WhenToBird

Chroicocephalus philadelphia · Laridae

When Do Bonaparte's Gulls Arrive in Tennessee?

Adult Bonaparte's Gull
Photo: Kevin Krebs, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Bonaparte's Gulls are winter birds in Tennessee: the first arrive in late October, they are common by early November, peak in the second week of December (8.9% of checklists), and most are gone by early April.

When to look

First arrivalsOct 22-31late October
Common byNov 1-7early November
PeakDec 8-14the second week of December
Most gone byApr 1-7early April

Best: the second week of December. First arrivals late October; most are gone by early April. Peak: on about 8.9% of Tennessee checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Maynot usually seen
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepnot usually seen
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%5%10%Jan 1-7: 6.4% of 16696 checklistsJan 8-14: 6.4% of 13056 checklistsJan 15-21: 5.3% of 13646 checklistsJan 22-31: 5.0% of 18071 checklistsFeb 1-7: 4.7% of 13342 checklistsFeb 8-14: 3.8% of 14316 checklistsFeb 15-21: 3.1% of 20395 checklistsFeb 22-28: 4.8% of 13129 checklistsMar 1-7: 4.4% of 12701 checklistsMar 8-14: 5.3% of 12789 checklistsMar 15-21: 6.5% of 13599 checklistsMar 22-31: 4.4% of 20293 checklistsApr 1-7: 2.4% of 15779 checklistsApr 8-14: 1.4% of 16646 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.5% of 18625 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.3% of 26689 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.1% of 21054 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.1% of 19954 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 14494 checklistsMay 22-31: 0% of 17790 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 11344 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 11049 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.1% of 9625 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.1% of 11522 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 9208 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 8814 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 8887 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.1% of 12739 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 9632 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.1% of 9514 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.1% of 9619 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.1% of 14227 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.1% of 11988 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.1% of 11660 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.1% of 11774 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.1% of 15658 checklistsOct 1-7: 0% of 12641 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.1% of 12389 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.4% of 10249 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.3% of 14085 checklistsNov 1-7: 3.1% of 10700 checklistsNov 8-14: 6.5% of 10709 checklistsNov 15-21: 6.8% of 9955 checklistsNov 22-30: 8.3% of 13423 checklistsDec 1-7: 8.8% of 10106 checklistsDec 8-14: 9.4% of 10478 checklistsDec 15-21: 8.5% of 12177 checklistsDec 22-31: 6.9% of 17397 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 Tennessee 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 Tennessee

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Benton CountyBest early December · 34 checklists that week, 2,202 in all47%
  2. Lake CountyBest mid November · 98 checklists that week, 5,235 in all44%
  3. Humphreys CountyBest late November · 100 checklists that week, 5,858 in all43%
  4. Henry CountyBest mid December · 278 checklists that week, 5,668 in all38%
  5. Clay CountyBest mid December · 10 checklists that week, 704 in all34%
  6. Franklin CountyBest late November · 137 checklists that week, 4,769 in all32%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) (northeast)Sullivan County, best late March · 27 checklists that week, 731 in all92%
  2. Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) (Flat Creek)Sevier County, best early January · 23 checklists that week, 344 in all91%
  3. J. Percy Priest Recreation AreaRutherford County, best late December · 27 checklists that week, 732 in all87%
  4. J Percy Priest ReservoirDavidson County, best mid January · 20 checklists that week, 338 in all85%
  5. Lamar Hill Access AreaRutherford County, best late November · 22 checklists that week, 312 in all77%
  6. Chester Frost ParkHamilton County, best the second week of December · 42 checklists that week, 2,470 in all74%

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

Best time of day

In Tennessee, the Bonaparte's Gull is most often listed on checklists started between 12 and 2 pm (4.2% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%12 am: too few checklists (224) to judge1 am: too few checklists (253) to judge2 am: too few checklists (245) to judge3 am: too few checklists (267) to judge4 am: too few checklists (582) to judge5 am: too few checklists (5688) to judge6 am: 1.6% of 36828 checklists7 am: 1.4% of 72816 checklists8 am: 1.9% of 76910 checklists9 am: 2.6% of 69071 checklists10 am: 3.2% of 60943 checklists11 am: 3.8% of 52311 checklists12 pm: 4.1% of 46524 checklists1 pm: 4.2% of 41133 checklists2 pm: 3.8% of 40305 checklists3 pm: 3.5% of 41013 checklists4 pm: 2.5% of 40029 checklists5 pm: 1.3% of 29775 checklists6 pm: 0.5% of 20977 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (12529) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (4456) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1056) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (445) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (252) 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
January6.4%6.4%5.3%5.0%
February4.7%3.8%3.1%4.8%
March4.4%5.3%6.5%4.4%
April2.4%1.4%0.5%0.3%
May0.1%0.1%0.1%0%
June0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
July0%0%0%0.1%
August0%0.1%0.1%0.1%
September0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
October0%0.1%0.4%1.3%
November3.1%6.5%6.8%8.3%
December8.8%9.4%8.5%6.9%

Neighboring states

  • Kentucky: arrives late October, in the same week than Tennessee
  • Georgia: arrives late November, 4 weeks later than Tennessee
  • Alabama: arrives mid November, 3 weeks later than Tennessee
  • Indiana: arrives early October, 3 weeks earlier than Tennessee

Common questions

When do Bonaparte's Gulls arrive in Tennessee?
Bonaparte's Gulls are winter birds in Tennessee: the first arrive in late October, they are common by early November, peak in the second week of December (8.9% of checklists), and most are gone by early April.
When do Bonaparte's Gulls leave Tennessee?
Most Bonaparte's Gulls have left Tennessee by early April, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until the second week of April.
When is the best time to see a Bonaparte's Gull in Tennessee?
The Bonaparte's Gull is reported most often in the second week of December, on about 8.9% of Tennessee checklists.
Where in Tennessee are Bonaparte's Gulls seen most often?
By county, Benton County, Lake County, and Humphreys County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Bonaparte's Gull (counties with at least 200 checklists).