WhenToBird

Bucephala albeola · Anatidae

When Do Buffleheads Arrive in Ohio?

Adult Bufflehead
Photo: Robert Harris, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Buffleheads are winter birds in Ohio: the first arrive in late October, they are common by early November, peak in mid March (14% of checklists), and most are gone by mid April.

When to look

First arrivalsOct 22-31late October
Common byNov 1-7early November
PeakMar 15-21mid March
Most gone byApr 15-21mid April

Best: mid March. First arrivals late October; most are gone by mid April. Peak: on about 14% of Ohio checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Mayrare
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepnot usually seen
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 7.2% of 46637 checklistsJan 8-14: 7.0% of 31056 checklistsJan 15-21: 6.8% of 30129 checklistsJan 22-31: 5.7% of 38665 checklistsFeb 1-7: 5.8% of 27203 checklistsFeb 8-14: 5.7% of 30626 checklistsFeb 15-21: 5.5% of 40705 checklistsFeb 22-28: 9.3% of 31391 checklistsMar 1-7: 13% of 32914 checklistsMar 8-14: 14% of 33973 checklistsMar 15-21: 15% of 33678 checklistsMar 22-31: 14% of 49889 checklistsApr 1-7: 11% of 41225 checklistsApr 8-14: 7.7% of 47174 checklistsApr 15-21: 4.7% of 47017 checklistsApr 22-30: 2.2% of 73055 checklistsMay 1-7: 1.3% of 80637 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.7% of 102552 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.3% of 64582 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 52766 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 29279 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 25773 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.1% of 23163 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.1% of 27794 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 23334 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.1% of 22147 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.1% of 20998 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 29749 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.1% of 22899 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 21972 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.1% of 22215 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.1% of 35087 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.1% of 29148 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.1% of 28042 checklistsSep 15-21: 0% of 26751 checklistsSep 22-30: 0% of 32398 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.1% of 26209 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.1% of 26809 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.3% of 23504 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.7% of 33269 checklistsNov 1-7: 5.0% of 25563 checklistsNov 8-14: 8.6% of 23810 checklistsNov 15-21: 10% of 22127 checklistsNov 22-30: 11% of 29449 checklistsDec 1-7: 10% of 22370 checklistsDec 8-14: 8.1% of 21581 checklistsDec 15-21: 6.1% of 24232 checklistsDec 22-31: 6.8% of 36084 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 Ohio 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 Ohio

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Mercer CountyBest the second week of March · 46 checklists that week, 2,091 in all44%
  2. Trumbull CountyBest mid March · 465 checklists that week, 21,066 in all34%
  3. Ashtabula CountyBest the second week of December · 99 checklists that week, 12,390 in all34%
  4. Shelby CountyBest mid March · 33 checklists that week, 1,659 in all33%
  5. Fulton CountyBest mid March · 61 checklists that week, 2,375 in all32%
  6. Wyandot CountyBest late March · 224 checklists that week, 6,235 in all29%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Fernald Preserve (southeast)Hamilton County, best the second week of March · 58 checklists that week, 2,955 in all98%
  2. Sherod ParkErie County, best early December · 25 checklists that week, 433 in all97%
  3. Turkeyfoot BeachSummit County, best the second week of December · 32 checklists that week, 892 in all96%
  4. Wellington Reservoir ParkLorain County, best mid November · 41 checklists that week, 1,044 in all95%
  5. Mosquito Creek Lake (Confusion Run)Trumbull County, best late March · 24 checklists that week, 971 in all94%

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

Best time of day

In Ohio, the Bufflehead is most often listed on checklists started between 1 and 3 pm (5.4% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%12 am: too few checklists (574) to judge1 am: too few checklists (609) to judge2 am: too few checklists (466) to judge3 am: too few checklists (478) to judge4 am: too few checklists (662) to judge5 am: too few checklists (4366) to judge6 am: 1.2% of 43093 checklists7 am: 2.8% of 142017 checklists8 am: 3.7% of 205296 checklists9 am: 4.4% of 196322 checklists10 am: 4.9% of 170882 checklists11 am: 5.0% of 144567 checklists12 pm: 5.0% of 126551 checklists1 pm: 5.4% of 117855 checklists2 pm: 5.4% of 112869 checklists3 pm: 5.2% of 109786 checklists4 pm: 4.6% of 103116 checklists5 pm: 3.8% of 78409 checklists6 pm: 2.5% of 56785 checklists7 pm: 1.4% of 37923 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (14954) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2710) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (854) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (486) 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
January7.2%7.0%6.8%5.7%
February5.8%5.7%5.5%9.3%
March13%14%15%14%
April11%7.7%4.7%2.2%
May1.3%0.7%0.3%0.1%
June0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
July0%0.1%0.1%0%
August0.1%0%0.1%0.1%
September0.1%0.1%0%0%
October0.1%0.1%0.3%1.7%
November5.0%8.6%10%11%
December10%8.1%6.1%6.8%

Neighboring states

  • West Virginia: arrives late October, in the same week than Ohio
  • Indiana: arrives late October, in the same week than Ohio
  • Michigan: arrives the second week of October, 2 weeks earlier than Ohio
  • Kentucky: arrives early November, 1 week later than Ohio

Common questions

When do Buffleheads arrive in Ohio?
Buffleheads are winter birds in Ohio: the first arrive in late October, they are common by early November, peak in mid March (14% of checklists), and most are gone by mid April.
When do Buffleheads leave Ohio?
Most Buffleheads have left Ohio by mid April, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until early May.
When is the best time to see a Bufflehead in Ohio?
The Bufflehead is reported most often in mid March, on about 14% of Ohio checklists.
Where in Ohio are Buffleheads seen most often?
By county, Mercer County, Trumbull County, and Ashtabula County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Bufflehead (counties with at least 200 checklists).