WhenToBird

Pelecanus occidentalis · Pelecanidae

When Do Brown Pelicans Arrive in Oregon?

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

Brown Pelicans reach Oregon in late April, are common by mid June, peak in early September (7.2% of checklists), and most are gone by early November.

When to look

First arrivalsApr 22-30late April
Common byJun 15-21mid June
PeakSep 1-7early September
Most gone byNov 1-7early November

Best: early September. First arrivals late April; most are gone by early November. Peak: on about 7.2% of Oregon checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marnot usually seen
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%2%4%6%8%Jan 1-7: 0.1% of 34973 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.1% of 26807 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.1% of 26567 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.1% of 36019 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.2% of 24020 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.1% of 25765 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.1% of 31019 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.1% of 24582 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.1% of 24834 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.1% of 24642 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.1% of 27420 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.1% of 39913 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.1% of 28817 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.2% of 31221 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.8% of 34402 checklistsApr 22-30: 1.1% of 47144 checklistsMay 1-7: 1.5% of 37716 checklistsMay 8-14: 1.8% of 39651 checklistsMay 15-21: 2.0% of 37496 checklistsMay 22-31: 1.8% of 56967 checklistsJun 1-7: 1.6% of 35893 checklistsJun 8-14: 2.4% of 31880 checklistsJun 15-21: 2.9% of 30942 checklistsJun 22-30: 3.4% of 38478 checklistsJul 1-7: 4.1% of 27409 checklistsJul 8-14: 4.8% of 25161 checklistsJul 15-21: 5.6% of 25473 checklistsJul 22-31: 6.0% of 33920 checklistsAug 1-7: 6.7% of 24310 checklistsAug 8-14: 7.2% of 23675 checklistsAug 15-21: 6.9% of 23623 checklistsAug 22-31: 7.1% of 33762 checklistsSep 1-7: 6.5% of 25120 checklistsSep 8-14: 8.0% of 24458 checklistsSep 15-21: 6.8% of 25528 checklistsSep 22-30: 5.9% of 31631 checklistsOct 1-7: 4.8% of 25498 checklistsOct 8-14: 4.8% of 25161 checklistsOct 15-21: 3.3% of 23701 checklistsOct 22-31: 3.2% of 30996 checklistsNov 1-7: 2.4% of 21089 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.7% of 21880 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.9% of 21501 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.4% of 28930 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.3% of 19807 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.1% of 21022 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.1% of 24817 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.1% 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. Clatsop CountyBest the second week of August · 1077 checklists that week, 44,300 in all45%
  2. Lincoln CountyBest mid September · 1265 checklists that week, 66,994 in all43%
  3. Tillamook CountyBest early September · 938 checklists that week, 45,809 in all41%
  4. Curry CountyBest early August · 294 checklists that week, 12,513 in all35%
  5. Coos CountyBest mid September · 648 checklists that week, 24,368 in all26%
  6. Douglas CountyBest early September · 346 checklists that week, 17,976 in all5.3%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Crab RockTillamook County, best late June · 25 checklists that week, 669 in all96%
  2. Fort Stevens State Park (Clatsop Spit)Clatsop County, best early September · 49 checklists that week, 1,127 in all93%
  3. Miami CoveTillamook County, best late August · 25 checklists that week, 845 in all92%
  4. Hidden LakeTillamook County, best the second week of September · 46 checklists that week, 1,722 in all91%
  5. Fort Stevens State Park (Social Security Beach)Clatsop County, best late August · 22 checklists that week, 367 in all88%
  6. Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural AreaLincoln County, best the second week of October · 32 checklists that week, 1,731 in all87%

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

Best time of day

In Oregon, the Brown Pelican is most often listed on checklists started between 1 and 3 pm (2.6% 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: 2.2% of 50677 checklists7 am: 2.1% of 125347 checklists8 am: 2.2% of 163668 checklists9 am: 2.5% of 160351 checklists10 am: 2.6% of 148940 checklists11 am: 2.7% of 124743 checklists12 pm: 2.4% of 112537 checklists1 pm: 2.7% of 98999 checklists2 pm: 2.6% of 94690 checklists3 pm: 2.4% of 87923 checklists4 pm: 2.3% of 75235 checklists5 pm: 2.5% of 54504 checklists6 pm: 2.4% of 40469 checklists7 pm: 1.6% 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
January0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
February0.2%0.1%0.1%0.1%
March0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
April0.1%0.2%0.8%1.1%
May1.5%1.8%2.0%1.8%
June1.6%2.4%2.9%3.4%
July4.1%4.8%5.6%6.0%
August6.7%7.2%6.9%7.1%
September6.5%8.0%6.8%5.9%
October4.8%4.8%3.3%3.2%
November2.4%1.7%0.9%0.4%
December0.3%0.1%0.1%0.1%

Neighboring states

  • Washington: arrives the second week of July, 10 weeks later than Oregon
  • California: arrives early July, 9 weeks later than Oregon
  • Texas: arrives late March, 4 weeks earlier than Oregon
  • Louisiana: arrives the second week of October, 22 weeks later than Oregon

Common questions

When do Brown Pelicans arrive in Oregon?
Brown Pelicans reach Oregon in late April, are common by mid June, peak in early September (7.2% of checklists), and most are gone by early November.
When do Brown Pelicans leave Oregon?
Most Brown Pelicans have left Oregon by early November, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until the second week of November.
When is the best time to see a Brown Pelican in Oregon?
The Brown Pelican is reported most often in early September, on about 7.2% of Oregon checklists.
Where in Oregon are Brown Pelicans seen most often?
By county, Clatsop County, Lincoln County, and Tillamook County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Brown Pelican (counties with at least 200 checklists).