WhenToBird

Pelecanus occidentalis · Pelecanidae

When Do Brown Pelicans Arrive in California?

Adult male Brown Pelican
Photo: Henrik Kibak, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Brown Pelicans are in California all year, but most are here in fall: numbers build from early July, peak in mid August (16% of checklists), and fall back by early December. In the quietest week (late March) they are still on about 4.3% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildJul 1-7early July
PeakAug 15-21mid August
Fall back byDec 1-7early December
FewestMar 22-31late March

Best: mid August. Here all year; numbers build from early July and fall back by early December. Peak: on about 16% of California checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Deccommon

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

0%5%10%15%20%Jan 1-7: 8.2% of 112336 checklistsJan 8-14: 7.9% of 85518 checklistsJan 15-21: 7.2% of 86488 checklistsJan 22-31: 6.4% of 116174 checklistsFeb 1-7: 5.9% of 75171 checklistsFeb 8-14: 5.2% of 84467 checklistsFeb 15-21: 4.7% of 105683 checklistsFeb 22-28: 5.9% of 83396 checklistsMar 1-7: 4.9% of 77470 checklistsMar 8-14: 4.4% of 75180 checklistsMar 15-21: 4.3% of 80770 checklistsMar 22-31: 4.2% of 114116 checklistsApr 1-7: 4.2% of 84057 checklistsApr 8-14: 4.4% of 83692 checklistsApr 15-21: 4.8% of 89242 checklistsApr 22-30: 5.6% of 114289 checklistsMay 1-7: 6.9% of 85728 checklistsMay 8-14: 7.2% of 91984 checklistsMay 15-21: 7.5% of 75478 checklistsMay 22-31: 7.2% of 106250 checklistsJun 1-7: 7.5% of 70051 checklistsJun 8-14: 8.2% of 67485 checklistsJun 15-21: 8.7% of 66269 checklistsJun 22-30: 9.8% of 79172 checklistsJul 1-7: 10% of 62877 checklistsJul 8-14: 12% of 60328 checklistsJul 15-21: 14% of 59705 checklistsJul 22-31: 15% of 83796 checklistsAug 1-7: 15% of 60215 checklistsAug 8-14: 16% of 60172 checklistsAug 15-21: 16% of 59877 checklistsAug 22-31: 16% of 89107 checklistsSep 1-7: 15% of 72000 checklistsSep 8-14: 14% of 71228 checklistsSep 15-21: 13% of 76808 checklistsSep 22-30: 13% of 100204 checklistsOct 1-7: 12% of 76571 checklistsOct 8-14: 12% of 80874 checklistsOct 15-21: 13% of 74581 checklistsOct 22-31: 12% of 97498 checklistsNov 1-7: 13% of 70851 checklistsNov 8-14: 13% of 72431 checklistsNov 15-21: 13% of 66767 checklistsNov 22-30: 13% of 94737 checklistsDec 1-7: 11% of 65393 checklistsDec 8-14: 10% of 67449 checklistsDec 15-21: 8.0% of 83421 checklistsDec 22-31: 9.5% 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. Monterey CountyBest mid November · 2987 checklists that week, 132,505 in all50%
  2. Del Norte CountyBest early September · 426 checklists that week, 16,363 in all39%
  3. San Francisco CountyBest mid July · 2042 checklists that week, 130,018 in all38%
  4. San Luis Obispo CountyBest the second week of August · 2076 checklists that week, 124,667 in all34%
  5. Humboldt CountyBest the second week of August · 1460 checklists that week, 95,963 in all33%
  6. San Mateo CountyBest late August · 3373 checklists that week, 148,781 in all33%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. San Francisco ZooSan Francisco County, best the second week of August · 21 checklists that week, 883 in all100%
  2. Wilder Ranch State ParkSanta Cruz County, best the second week of October · 26 checklists that week, 1,824 in all100%
  3. Russian RiverSonoma County, best late September · 20 checklists that week, 340 in all100%
  4. McGrath State BeachVentura County, best early April · 23 checklists that week, 1,982 in all100%
  5. Goldfish PointSan Diego County, best late June · 21 checklists that week, 857 in all100%
  6. Big Basin Redwoods State Park (Waddell Creek Beach)Santa Cruz County, best late August · 30 checklists that week, 605 in all100%

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

Best time of day

In California, the Brown Pelican is most often listed on checklists started between 1 and 3 pm (11% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%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: 8.6% of 186053 checklists7 am: 8.7% of 444086 checklists8 am: 8.8% of 535846 checklists9 am: 9.5% of 486061 checklists10 am: 10% of 411130 checklists11 am: 10% of 325798 checklists12 pm: 10% of 269132 checklists1 pm: 11% of 244762 checklists2 pm: 11% of 235420 checklists3 pm: 9.9% of 232365 checklists4 pm: 9.0% of 208688 checklists5 pm: 8.7% of 146104 checklists6 pm: 7.5% 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
January8.2%7.9%7.2%6.4%
February5.9%5.2%4.7%5.9%
March4.9%4.4%4.3%4.2%
April4.2%4.4%4.8%5.6%
May6.9%7.2%7.5%7.2%
June7.5%8.2%8.7%9.8%
July10%12%14%15%
August15%16%16%16%
September15%14%13%13%
October12%12%13%12%
November13%13%13%13%
December11%10%8.0%9.5%

Neighboring states

  • Oregon: arrives late April, 9 weeks earlier than California
  • Washington: arrives the second week of July, 1 week later than California
  • Texas: arrives late March, 13 weeks earlier than California
  • Louisiana: arrives the second week of October, 13 weeks later than California

Common questions

When do Brown Pelicans arrive in California?
Brown Pelicans are in California all year, but most are here in fall: numbers build from early July, peak in mid August (16% of checklists), and fall back by early December. In the quietest week (late March) they are still on about 4.3% of checklists.
When do Brown Pelicans leave California?
Brown Pelicans never fully leave California: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by early December, but some are still reported in every week, about 4.3% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Brown Pelican in California?
The Brown Pelican is reported most often in mid August, on about 16% of California checklists.
Where in California are Brown Pelicans seen most often?
By county, Monterey County, Del Norte County, and San Francisco County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Brown Pelican (counties with at least 200 checklists).