WhenToBird

Pelecanus occidentalis · Pelecanidae

When Do Brown Pelicans Arrive in Washington?

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

Brown Pelicans arrive in Washington in the second week of July, peak in early September (3.5% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of October.

When to look

First arrivalsJul 8-14the second week of July
Common byJul 8-14the second week of July
PeakSep 1-7early September
Most gone byOct 8-14the second week of October

Best: early September. First arrivals the second week of July; most are gone by the second week of October. Peak: on about 3.5% of Washington checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marnot usually seen
  4. Aprrare
  5. Mayrare
  6. Jununcommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%1%2%3%4%Jan 1-7: 0.1% of 41928 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.1% of 31152 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.1% of 31753 checklistsJan 22-31: 0% of 42530 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0% of 29739 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.1% of 32746 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0% of 40328 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0% of 28432 checklistsMar 1-7: 0% of 30758 checklistsMar 8-14: 0% of 29368 checklistsMar 15-21: 0% of 32580 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.1% of 45614 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.1% of 33997 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.1% of 34729 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.1% of 38474 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.3% of 52185 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.5% of 44236 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.4% of 48708 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.5% of 41742 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.2% of 57082 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.3% of 39193 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.4% of 36042 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.5% of 34003 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.8% of 39711 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.9% of 31949 checklistsJul 8-14: 1.2% of 29086 checklistsJul 15-21: 1.6% of 28045 checklistsJul 22-31: 2.2% of 38275 checklistsAug 1-7: 2.2% of 28846 checklistsAug 8-14: 2.5% of 28036 checklistsAug 15-21: 3.0% of 27614 checklistsAug 22-31: 3.5% of 40356 checklistsSep 1-7: 3.1% of 31214 checklistsSep 8-14: 3.9% of 27795 checklistsSep 15-21: 3.4% of 29677 checklistsSep 22-30: 2.8% of 35241 checklistsOct 1-7: 1.5% of 28605 checklistsOct 8-14: 1.2% of 28655 checklistsOct 15-21: 1.1% of 24643 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.9% of 34874 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.4% of 25658 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.4% of 25700 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.2% of 24331 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.1% of 32784 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.1% of 24099 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.1% of 23339 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.1% of 27666 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.1% of 42130 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 Washington 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 Washington

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Pacific CountyBest the second week of September · 476 checklists that week, 19,516 in all53%
  2. Grays Harbor CountyBest early September · 971 checklists that week, 28,443 in all52%
  3. Clallam CountyBest the second week of September · 1887 checklists that week, 85,362 in all7.1%
  4. Jefferson CountyBest the second week of September · 1168 checklists that week, 59,663 in all5.0%
  5. Mason CountyBest the second week of September · 486 checklists that week, 27,853 in all1.6%
  6. Snohomish CountyBest mid October · 2049 checklists that week, 131,467 in all1.4%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Toke Point (Tokeland)Pacific County, best late September · 21 checklists that week, 520 in all96%
  2. Protection IslandGrays Harbor County, best late August · 52 checklists that week, 584 in all94%
  3. Quillayute RiverClallam County, best the second week of September · 41 checklists that week, 479 in all94%
  4. Point BrownGrays Harbor County, best early September · 68 checklists that week, 1,557 in all93%
  5. Toke PointPacific County, best the second week of September · 107 checklists that week, 2,186 in all93%
  6. Westhaven CoveGrays Harbor County, best mid August · 74 checklists that week, 1,827 in all92%

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

Best time of day

In Washington, the Brown Pelican is most often listed on checklists started between 5 and 7 pm (1.1% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%12 am: too few checklists (796) to judge1 am: too few checklists (776) to judge2 am: too few checklists (709) to judge3 am: too few checklists (901) to judge4 am: too few checklists (3221) to judge5 am: too few checklists (16576) to judge6 am: 0.7% of 56744 checklists7 am: 0.6% of 133294 checklists8 am: 0.6% of 184196 checklists9 am: 0.7% of 186303 checklists10 am: 0.8% of 177063 checklists11 am: 0.8% of 154936 checklists12 pm: 0.8% of 138061 checklists1 pm: 0.9% of 127449 checklists2 pm: 0.9% of 121511 checklists3 pm: 0.9% of 107793 checklists4 pm: 1.0% of 82862 checklists5 pm: 1.2% of 57183 checklists6 pm: 1.0% of 39886 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (26969) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (12427) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (3658) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1500) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (834) 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%
February0%0.1%0%0%
March0%0%0%0.1%
April0.1%0.1%0.1%0.3%
May0.5%0.4%0.5%0.2%
June0.3%0.4%0.5%0.8%
July0.9%1.2%1.6%2.2%
August2.2%2.5%3.0%3.5%
September3.1%3.9%3.4%2.8%
October1.5%1.2%1.1%0.9%
November0.4%0.4%0.2%0.1%
December0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%

Neighboring states

  • Oregon: arrives late April, 10 weeks earlier than Washington
  • California: arrives early July, 1 week earlier than Washington
  • Texas: arrives late March, 14 weeks earlier than Washington
  • Louisiana: arrives the second week of October, 12 weeks later than Washington

Common questions

When do Brown Pelicans arrive in Washington?
Brown Pelicans arrive in Washington in the second week of July, peak in early September (3.5% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of October.
When do Brown Pelicans leave Washington?
Most Brown Pelicans have left Washington by the second week of October, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until mid October.
When is the best time to see a Brown Pelican in Washington?
The Brown Pelican is reported most often in early September, on about 3.5% of Washington checklists.
Where in Washington are Brown Pelicans seen most often?
By county, Pacific County, Grays Harbor County, and Clallam County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Brown Pelican (counties with at least 200 checklists).