WhenToBird

Bucephala albeola · Anatidae

When Do Buffleheads Arrive in Rhode Island?

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

Buffleheads are winter birds in Rhode Island: the first arrive in late October, they are common by the second week of November, peak in mid December (28% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of April.

When to look

First arrivalsOct 22-31late October
Common byNov 8-14the second week of November
PeakDec 15-21mid December
Most gone byApr 8-14the second week of April

Best: mid December. First arrivals late October; most are gone by the second week of April. Peak: on about 28% of Rhode Island checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Mayrare
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepnot usually seen
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%10%20%30%40%Jan 1-7: 27% of 5678 checklistsJan 8-14: 27% of 4004 checklistsJan 15-21: 27% of 3691 checklistsJan 22-31: 27% of 4738 checklistsFeb 1-7: 27% of 3178 checklistsFeb 8-14: 24% of 3262 checklistsFeb 15-21: 23% of 4286 checklistsFeb 22-28: 29% of 3449 checklistsMar 1-7: 25% of 3014 checklistsMar 8-14: 23% of 3259 checklistsMar 15-21: 22% of 3320 checklistsMar 22-31: 20% of 4692 checklistsApr 1-7: 17% of 3280 checklistsApr 8-14: 12% of 3872 checklistsApr 15-21: 9.3% of 4037 checklistsApr 22-30: 4.6% of 5595 checklistsMay 1-7: 1.8% of 5699 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.4% of 6089 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.2% of 4937 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.2% of 5445 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.3% of 3031 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.3% of 2793 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.1% of 2736 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.4% of 3318 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.1% of 2629 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 2561 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 2580 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 3654 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 2629 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 2912 checklistsAug 15-21: 0% of 2850 checklistsAug 22-31: 0% of 4007 checklistsSep 1-7: 0% of 2893 checklistsSep 8-14: 0% of 2850 checklistsSep 15-21: 0% of 2770 checklistsSep 22-30: 0% of 3888 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.1% of 3174 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.1% of 3278 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.8% of 3008 checklistsOct 22-31: 4.7% of 3678 checklistsNov 1-7: 12% of 3270 checklistsNov 8-14: 20% of 3405 checklistsNov 15-21: 22% of 2907 checklistsNov 22-30: 25% of 3607 checklistsDec 1-7: 26% of 2415 checklistsDec 8-14: 29% of 2345 checklistsDec 15-21: 24% of 2836 checklistsDec 22-31: 30% of 4826 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 Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Newport CountyBest mid December · 644 checklists that week, 33,574 in all50%
  2. Bristol CountyBest mid January · 305 checklists that week, 15,899 in all49%
  3. Kent CountyBest early January · 427 checklists that week, 16,966 in all24%
  4. Washington CountyBest early March · 1055 checklists that week, 65,038 in all22%
  5. Providence CountyBest early January · 1132 checklists that week, 40,898 in all21%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Apponaug CoveKent County, best the second week of December · 21 checklists that week, 1,054 in all88%
  2. Baileys Lower CoveProvidence County, best mid February · 24 checklists that week, 183 in all88%
  3. Jacobs PointBristol County, best late February · 23 checklists that week, 2,006 in all87%
  4. Sachuest Point National Wildlife RefugeNewport County, best the second week of February · 101 checklists that week, 3,685 in all85%
  5. Fisherman'sNewport County, best late December · 34 checklists that week, 840 in all83%
  6. Hodgkiss FarmNewport County, best early January · 46 checklists that week, 696 in all80%

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

Best time of day

In Rhode Island, the Bufflehead is most often listed on checklists started between 1 and 3 pm (15% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%20%12 am: too few checklists (42) to judge1 am: too few checklists (58) to judge2 am: too few checklists (45) to judge3 am: too few checklists (69) to judge4 am: too few checklists (319) to judge5 am: too few checklists (3170) to judge6 am: 8.2% of 10493 checklists7 am: 10% of 17631 checklists8 am: 12% of 18834 checklists9 am: 13% of 17725 checklists10 am: 14% of 16696 checklists11 am: 14% of 14799 checklists12 pm: 14% of 12580 checklists1 pm: 16% of 12779 checklists2 pm: 15% of 12302 checklists3 pm: 13% of 11884 checklists4 pm: 7.5% of 9762 checklists5 pm: 4.3% of 6442 checklists6 pm: 2.3% of 3947 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (2119) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (452) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (105) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (69) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (53) 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
January27%27%27%27%
February27%24%23%29%
March25%23%22%20%
April17%12%9.3%4.6%
May1.8%0.4%0.2%0.2%
June0.3%0.3%0.1%0.4%
July0.1%0%0%0%
August0%0%0%0%
September0%0%0%0%
October0.1%0.1%0.8%4.7%
November12%20%22%25%
December26%29%24%30%

Neighboring states

  • Massachusetts: arrives mid October, 1 week earlier than Rhode Island
  • Connecticut: arrives mid October, 1 week earlier than Rhode Island
  • New Hampshire: arrives mid October, 1 week earlier than Rhode Island
  • Vermont: arrives mid October, 1 week earlier than Rhode Island

Common questions

When do Buffleheads arrive in Rhode Island?
Buffleheads are winter birds in Rhode Island: the first arrive in late October, they are common by the second week of November, peak in mid December (28% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of April.
When do Buffleheads leave Rhode Island?
Most Buffleheads have left Rhode Island by the second week of April, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until late April.
When is the best time to see a Bufflehead in Rhode Island?
The Bufflehead is reported most often in mid December, on about 28% of Rhode Island checklists.
Where in Rhode Island are Buffleheads seen most often?
By county, Newport County, Bristol County, and Kent County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Bufflehead (counties with at least 200 checklists).