am: 1.5% of 24936 checklists9 am: 1.6% of 30139 checklists10 am: 1.6% of 30866 checklists11 am: 1.6% of 28207 checklists12 pm: 1.7% of 25650 checklists1 pm: 1.5% of 24144 checklists2 pm: 1.4% of 23323 checklists3 pm: 1.5% of 20763 checklists4 pm: 1.5% of 18245 checklists5 pm: 1.3% of 14895 checklists6 pm: 1.5% of 11707 checklists7 pm: 1.6% of 9365 checklists8 pm: 1.5% 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
January1.5%1.1%1.5%1.6%
February1.6%1.2%1.3%1.0%
March0.8%0.5%1.1%0.7%
April1.2%1.0%1.1%1.9%
May2.3%1.5%0.6%0.6%
June1.2%0.7%0.5%0.5%
July1.4%3.0%3.2%3.0%
August2.9%3.6%3.6%2.7%
September2.5%1.9%1.4%1.6%
October1.8%1.1%1.3%1.6%
November1.9%1.2%1.9%1.7%
December1.4%1.4%1.0%1.6%

Neighboring states

  • Washington: arrives the second week of August, 5 weeks later than Alaska
  • Oregon: arrives late July, 3 weeks later than Alaska
  • California: arrives mid July, 2 weeks later than Alaska

Common questions

When do Black Turnstones arrive in Alaska?
Black Turnstones arrive in Alaska in early July, peak in the second week of August (3.4% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of June.
When do Black Turnstones leave Alaska?
Most Black Turnstones have left Alaska by the second week of June, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Black Turnstone in Alaska?
The Black Turnstone is reported most often in the second week of August, on about 3.4% of Alaska checklists.
Where in Alaska are Black Turnstones seen most often?
By county, Kusilvak Census Area, Bristol Bay Borough, and Wrangell City and Borough have the highest peak reporting rates for the Black Turnstone (counties with at least 200 checklists).