WhenToBird

Branta bernicla · Anatidae

When Do Brants Arrive in California?

Adult Brant
Photo: Donald Hobern, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Brants are winter birds in California: they arrive in early November, peak in the second week of January (1.9% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of April.

When to look

First arrivalsNov 1-7early November
Common byNov 1-7early November
PeakJan 8-14the second week of January
Most gone byApr 8-14the second week of April

Best: the second week of January. First arrivals early November; most are gone by the second week of April. Peak: on about 1.9% of California checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Jununcommon
  7. Julrare
  8. Augrare
  9. Seprare
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%0.5%1%1.5%2%Jan 1-7: 1.9% of 112336 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.9% of 85518 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.8% of 86488 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.6% of 116174 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.4% of 75171 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.4% of 84467 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.3% of 105683 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.9% of 83396 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.5% of 77470 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.2% of 75180 checklistsMar 15-21: 1.2% of 80770 checklistsMar 22-31: 1.0% of 114116 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.9% of 84057 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.8% of 83692 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.7% of 89242 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.7% of 114289 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.6% of 85728 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.5% of 91984 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.4% of 75478 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.4% of 106250 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.3% of 70051 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.3% of 67485 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.2% of 66269 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.3% of 79172 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.2% of 62877 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.2% of 60328 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.3% of 59705 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.3% of 83796 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.2% of 60215 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.2% of 60172 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.2% of 59877 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.2% of 89107 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.2% of 72000 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.2% of 71228 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.1% of 76808 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.1% of 100204 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.1% of 76571 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.2% of 80874 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.2% of 74581 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.5% of 97498 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.2% of 70851 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.6% of 72431 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.7% of 66767 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.9% of 94737 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.7% of 65393 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.8% of 67449 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.3% of 83421 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.7% of 124993 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 California 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 California

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Sonoma CountyBest the second week of January · 2670 checklists that week, 113,105 in all7.2%
  2. San Diego CountyBest early December · 7198 checklists that week, 405,465 in all6.7%
  3. Orange CountyBest mid November · 4237 checklists that week, 244,559 in all6.2%
  4. San Luis Obispo CountyBest the second week of January · 3852 checklists that week, 124,667 in all6.0%
  5. Humboldt CountyBest early March · 1593 checklists that week, 95,963 in all5.6%
  6. Monterey CountyBest mid November · 2987 checklists that week, 132,505 in all4.4%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. South Bay Marine Biological Study AreaSan Diego County, best the second week of January · 20 checklists that week, 881 in all93%
  2. Leisure Lagoon (Point Lowell)San Diego County, best late December · 35 checklists that week, 379 in all86%
  3. Chula Vista Bayfront ParkSan Diego County, best mid February · 77 checklists that week, 1,915 in all86%
  4. Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve (southeast)Orange County, best the second week of February · 87 checklists that week, 5,000 in all83%
  5. Point PotreroContra Costa County, best late January · 26 checklists that week, 429 in all81%
  6. Grand Caribe Shoreline ParkSan Diego County, best the second week of December · 30 checklists that week, 254 in all80%

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

Best time of day

In California, the Brant is most often listed on checklists started between 1 and 3 pm (1.1% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%12 am: too few checklists (1688) to judge1 am: too few checklists (1451) to judge2 am: too few checklists (1402) to judge3 am: too few checklists (1743) to judge4 am: too few checklists (4647) to judge5 am: too few checklists (32158) to judge6 am: 0.7% of 186053 checklists7 am: 0.8% of 444086 checklists8 am: 0.9% of 535846 checklists9 am: 1.0% of 486061 checklists10 am: 1.0% of 411130 checklists11 am: 1.0% of 325798 checklists12 pm: 1.1% of 269132 checklists1 pm: 1.1% of 244762 checklists2 pm: 1.1% of 235420 checklists3 pm: 1.0% of 232365 checklists4 pm: 0.7% of 208688 checklists5 pm: 0.4% of 146104 checklists6 pm: 0.3% of 96867 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (50942) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (14803) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (5561) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (3546) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (2092) 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
January1.9%1.9%1.8%1.6%
February1.4%1.4%1.3%1.9%
March1.5%1.2%1.2%1.0%
April0.9%0.8%0.7%0.7%
May0.6%0.5%0.4%0.4%
June0.3%0.3%0.2%0.3%
July0.2%0.2%0.3%0.3%
August0.2%0.2%0.2%0.2%
September0.2%0.2%0.1%0.1%
October0.1%0.2%0.2%0.5%
November1.2%1.6%1.7%1.9%
December1.7%1.8%1.3%1.7%

Neighboring states

  • Washington: arrives the second week of November, 1 week later than California
  • Alaska: arrives the second week of April, 21 weeks later than California
  • Maryland: arrives early November, in the same week than California
  • Delaware: arrives late October, 1 week earlier than California

Common questions

When do Brants arrive in California?
Brants are winter birds in California: they arrive in early November, peak in the second week of January (1.9% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of April.
When do Brants leave California?
Most Brants have left California by the second week of April, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Brant in California?
The Brant is reported most often in the second week of January, on about 1.9% of California checklists.
Where in California are Brants seen most often?
By county, Sonoma County, San Diego County, and Orange County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Brant (counties with at least 200 checklists).