WhenToBird

Aythya valisineria · Anatidae

When Do Canvasbacks Arrive in Maryland?

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

Canvasbacks are winter birds in Maryland: the first arrive in late November, they are common by the second week of December, peak in early February (5.3% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of March.

When to look

First arrivalsNov 22-30late November
Common byDec 8-14the second week of December
PeakFeb 1-7early February
Most gone byMar 8-14the second week of March

Best: early February. First arrivals late November; most are gone by the second week of March. Peak: on about 5.3% of Maryland checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprrare
  5. Maynot usually seen
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepnot usually seen
  10. Octnot usually seen
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%2%4%6%Jan 1-7: 4.0% of 28716 checklistsJan 8-14: 4.1% of 21449 checklistsJan 15-21: 4.3% of 21267 checklistsJan 22-31: 5.1% of 29144 checklistsFeb 1-7: 5.9% of 21347 checklistsFeb 8-14: 5.0% of 22166 checklistsFeb 15-21: 4.5% of 29986 checklistsFeb 22-28: 5.3% of 22427 checklistsMar 1-7: 3.9% of 21389 checklistsMar 8-14: 3.0% of 22192 checklistsMar 15-21: 1.9% of 22823 checklistsMar 22-31: 1.0% of 33720 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.4% of 25513 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.2% of 27718 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.1% of 29328 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.1% of 42595 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.1% of 38532 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.1% of 42722 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 31936 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 36903 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 23191 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 21853 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.1% of 21000 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.1% of 25133 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.1% of 18715 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.1% of 16376 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 15793 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.1% of 21969 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 16013 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 15249 checklistsAug 15-21: 0% of 15674 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.1% of 24925 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.1% of 19808 checklistsSep 8-14: 0% of 18513 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.1% of 21901 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.1% of 22901 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.1% of 19111 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.1% of 18482 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.1% of 17380 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.1% of 23992 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.1% of 17915 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.4% of 18905 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.8% of 16259 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.1% of 22852 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.8% of 16108 checklistsDec 8-14: 2.3% of 16512 checklistsDec 15-21: 2.1% of 18952 checklistsDec 22-31: 3.2% of 29728 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 Maryland 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 Maryland

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Dorchester CountyBest early February · 748 checklists that week, 26,161 in all23%
  2. Queen Anne's CountyBest late February · 534 checklists that week, 26,875 in all19%
  3. Cecil CountyBest early February · 321 checklists that week, 18,620 in all9.3%
  4. Wicomico CountyBest late January · 272 checklists that week, 12,356 in all9.1%
  5. Anne Arundel CountyBest late January · 2366 checklists that week, 93,516 in all8.8%
  6. Talbot CountyBest early March · 627 checklists that week, 31,140 in all7.9%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Pinks PondDorchester County, best early February · 97 checklists that week, 1,328 in all99%
  2. Masonville Cove Environmental CenterBaltimore County, best the second week of December · 73 checklists that week, 2,879 in all87%
  3. Thomas Point ParkAnne Arundel County, best the second week of February · 54 checklists that week, 1,416 in all72%
  4. Brandon ShoresAnne Arundel County, best late January · 20 checklists that week, 1,129 in all70%
  5. Long Wharf ParkDorchester County, best mid February · 29 checklists that week, 271 in all65%

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

Best time of day

In Maryland, the Canvasback is most often listed on checklists started between 1 and 3 pm (1.8% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%2%12 am: too few checklists (486) to judge1 am: too few checklists (451) to judge2 am: too few checklists (447) to judge3 am: too few checklists (766) to judge4 am: too few checklists (2076) to judge5 am: too few checklists (11098) to judge6 am: 0.5% of 56604 checklists7 am: 0.9% of 139255 checklists8 am: 1.1% of 148626 checklists9 am: 1.4% of 126820 checklists10 am: 1.6% of 106973 checklists11 am: 1.7% of 87483 checklists12 pm: 1.8% of 74808 checklists1 pm: 1.8% of 69428 checklists2 pm: 1.9% of 67800 checklists3 pm: 1.6% of 67688 checklists4 pm: 1.4% of 60927 checklists5 pm: 0.8% of 43876 checklists6 pm: 0.3% of 32930 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (19051) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (5708) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1977) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1170) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (635) 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
January4.0%4.1%4.3%5.1%
February5.9%5.0%4.5%5.3%
March3.9%3.0%1.9%1.0%
April0.4%0.2%0.1%0.1%
May0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
June0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
July0.1%0.1%0%0.1%
August0%0%0%0.1%
September0.1%0%0.1%0.1%
October0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
November0.1%0.4%0.8%1.1%
December1.8%2.3%2.1%3.2%

Neighboring states

  • District of Columbia: arrives the second week of January, 6 weeks later than Maryland
  • Delaware: arrives mid December, 3 weeks later than Maryland
  • Virginia: arrives early December, 1 week later than Maryland
  • Pennsylvania: arrives late December, 4 weeks later than Maryland

Common questions

When do Canvasbacks arrive in Maryland?
Canvasbacks are winter birds in Maryland: the first arrive in late November, they are common by the second week of December, peak in early February (5.3% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of March.
When do Canvasbacks leave Maryland?
Most Canvasbacks have left Maryland by the second week of March, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until late March.
When is the best time to see a Canvasback in Maryland?
The Canvasback is reported most often in early February, on about 5.3% of Maryland checklists.
Where in Maryland are Canvasbacks seen most often?
By county, Dorchester County, Queen Anne's County, and Cecil County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Canvasback (counties with at least 200 checklists).