WhenToBird

Larus californicus · Laridae

When Do California Gulls Arrive in Wyoming?

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

California Gulls reach Wyoming in early March, are common by the second week of March, peak in mid April (8.4% of checklists), and most are gone by mid November.

When to look

First arrivalsMar 1-7early March
Common byMar 8-14the second week of March
PeakApr 15-21mid April
Most gone byNov 15-21mid November

Best: mid April. First arrivals early March; most are gone by mid November. Peak: on about 8.4% of Wyoming checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Decrare

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

0%5%10%Jan 1-7: 0% of 2543 checklistsJan 8-14: 0% of 2114 checklistsJan 15-21: 0% of 1984 checklistsJan 22-31: 0% of 2605 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0% of 1940 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0% of 1954 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.1% of 2575 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.2% of 1932 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.6% of 2486 checklistsMar 8-14: 2.7% of 2535 checklistsMar 15-21: 3.3% of 2726 checklistsMar 22-31: 4.7% of 4349 checklistsApr 1-7: 7.3% of 3300 checklistsApr 8-14: 8.2% of 3500 checklistsApr 15-21: 8.9% of 3701 checklistsApr 22-30: 8.2% of 5887 checklistsMay 1-7: 8.2% of 5341 checklistsMay 8-14: 5.5% of 6910 checklistsMay 15-21: 5.3% of 6884 checklistsMay 22-31: 4.8% of 10652 checklistsJun 1-7: 4.3% of 6807 checklistsJun 8-14: 3.6% of 6714 checklistsJun 15-21: 4.5% of 6708 checklistsJun 22-30: 4.1% of 8160 checklistsJul 1-7: 3.9% of 5755 checklistsJul 8-14: 4.6% of 5379 checklistsJul 15-21: 4.7% of 5299 checklistsJul 22-31: 5.3% of 6830 checklistsAug 1-7: 4.8% of 4581 checklistsAug 8-14: 3.7% of 4625 checklistsAug 15-21: 3.8% of 4466 checklistsAug 22-31: 2.4% of 6562 checklistsSep 1-7: 3.0% of 4543 checklistsSep 8-14: 3.6% of 4652 checklistsSep 15-21: 2.4% of 4186 checklistsSep 22-30: 2.8% of 5301 checklistsOct 1-7: 2.8% of 3248 checklistsOct 8-14: 3.2% of 3010 checklistsOct 15-21: 3.1% of 2624 checklistsOct 22-31: 2.9% of 3170 checklistsNov 1-7: 3.7% of 2110 checklistsNov 8-14: 2.3% of 2153 checklistsNov 15-21: 2.7% of 1971 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.4% of 2136 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.7% of 1646 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.6% of 1609 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.1% of 1954 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.2% of 2392 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 Wyoming 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 Wyoming

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Campbell CountyBest mid April · 93 checklists that week, 2,801 in all36%
  2. Uinta CountyBest mid July · 48 checklists that week, 1,881 in all30%
  3. Hot Springs CountyBest the second week of July · 35 checklists that week, 1,345 in all27%
  4. Natrona CountyBest the second week of April · 172 checklists that week, 5,810 in all25%
  5. Albany CountyBest late April · 882 checklists that week, 21,857 in all22%
  6. Laramie CountyBest early June · 327 checklists that week, 15,593 in all15%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Mcmanamen ParkCampbell County, best the second week of April · 21 checklists that week, 626 in all90%
  2. Lake Hattie ReservoirAlbany County, best mid September · 22 checklists that week, 476 in all82%
  3. LaBonte ParkAlbany County, best the second week of May · 103 checklists that week, 1,107 in all55%
  4. State Lands 1111127300Fremont County, best late April · 30 checklists that week, 165 in all55%
  5. Alkali LakePark County, best early August · 21 checklists that week, 722 in all54%

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

Best time of day

In Wyoming, the California Gull is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (4.8% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%8%12 am: too few checklists (59) to judge1 am: too few checklists (76) to judge2 am: too few checklists (86) to judge3 am: too few checklists (79) to judge4 am: too few checklists (326) to judge5 am: too few checklists (2271) to judge6 am: 6.0% of 8808 checklists7 am: 4.2% of 18458 checklists8 am: 3.9% of 22143 checklists9 am: 3.5% of 21499 checklists10 am: 3.6% of 19425 checklists11 am: 3.7% of 16017 checklists12 pm: 3.6% of 13868 checklists1 pm: 3.6% of 12984 checklists2 pm: 4.0% of 12605 checklists3 pm: 3.6% of 11821 checklists4 pm: 3.8% of 10571 checklists5 pm: 4.6% of 8746 checklists6 pm: 4.2% of 6707 checklists7 pm: 4.0% of 4890 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (2323) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (554) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (134) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (59) 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%0%0%0%
February0%0%0.1%0.2%
March0.6%2.7%3.3%4.7%
April7.3%8.2%8.9%8.2%
May8.2%5.5%5.3%4.8%
June4.3%3.6%4.5%4.1%
July3.9%4.6%4.7%5.3%
August4.8%3.7%3.8%2.4%
September3.0%3.6%2.4%2.8%
October2.8%3.2%3.1%2.9%
November3.7%2.3%2.7%1.4%
December0.7%0.6%0.1%0.2%

Neighboring states

  • Colorado: arrives early March, in the same week than Wyoming
  • Utah: year-round, peaks the second week of April
  • Montana: arrives late February, 1 week earlier than Wyoming
  • Idaho: year-round, peaks early November

Common questions

When do California Gulls arrive in Wyoming?
California Gulls reach Wyoming in early March, are common by the second week of March, peak in mid April (8.4% of checklists), and most are gone by mid November.
When do California Gulls leave Wyoming?
Most California Gulls have left Wyoming by mid November, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until late November.
When is the best time to see a California Gull in Wyoming?
The California Gull is reported most often in mid April, on about 8.4% of Wyoming checklists.
Where in Wyoming are California Gulls seen most often?
By county, Campbell County, Uinta County, and Hot Springs County have the highest peak reporting rates for the California Gull (counties with at least 200 checklists).