WhenToBird

Pelecanus occidentalis · Pelecanidae

When Do Brown Pelicans Arrive in South Carolina?

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

The Brown Pelican is in South Carolina all year. It turns up on about 14% of checklists at its peak (mid November) and on 7.9% in its quietest week (early May).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekNov 15-21mid November
Quietest weekMay 1-7early May

Best: mid November. Here all year. Peak: on about 14% of South Carolina checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%5%10%15%20%Jan 1-7: 13% of 15487 checklistsJan 8-14: 12% of 11691 checklistsJan 15-21: 13% of 11994 checklistsJan 22-31: 11% of 16225 checklistsFeb 1-7: 12% of 12192 checklistsFeb 8-14: 9.7% of 14044 checklistsFeb 15-21: 8.5% of 18483 checklistsFeb 22-28: 12% of 12045 checklistsMar 1-7: 11% of 11511 checklistsMar 8-14: 12% of 11704 checklistsMar 15-21: 11% of 11526 checklistsMar 22-31: 11% of 17386 checklistsApr 1-7: 9.0% of 13148 checklistsApr 8-14: 9.6% of 13193 checklistsApr 15-21: 8.6% of 13936 checklistsApr 22-30: 7.8% of 19002 checklistsMay 1-7: 7.8% of 14133 checklistsMay 8-14: 8.1% of 13668 checklistsMay 15-21: 9.4% of 11064 checklistsMay 22-31: 9.6% of 14461 checklistsJun 1-7: 9.6% of 10231 checklistsJun 8-14: 11% of 9417 checklistsJun 15-21: 12% of 8012 checklistsJun 22-30: 11% of 9720 checklistsJul 1-7: 11% of 7907 checklistsJul 8-14: 11% of 7338 checklistsJul 15-21: 11% of 7312 checklistsJul 22-31: 12% of 10877 checklistsAug 1-7: 12% of 7816 checklistsAug 8-14: 11% of 7655 checklistsAug 15-21: 10% of 7797 checklistsAug 22-31: 9.6% of 11246 checklistsSep 1-7: 8.0% of 8956 checklistsSep 8-14: 9.2% of 8929 checklistsSep 15-21: 8.3% of 9389 checklistsSep 22-30: 9.9% of 13028 checklistsOct 1-7: 9.3% of 11063 checklistsOct 8-14: 9.5% of 10968 checklistsOct 15-21: 11% of 10264 checklistsOct 22-31: 12% of 12917 checklistsNov 1-7: 12% of 8802 checklistsNov 8-14: 13% of 8339 checklistsNov 15-21: 13% of 8798 checklistsNov 22-30: 15% of 12925 checklistsDec 1-7: 13% of 8541 checklistsDec 8-14: 12% of 8609 checklistsDec 15-21: 11% of 9961 checklistsDec 22-31: 15% of 17541 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 South Carolina 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 South Carolina

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Georgetown CountyBest late November · 917 checklists that week, 32,234 in all45%
  2. Colleton CountyBest the second week of August · 88 checklists that week, 8,909 in all31%
  3. Charleston CountyBest mid November · 1720 checklists that week, 102,218 in all30%
  4. Beaufort CountyBest late July · 1052 checklists that week, 60,298 in all30%
  5. Horry CountyBest the second week of March · 718 checklists that week, 27,518 in all22%
  6. Berkeley CountyBest mid January · 397 checklists that week, 17,740 in all10%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Shem Creek BoardwalkCharleston County, best the second week of July · 22 checklists that week, 854 in all100%
  2. Captain Sams InletCharleston County, best late November · 20 checklists that week, 424 in all100%
  3. Breach InletCharleston County, best early August · 20 checklists that week, 838 in all100%
  4. Lighthouse Inlet Heritage PreserveCharleston County, best mid June · 30 checklists that week, 1,859 in all98%
  5. The CoveCharleston County, best late July · 92 checklists that week, 3,344 in all97%

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

Best time of day

In South Carolina, the Brown Pelican is most often listed on checklists started between 1 and 3 pm (12% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%12 am: too few checklists (222) to judge1 am: too few checklists (160) to judge2 am: too few checklists (132) to judge3 am: too few checklists (212) to judge4 am: too few checklists (267) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1898) to judge6 am: 9.8% of 19280 checklists7 am: 12% of 66492 checklists8 am: 9.9% of 73941 checklists9 am: 11% of 63039 checklists10 am: 12% of 52652 checklists11 am: 11% of 41908 checklists12 pm: 10% of 36782 checklists1 pm: 12% of 33300 checklists2 pm: 12% of 32248 checklists3 pm: 11% of 35451 checklists4 pm: 10% of 34410 checklists5 pm: 8.6% of 27073 checklists6 pm: 9.0% of 17375 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (10313) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (2756) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (672) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (412) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (256) 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
January13%12%13%11%
February12%9.7%8.5%12%
March11%12%11%11%
April9.0%9.6%8.6%7.8%
May7.8%8.1%9.4%9.6%
June9.6%11%12%11%
July11%11%11%12%
August12%11%10%9.6%
September8.0%9.2%8.3%9.9%
October9.3%9.5%11%12%
November12%13%13%15%
December13%12%11%15%

Neighboring states

  • North Carolina: all year, most in fall, peaks late October
  • Georgia: year-round, peaks early January
  • Virginia: winter visitor, peaks the second week of November
  • Alabama: all year, most in spring, peaks the second week of April

Common questions

When do Brown Pelicans arrive in South Carolina?
The Brown Pelican is in South Carolina all year. It turns up on about 14% of checklists at its peak (mid November) and on 7.9% in its quietest week (early May).
When do Brown Pelicans leave South Carolina?
The Brown Pelican does not leave South Carolina: it is reported all year, from 7.9% of checklists in early May to 14% in mid November.
When is the best time to see a Brown Pelican in South Carolina?
The Brown Pelican is reported most often in mid November, on about 14% of South Carolina checklists.
Where in South Carolina are Brown Pelicans seen most often?
By county, Georgetown County, Colleton County, and Charleston County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Brown Pelican (counties with at least 200 checklists).