WhenToBird

Bucephala albeola · Anatidae

When Do Buffleheads Arrive in West Virginia?

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

Buffleheads are winter birds in West Virginia: the first arrive in late October, they are common by early November, peak in mid November (9.8% of checklists), and most are gone by early April.

When to look

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

Best: mid November. First arrivals late October; most are gone by early April. Peak: on about 9.8% of West Virginia checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maynot usually seen
  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%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 5.3% of 4227 checklistsJan 8-14: 6.0% of 3147 checklistsJan 15-21: 7.5% of 3410 checklistsJan 22-31: 8.9% of 4248 checklistsFeb 1-7: 5.4% of 3150 checklistsFeb 8-14: 6.3% of 3653 checklistsFeb 15-21: 5.6% of 5140 checklistsFeb 22-28: 7.2% of 3846 checklistsMar 1-7: 6.5% of 3901 checklistsMar 8-14: 6.4% of 3820 checklistsMar 15-21: 6.6% of 3781 checklistsMar 22-31: 4.8% of 5705 checklistsApr 1-7: 4.7% of 4529 checklistsApr 8-14: 2.4% of 4935 checklistsApr 15-21: 1.0% of 5429 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.2% of 8015 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.2% of 7421 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.1% of 6910 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 5596 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 6884 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 4123 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 3957 checklistsJun 15-21: 0% of 3863 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 4217 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 3491 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 3044 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 3095 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 4120 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 3009 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 3007 checklistsAug 15-21: 0% of 2905 checklistsAug 22-31: 0% of 4312 checklistsSep 1-7: 0% of 3429 checklistsSep 8-14: 0% of 3217 checklistsSep 15-21: 0% of 3285 checklistsSep 22-30: 0% of 4067 checklistsOct 1-7: 0% of 3380 checklistsOct 8-14: 0% of 3460 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.1% of 3129 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.1% of 3881 checklistsNov 1-7: 4.2% of 3084 checklistsNov 8-14: 10% of 2869 checklistsNov 15-21: 9.6% of 2484 checklistsNov 22-30: 9.3% of 3663 checklistsDec 1-7: 9.6% of 2574 checklistsDec 8-14: 8.2% of 2680 checklistsDec 15-21: 4.7% of 3792 checklistsDec 22-31: 4.9% of 4236 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 West Virginia 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 West Virginia

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Wetzel CountyBest mid January · 46 checklists that week, 1,196 in all46%
  2. Barbour CountyBest early March · 47 checklists that week, 1,534 in all32%
  3. Pleasants CountyBest late January · 47 checklists that week, 1,671 in all27%
  4. Monongalia CountyBest late November · 429 checklists that week, 21,393 in all27%
  5. Taylor CountyBest the second week of December · 39 checklists that week, 2,541 in all26%
  6. Pocahontas CountyBest late November · 56 checklists that week, 6,124 in all23%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Cheat LakeMonongalia County, best late February · 24 checklists that week, 554 in all98%
  2. Cheat Lake (Crammeys Run)Monongalia County, best early December · 27 checklists that week, 308 in all96%
  3. Hulls LakePreston County, best late November · 41 checklists that week, 446 in all82%
  4. Hannibal PoolWetzel County, best late January · 22 checklists that week, 259 in all82%
  5. Deckers CreekMonongalia County, best early February · 22 checklists that week, 277 in all70%
  6. Arkwright Slurry PondMonongalia County, best mid January · 22 checklists that week, 241 in all68%

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

Best time of day

In West Virginia, the Bufflehead is most often listed on checklists started between 2 and 4 pm (4.0% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%12 am: too few checklists (65) to judge1 am: too few checklists (47) to judge2 am: too few checklists (46) to judge3 am: too few checklists (49) to judge4 am: too few checklists (140) to judge5 am: too few checklists (952) to judge6 am: 0.4% of 5860 checklists7 am: 1.1% of 18233 checklists8 am: 2.6% of 24468 checklists9 am: 3.4% of 22542 checklists10 am: 3.4% of 19537 checklists11 am: 3.6% of 16362 checklists12 pm: 3.2% of 14819 checklists1 pm: 3.7% of 12772 checklists2 pm: 4.1% of 11765 checklists3 pm: 3.9% of 12579 checklists4 pm: 3.1% of 11463 checklists5 pm: 1.6% of 9409 checklists6 pm: 0.7% of 6557 checklists7 pm: 0.3% of 4256 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (1589) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (377) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (147) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (86) 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
January5.3%6.0%7.5%8.9%
February5.4%6.3%5.6%7.2%
March6.5%6.4%6.6%4.8%
April4.7%2.4%1.0%0.2%
May0.2%0.1%0.1%0.1%
June0.1%0.1%0%0%
July0%0%0%0%
August0%0%0%0%
September0%0%0%0%
October0%0%0.1%1.1%
November4.2%10%9.6%9.3%
December9.6%8.2%4.7%4.9%

Neighboring states

  • Virginia: arrives late October, in the same week than West Virginia
  • District of Columbia: arrives late October, in the same week than West Virginia
  • Maryland: arrives late October, in the same week than West Virginia
  • Ohio: arrives late October, in the same week than West Virginia

Common questions

When do Buffleheads arrive in West Virginia?
Buffleheads are winter birds in West Virginia: the first arrive in late October, they are common by early November, peak in mid November (9.8% of checklists), and most are gone by early April.
When do Buffleheads leave West Virginia?
Most Buffleheads have left West Virginia by early April, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until mid April.
When is the best time to see a Bufflehead in West Virginia?
The Bufflehead is reported most often in mid November, on about 9.8% of West Virginia checklists.
Where in West Virginia are Buffleheads seen most often?
By county, Wetzel County, Barbour County, and Pleasants County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Bufflehead (counties with at least 200 checklists).