WhenToBird

Larus californicus · Laridae

When Do California Gulls Arrive in Washington?

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

California Gulls reach Washington in the second week of June, are common by mid July, peak in early September (16% of checklists), and most are gone by mid November.

When to look

First arrivalsJun 8-14the second week of June
Common byJul 15-21mid July
PeakSep 1-7early September
Most gone byNov 15-21mid November

Best: early September. First arrivals the second week of June; most are gone by mid November. Peak: on about 16% of Washington checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febrare
  3. Marrare
  4. Aprrare
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Jununcommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%5%10%15%20%Jan 1-7: 2.7% of 41928 checklistsJan 8-14: 2.4% of 31152 checklistsJan 15-21: 2.2% of 31753 checklistsJan 22-31: 2.2% of 42530 checklistsFeb 1-7: 2.1% of 29739 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.8% of 32746 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.7% of 40328 checklistsFeb 22-28: 2.1% of 28432 checklistsMar 1-7: 2.1% of 30758 checklistsMar 8-14: 2.4% of 29368 checklistsMar 15-21: 2.3% of 32580 checklistsMar 22-31: 2.4% of 45614 checklistsApr 1-7: 2.7% of 33997 checklistsApr 8-14: 2.3% of 34729 checklistsApr 15-21: 2.2% of 38474 checklistsApr 22-30: 2.0% of 52185 checklistsMay 1-7: 2.1% of 44236 checklistsMay 8-14: 2.2% of 48708 checklistsMay 15-21: 2.6% of 41742 checklistsMay 22-31: 2.8% of 57082 checklistsJun 1-7: 2.9% of 39193 checklistsJun 8-14: 3.1% of 36042 checklistsJun 15-21: 3.2% of 34003 checklistsJun 22-30: 4.2% of 39711 checklistsJul 1-7: 5.0% of 31949 checklistsJul 8-14: 7.0% of 29086 checklistsJul 15-21: 9.1% of 28045 checklistsJul 22-31: 13% of 38275 checklistsAug 1-7: 15% of 28846 checklistsAug 8-14: 15% of 28036 checklistsAug 15-21: 16% of 27614 checklistsAug 22-31: 16% of 40356 checklistsSep 1-7: 17% of 31214 checklistsSep 8-14: 17% of 27795 checklistsSep 15-21: 15% of 29677 checklistsSep 22-30: 15% of 35241 checklistsOct 1-7: 14% of 28605 checklistsOct 8-14: 13% of 28655 checklistsOct 15-21: 14% of 24643 checklistsOct 22-31: 13% of 34874 checklistsNov 1-7: 11% of 25658 checklistsNov 8-14: 9.5% of 25700 checklistsNov 15-21: 7.7% of 24331 checklistsNov 22-30: 6.2% of 32784 checklistsDec 1-7: 5.3% of 24099 checklistsDec 8-14: 4.6% of 23339 checklistsDec 15-21: 3.1% of 27666 checklistsDec 22-31: 2.8% of 42130 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 Washington 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 Washington

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Jefferson CountyBest the second week of September · 1168 checklists that week, 59,663 in all41%
  2. Grays Harbor CountyBest early September · 971 checklists that week, 28,443 in all39%
  3. Asotin CountyBest late August · 87 checklists that week, 4,316 in all35%
  4. Clallam CountyBest the second week of September · 1887 checklists that week, 85,362 in all32%
  5. Pacific CountyBest the second week of August · 415 checklists that week, 19,516 in all31%
  6. Grant CountyBest late August · 620 checklists that week, 19,963 in all28%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Nelson (Kalama River)Cowlitz County, best early September · 25 checklists that week, 660 in all97%
  2. Mcnary National Wildlife Refuge (Hunt)Walla Walla County, best mid March · 30 checklists that week, 1,089 in all96%
  3. Point Defiance Park (northwest)Pierce County, best early October · 20 checklists that week, 446 in all92%
  4. False BaySan Juan County, best the second week of September · 49 checklists that week, 1,097 in all90%
  5. Portage CanalJefferson County, best late July · 23 checklists that week, 1,022 in all89%
  6. Races CoveKitsap County, best the second week of August · 30 checklists that week, 570 in all89%

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

Best time of day

In Washington, the California Gull is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (8.1% of those checklists).

0%5%10%12 am: too few checklists (796) to judge1 am: too few checklists (776) to judge2 am: too few checklists (709) to judge3 am: too few checklists (901) to judge4 am: too few checklists (3221) to judge5 am: too few checklists (16576) to judge6 am: 8.7% of 56744 checklists7 am: 7.8% of 133294 checklists8 am: 6.4% of 184196 checklists9 am: 6.1% of 186303 checklists10 am: 6.2% of 177063 checklists11 am: 6.2% of 154936 checklists12 pm: 5.8% of 138061 checklists1 pm: 6.0% of 127449 checklists2 pm: 5.9% of 121511 checklists3 pm: 5.9% of 107793 checklists4 pm: 5.9% of 82862 checklists5 pm: 5.8% of 57183 checklists6 pm: 5.0% of 39886 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (26969) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (12427) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (3658) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1500) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (834) 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
January2.7%2.4%2.2%2.2%
February2.1%1.8%1.7%2.1%
March2.1%2.4%2.3%2.4%
April2.7%2.3%2.2%2.0%
May2.1%2.2%2.6%2.8%
June2.9%3.1%3.2%4.2%
July5.0%7.0%9.1%13%
August15%15%16%16%
September17%17%15%15%
October14%13%14%13%
November11%9.5%7.7%6.2%
December5.3%4.6%3.1%2.8%

Neighboring states

  • Oregon: arrives early May, 5 weeks earlier than Washington
  • Idaho: year-round, peaks early November
  • Montana: arrives late February, 14 weeks earlier than Washington
  • Nevada: arrives mid October, 17 weeks later than Washington

Common questions

When do California Gulls arrive in Washington?
California Gulls reach Washington in the second week of June, are common by mid July, peak in early September (16% of checklists), and most are gone by mid November.
When do California Gulls leave Washington?
Most California Gulls have left Washington by mid November, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until mid December.
When is the best time to see a California Gull in Washington?
The California Gull is reported most often in early September, on about 16% of Washington checklists.
Where in Washington are California Gulls seen most often?
By county, Jefferson County, Grays Harbor County, and Asotin County have the highest peak reporting rates for the California Gull (counties with at least 200 checklists).