WhenToBird

Larus californicus · Laridae

When Do California Gulls Arrive in Montana?

Adult California Gull
Photo: Madeleine Claire, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

California Gulls reach Montana in late February, are common by early March, peak in early April (6.6% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of November.

When to look

First arrivalsFeb 22-28late February
Common byMar 1-7early March
PeakApr 1-7early April
Most gone byNov 8-14the second week of November

Best: early April. First arrivals late February; most are gone by the second week of November. Peak: on about 6.6% of Montana checklists.

  1. Janrare
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%2%4%6%8%Jan 1-7: 0.3% of 7987 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.2% of 5561 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.1% of 5613 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.2% of 7881 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.1% of 5018 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.1% of 5598 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.2% of 7247 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.8% of 5531 checklistsMar 1-7: 2.5% of 6110 checklistsMar 8-14: 3.7% of 6623 checklistsMar 15-21: 5.7% of 7687 checklistsMar 22-31: 7.2% of 11095 checklistsApr 1-7: 6.3% of 7774 checklistsApr 8-14: 6.0% of 8785 checklistsApr 15-21: 5.9% of 9684 checklistsApr 22-30: 5.1% of 13805 checklistsMay 1-7: 4.1% of 11847 checklistsMay 8-14: 4.0% of 13547 checklistsMay 15-21: 4.2% of 13019 checklistsMay 22-31: 4.5% of 20456 checklistsJun 1-7: 4.6% of 12993 checklistsJun 8-14: 4.6% of 11594 checklistsJun 15-21: 4.5% of 11159 checklistsJun 22-30: 4.6% of 13786 checklistsJul 1-7: 4.0% of 9584 checklistsJul 8-14: 4.2% of 9078 checklistsJul 15-21: 4.7% of 7905 checklistsJul 22-31: 4.6% of 10906 checklistsAug 1-7: 4.4% of 7335 checklistsAug 8-14: 4.3% of 6868 checklistsAug 15-21: 3.3% of 6866 checklistsAug 22-31: 3.2% of 10076 checklistsSep 1-7: 2.6% of 7670 checklistsSep 8-14: 2.1% of 7490 checklistsSep 15-21: 2.0% of 6804 checklistsSep 22-30: 2.1% of 8016 checklistsOct 1-7: 2.7% of 5996 checklistsOct 8-14: 3.0% of 6156 checklistsOct 15-21: 3.6% of 5742 checklistsOct 22-31: 3.2% of 7790 checklistsNov 1-7: 3.0% of 5353 checklistsNov 8-14: 2.6% of 5475 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.9% of 4603 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.5% of 6067 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.0% of 4362 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.9% of 4467 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.4% of 5328 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.3% of 6672 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 Montana 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 Montana

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Cascade CountyBest early July · 312 checklists that week, 16,190 in all36%
  2. Teton CountyBest mid April · 40 checklists that week, 2,579 in all32%
  3. Broadwater CountyBest late April · 128 checklists that week, 2,470 in all31%
  4. Silver Bow CountyBest the second week of April · 96 checklists that week, 3,051 in all31%
  5. Sheridan CountyBest the second week of July · 19 checklists that week, 2,316 in all30%
  6. McCone CountyBest early January · 11 checklists that week, 537 in all28%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. West Bank ParkCascade County, best late May · 20 checklists that week, 691 in all89%
  2. Giant Springs State ParkCascade County, best mid June · 20 checklists that week, 1,249 in all78%
  3. Medicine Lake National Wildlife Refuge_Wilderness AreaSheridan County, best late May · 29 checklists that week, 147 in all74%
  4. Helena Valley Reservoir Fishing Access SiteLewis and Clark County, best early April · 54 checklists that week, 1,628 in all73%
  5. Big LakeStillwater County, best late April · 24 checklists that week, 239 in all71%

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

Best time of day

In Montana, the California Gull is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 pm (5.8% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%8%12 am: too few checklists (183) to judge1 am: too few checklists (169) to judge2 am: too few checklists (163) to judge3 am: too few checklists (212) to judge4 am: too few checklists (503) to judge5 am: too few checklists (4022) to judge6 am: 6.5% of 12719 checklists7 am: 3.4% of 31202 checklists8 am: 2.9% of 47646 checklists9 am: 3.0% of 44624 checklists10 am: 3.1% of 40704 checklists11 am: 3.0% of 33825 checklists12 pm: 2.8% of 29407 checklists1 pm: 3.0% of 27959 checklists2 pm: 2.8% of 26928 checklists3 pm: 3.0% of 25313 checklists4 pm: 3.1% of 22151 checklists5 pm: 4.1% of 16884 checklists6 pm: 7.5% of 13780 checklists7 pm: 3.5% of 9926 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (5765) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2099) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (595) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (230) 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
January0.3%0.2%0.1%0.2%
February0.1%0.1%0.2%0.8%
March2.5%3.7%5.7%7.2%
April6.3%6.0%5.9%5.1%
May4.1%4.0%4.2%4.5%
June4.6%4.6%4.5%4.6%
July4.0%4.2%4.7%4.6%
August4.4%4.3%3.3%3.2%
September2.6%2.1%2.0%2.1%
October2.7%3.0%3.6%3.2%
November3.0%2.6%1.9%1.5%
December1.0%0.9%0.4%0.3%

Neighboring states

  • Idaho: year-round, peaks early November
  • Wyoming: arrives early March, 1 week later than Montana
  • Utah: year-round, peaks the second week of April
  • Washington: arrives the second week of June, 14 weeks later than Montana

Common questions

When do California Gulls arrive in Montana?
California Gulls reach Montana in late February, are common by early March, peak in early April (6.6% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of November.
When do California Gulls leave Montana?
Most California Gulls have left Montana by the second week of November, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until early December.
When is the best time to see a California Gull in Montana?
The California Gull is reported most often in early April, on about 6.6% of Montana checklists.
Where in Montana are California Gulls seen most often?
By county, Cascade County, Teton County, and Broadwater County have the highest peak reporting rates for the California Gull (counties with at least 200 checklists).