WhenToBird

Aythya valisineria · Anatidae

When Do Canvasbacks Arrive in California?

Adult male Canvasback
Photo: datadan, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Canvasbacks are winter birds in California: the first arrive in early November, they are common by the second week of November, peak in the second week of January (3.9% of checklists), and most are gone by mid March.

When to look

First arrivalsNov 1-7early November
Common byNov 8-14the second week of November
PeakJan 8-14the second week of January
Most gone byMar 15-21mid March

Best: the second week of January. First arrivals early November; most are gone by mid March. Peak: on about 3.9% of California checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marcommon
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Mayrare
  6. Junrare
  7. Julrare
  8. Augrare
  9. Seprare
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%1%2%3%4%Jan 1-7: 3.9% of 112336 checklistsJan 8-14: 3.9% of 85518 checklistsJan 15-21: 3.9% of 86488 checklistsJan 22-31: 3.8% of 116174 checklistsFeb 1-7: 3.6% of 75171 checklistsFeb 8-14: 3.3% of 84467 checklistsFeb 15-21: 2.7% of 105683 checklistsFeb 22-28: 3.0% of 83396 checklistsMar 1-7: 2.6% of 77470 checklistsMar 8-14: 2.3% of 75180 checklistsMar 15-21: 2.0% of 80770 checklistsMar 22-31: 1.4% of 114116 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.9% of 84057 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.6% of 83692 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.4% of 89242 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.3% of 114289 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.3% of 85728 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.2% of 91984 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 75478 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 106250 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 70051 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.2% of 67485 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.1% of 66269 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.2% of 79172 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.2% of 62877 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.2% of 60328 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.2% of 59705 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.2% of 83796 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.2% of 60215 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.2% of 60172 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.2% of 59877 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.1% of 89107 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.2% of 72000 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.2% of 71228 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.1% of 76808 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.1% of 100204 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.2% of 76571 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.3% of 80874 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.5% of 74581 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.9% of 97498 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.3% of 70851 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.7% of 72431 checklistsNov 15-21: 2.1% of 66767 checklistsNov 22-30: 2.6% of 94737 checklistsDec 1-7: 3.1% of 65393 checklistsDec 8-14: 3.1% of 67449 checklistsDec 15-21: 2.9% of 83421 checklistsDec 22-31: 3.2% of 124993 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 California 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 California

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Napa CountyBest the second week of December · 267 checklists that week, 18,976 in all24%
  2. Lassen CountyBest late February · 101 checklists that week, 8,378 in all13%
  3. San Mateo CountyBest late January · 4843 checklists that week, 148,781 in all12%
  4. Kings CountyBest mid February · 88 checklists that week, 3,688 in all12%
  5. Santa Clara CountyBest early January · 6085 checklists that week, 201,483 in all12%
  6. Marin CountyBest the second week of January · 2845 checklists that week, 135,728 in all11%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Alondra Golf CourseLos Angeles County, best the second week of January · 24 checklists that week, 375 in all100%
  2. Redwood Shores Ecological ReserveSan Mateo County, best the second week of December · 64 checklists that week, 2,621 in all97%
  3. Redwood Shores Lagoon (O'Neal Slough)San Mateo County, best mid February · 20 checklists that week, 370 in all93%
  4. Mountain View Tidal MarshSanta Clara County, best mid December · 22 checklists that week, 771 in all93%
  5. Freshwater LagoonHumboldt County, best mid December · 20 checklists that week, 274 in all91%

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

Best time of day

In California, the Canvasback is most often listed on checklists started between 1 and 3 pm (1.9% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%2%12 am: too few checklists (1688) to judge1 am: too few checklists (1451) to judge2 am: too few checklists (1402) to judge3 am: too few checklists (1743) to judge4 am: too few checklists (4647) to judge5 am: too few checklists (32158) to judge6 am: 0.6% of 186053 checklists7 am: 1.1% of 444086 checklists8 am: 1.3% of 535846 checklists9 am: 1.4% of 486061 checklists10 am: 1.6% of 411130 checklists11 am: 1.7% of 325798 checklists12 pm: 1.8% of 269132 checklists1 pm: 2.0% of 244762 checklists2 pm: 1.9% of 235420 checklists3 pm: 1.9% of 232365 checklists4 pm: 1.5% of 208688 checklists5 pm: 0.8% of 146104 checklists6 pm: 0.5% of 96867 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (50942) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (14803) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (5561) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (3546) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (2092) 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
January3.9%3.9%3.9%3.8%
February3.6%3.3%2.7%3.0%
March2.6%2.3%2.0%1.4%
April0.9%0.6%0.4%0.3%
May0.3%0.2%0.1%0.1%
June0.1%0.2%0.1%0.2%
July0.2%0.2%0.2%0.2%
August0.2%0.2%0.2%0.1%
September0.2%0.2%0.1%0.1%
October0.2%0.3%0.5%0.9%
November1.3%1.7%2.1%2.6%
December3.1%3.1%2.9%3.2%

Neighboring states

  • Nevada: arrives early October, 4 weeks earlier than California
  • Utah: arrives mid October, 2 weeks earlier than California
  • Arizona: arrives late October, 1 week earlier than California
  • Oregon: arrives the second week of October, 3 weeks earlier than California

Common questions

When do Canvasbacks arrive in California?
Canvasbacks are winter birds in California: the first arrive in early November, they are common by the second week of November, peak in the second week of January (3.9% of checklists), and most are gone by mid March.
When do Canvasbacks leave California?
Most Canvasbacks have left California by mid March, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until early April.
When is the best time to see a Canvasback in California?
The Canvasback is reported most often in the second week of January, on about 3.9% of California checklists.
Where in California are Canvasbacks seen most often?
By county, Napa County, Lassen County, and San Mateo County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Canvasback (counties with at least 200 checklists).