WhenToBird

Bucephala albeola · Anatidae

When Do Buffleheads Arrive in Oregon?

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

Buffleheads are winter birds in Oregon: the first arrive in the second week of October, they are common by late October, peak in late January (22% of checklists), and most are gone by late April.

When to look

First arrivalsOct 8-14the second week of October
Common byOct 22-31late October
PeakJan 22-31late January
Most gone byApr 22-30late April

Best: late January. First arrivals the second week of October; most are gone by late April. Peak: on about 22% of Oregon checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maycommon
  6. Junrare
  7. Julrare
  8. Augrare
  9. Seprare
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%10%20%30%Jan 1-7: 22% of 34973 checklistsJan 8-14: 22% of 26807 checklistsJan 15-21: 21% of 26567 checklistsJan 22-31: 22% of 36019 checklistsFeb 1-7: 22% of 24020 checklistsFeb 8-14: 19% of 25765 checklistsFeb 15-21: 19% of 31019 checklistsFeb 22-28: 20% of 24582 checklistsMar 1-7: 20% of 24834 checklistsMar 8-14: 20% of 24642 checklistsMar 15-21: 20% of 27420 checklistsMar 22-31: 20% of 39913 checklistsApr 1-7: 20% of 28817 checklistsApr 8-14: 19% of 31221 checklistsApr 15-21: 16% of 34402 checklistsApr 22-30: 13% of 47144 checklistsMay 1-7: 8.7% of 37716 checklistsMay 8-14: 4.9% of 39651 checklistsMay 15-21: 2.6% of 37496 checklistsMay 22-31: 1.7% of 56967 checklistsJun 1-7: 1.3% of 35893 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.9% of 31880 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.8% of 30942 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.7% of 38478 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.7% of 27409 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.8% of 25161 checklistsJul 15-21: 1.0% of 25473 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.9% of 33920 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.9% of 24310 checklistsAug 8-14: 1.1% of 23675 checklistsAug 15-21: 1.0% of 23623 checklistsAug 22-31: 1.0% of 33762 checklistsSep 1-7: 1.1% of 25120 checklistsSep 8-14: 1.0% of 24458 checklistsSep 15-21: 1.0% of 25528 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.0% of 31631 checklistsOct 1-7: 1.2% of 25498 checklistsOct 8-14: 1.9% of 25161 checklistsOct 15-21: 4.9% of 23701 checklistsOct 22-31: 12% of 30996 checklistsNov 1-7: 17% of 21089 checklistsNov 8-14: 20% of 21880 checklistsNov 15-21: 21% of 21501 checklistsNov 22-30: 21% of 28930 checklistsDec 1-7: 20% of 19807 checklistsDec 8-14: 19% of 21022 checklistsDec 15-21: 19% of 24817 checklistsDec 22-31: 20% 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.

Embed this map on your site

Where in Oregon

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Hood River CountyBest mid November · 156 checklists that week, 9,695 in all50%
  2. Klamath CountyBest mid March · 464 checklists that week, 26,875 in all50%
  3. Clatsop CountyBest early February · 606 checklists that week, 44,300 in all48%
  4. Sherman CountyBest early December · 39 checklists that week, 4,629 in all44%
  5. Tillamook CountyBest early February · 765 checklists that week, 45,809 in all44%
  6. Crook CountyBest late March · 256 checklists that week, 9,466 in all42%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Ford's Pond Recreation AreaDouglas County, best the second week of November · 20 checklists that week, 866 in all100%
  2. River Island Natural AreaClackamas County, best the second week of April · 26 checklists that week, 770 in all100%

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

Best time of day

In Oregon, the Bufflehead is most often listed on checklists started between 1 and 3 pm (14% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%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: 3.5% of 50677 checklists7 am: 7.2% of 125347 checklists8 am: 9.9% of 163668 checklists9 am: 12% of 160351 checklists10 am: 13% of 148940 checklists11 am: 14% of 124743 checklists12 pm: 13% of 112537 checklists1 pm: 15% of 98999 checklists2 pm: 14% of 94690 checklists3 pm: 14% of 87923 checklists4 pm: 9.4% of 75235 checklists5 pm: 6.0% of 54504 checklists6 pm: 3.8% of 40469 checklists7 pm: 1.9% 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
January22%22%21%22%
February22%19%19%20%
March20%20%20%20%
April20%19%16%13%
May8.7%4.9%2.6%1.7%
June1.3%0.9%0.8%0.7%
July0.7%0.8%1.0%0.9%
August0.9%1.1%1.0%1.0%
September1.1%1.0%1.0%1.0%
October1.2%1.9%4.9%12%
November17%20%21%21%
December20%19%19%20%

Neighboring states

  • Washington: arrives mid October, 1 week later than Oregon
  • Idaho: arrives early August, 9 weeks earlier than Oregon
  • Nevada: arrives the second week of October, in the same week than Oregon
  • California: arrives mid October, 1 week later than Oregon

Common questions

When do Buffleheads arrive in Oregon?
Buffleheads are winter birds in Oregon: the first arrive in the second week of October, they are common by late October, peak in late January (22% of checklists), and most are gone by late April.
When do Buffleheads leave Oregon?
Most Buffleheads have left Oregon by late April, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until mid May.
When is the best time to see a Bufflehead in Oregon?
The Bufflehead is reported most often in late January, on about 22% of Oregon checklists.
Where in Oregon are Buffleheads seen most often?
By county, Hood River County, Klamath County, and Clatsop County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Bufflehead (counties with at least 200 checklists).