WhenToBird

Urile penicillatus · Phalacrocoracidae

When Do Brandt's Cormorants Arrive in Oregon?

Adult Brandt's Cormorant
Photo: Yaroslav Andrianov, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Brandt's Cormorants arrive in Oregon in early March, peak in the second week of August (3.3% of checklists), and most are gone by mid February.

When to look

First arrivalsMar 1-7early March
Common byMar 1-7early March
PeakAug 8-14the second week of August
Most gone byFeb 15-21mid February

Best: the second week of August. First arrivals early March; most are gone by mid February. Peak: on about 3.3% of Oregon checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%1%2%3%4%Jan 1-7: 1.2% of 34973 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.2% of 26807 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.0% of 26567 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.0% of 36019 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.0% of 24020 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.9% of 25765 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.7% of 31019 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.8% of 24582 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.7% of 24834 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.0% of 24642 checklistsMar 15-21: 1.2% of 27420 checklistsMar 22-31: 1.0% of 39913 checklistsApr 1-7: 1.0% of 28817 checklistsApr 8-14: 1.1% of 31221 checklistsApr 15-21: 1.2% of 34402 checklistsApr 22-30: 1.7% of 47144 checklistsMay 1-7: 1.9% of 37716 checklistsMay 8-14: 1.5% of 39651 checklistsMay 15-21: 1.6% of 37496 checklistsMay 22-31: 1.4% of 56967 checklistsJun 1-7: 1.2% of 35893 checklistsJun 8-14: 1.4% of 31880 checklistsJun 15-21: 1.7% of 30942 checklistsJun 22-30: 2.1% of 38478 checklistsJul 1-7: 2.2% of 27409 checklistsJul 8-14: 2.6% of 25161 checklistsJul 15-21: 2.8% of 25473 checklistsJul 22-31: 3.1% of 33920 checklistsAug 1-7: 3.1% of 24310 checklistsAug 8-14: 3.3% of 23675 checklistsAug 15-21: 3.3% of 23623 checklistsAug 22-31: 3.0% of 33762 checklistsSep 1-7: 2.7% of 25120 checklistsSep 8-14: 3.1% of 24458 checklistsSep 15-21: 2.5% of 25528 checklistsSep 22-30: 2.3% of 31631 checklistsOct 1-7: 2.0% of 25498 checklistsOct 8-14: 2.3% of 25161 checklistsOct 15-21: 1.5% of 23701 checklistsOct 22-31: 2.0% of 30996 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.5% of 21089 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.5% of 21880 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.5% of 21501 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.4% of 28930 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.2% of 19807 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.1% of 21022 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.0% of 24817 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.1% of 37592 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 Oregon 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 Oregon

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Lincoln CountyBest early September · 1318 checklists that week, 66,994 in all22%
  2. Curry CountyBest the second week of August · 278 checklists that week, 12,513 in all16%
  3. Tillamook CountyBest the second week of August · 1038 checklists that week, 45,809 in all15%
  4. Clatsop CountyBest late July · 1527 checklists that week, 44,300 in all13%
  5. Coos CountyBest the second week of August · 466 checklists that week, 24,368 in all12%
  6. Lane CountyBest early August · 3315 checklists that week, 190,610 in all3.2%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural AreaLincoln County, best late May · 60 checklists that week, 1,731 in all89%
  2. Sea Lion PointLane County, best late July · 24 checklists that week, 321 in all80%
  3. Crab RockTillamook County, best early January · 20 checklists that week, 669 in all78%
  4. Sea Lion Point (Horse Creek)Lane County, best late June · 24 checklists that week, 215 in all77%
  5. Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area (Starfish Cove)Lincoln County, best late June · 52 checklists that week, 1,296 in all75%
  6. Heceta Head Lighthouse State Scenic ViewpointLane County, best the second week of July · 24 checklists that week, 815 in all75%

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

Best time of day

In Oregon, the Brandt's Cormorant is most often listed on checklists started between 10 am and 12 pm (2.1% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%12 am: too few checklists (1505) to judge1 am: too few checklists (675) to judge2 am: too few checklists (626) to judge3 am: too few checklists (1641) to judge4 am: too few checklists (3696) to judge5 am: too few checklists (14524) to judge6 am: 1.5% of 50677 checklists7 am: 1.5% of 125347 checklists8 am: 1.6% of 163668 checklists9 am: 1.8% of 160351 checklists10 am: 2.0% of 148940 checklists11 am: 2.1% of 124743 checklists12 pm: 2.0% of 112537 checklists1 pm: 2.0% of 98999 checklists2 pm: 1.9% of 94690 checklists3 pm: 1.8% of 87923 checklists4 pm: 1.4% of 75235 checklists5 pm: 1.2% of 54504 checklists6 pm: 1.0% of 40469 checklists7 pm: 0.7% of 33675 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (18715) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (5839) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (2704) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (1549) 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
January1.2%1.2%1.0%1.0%
February1.0%0.9%0.7%0.8%
March0.7%1.0%1.2%1.0%
April1.0%1.1%1.2%1.7%
May1.9%1.5%1.6%1.4%
June1.2%1.4%1.7%2.1%
July2.2%2.6%2.8%3.1%
August3.1%3.3%3.3%3.0%
September2.7%3.1%2.5%2.3%
October2.0%2.3%1.5%2.0%
November1.5%1.5%1.5%1.4%
December1.2%1.1%1.0%1.1%

Neighboring states

  • Washington: arrives mid July, 18 weeks later than Oregon
  • California: year-round, peaks the second week of August

Common questions

When do Brandt's Cormorants arrive in Oregon?
Brandt's Cormorants arrive in Oregon in early March, peak in the second week of August (3.3% of checklists), and most are gone by mid February.
When do Brandt's Cormorants leave Oregon?
Most Brandt's Cormorants have left Oregon by mid February, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Brandt's Cormorant in Oregon?
The Brandt's Cormorant is reported most often in the second week of August, on about 3.3% of Oregon checklists.
Where in Oregon are Brandt's Cormorants seen most often?
By county, Lincoln County, Curry County, and Tillamook County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Brandt's Cormorant (counties with at least 200 checklists).