WhenToBird

Somateria mollissima · Anatidae

When Do Common Eiders Arrive in Rhode Island?

Adult male Common Eider
Photo: Christoph Moning, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Common Eiders are in Rhode Island all year, but most are here in winter: numbers build from the second week of November, peak in early January (20% of checklists), and fall back by the second week of March. In the quietest week (the second week of May) they are still on about 2.5% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildNov 8-14the second week of November
PeakJan 1-7early January
Fall back byMar 8-14the second week of March
FewestMay 8-14the second week of May

Best: early January. Here all year; numbers build from the second week of November and fall back by the second week of March. Peak: on about 20% of Rhode Island checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marcommon
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Jununcommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%10%20%30%Jan 1-7: 19% of 5678 checklistsJan 8-14: 20% of 4004 checklistsJan 15-21: 18% of 3691 checklistsJan 22-31: 19% of 4738 checklistsFeb 1-7: 16% of 3178 checklistsFeb 8-14: 15% of 3262 checklistsFeb 15-21: 13% of 4286 checklistsFeb 22-28: 17% of 3449 checklistsMar 1-7: 12% of 3014 checklistsMar 8-14: 12% of 3259 checklistsMar 15-21: 10% of 3320 checklistsMar 22-31: 9.8% of 4692 checklistsApr 1-7: 6.7% of 3280 checklistsApr 8-14: 5.6% of 3872 checklistsApr 15-21: 5.8% of 4037 checklistsApr 22-30: 2.8% of 5595 checklistsMay 1-7: 2.7% of 5699 checklistsMay 8-14: 2.3% of 6089 checklistsMay 15-21: 2.5% of 4937 checklistsMay 22-31: 3.4% of 5445 checklistsJun 1-7: 4.6% of 3031 checklistsJun 8-14: 5.5% of 2793 checklistsJun 15-21: 5.9% of 2736 checklistsJun 22-30: 7.5% of 3318 checklistsJul 1-7: 6.0% of 2629 checklistsJul 8-14: 7.9% of 2561 checklistsJul 15-21: 9.6% of 2580 checklistsJul 22-31: 9.4% of 3654 checklistsAug 1-7: 7.9% of 2629 checklistsAug 8-14: 8.3% of 2912 checklistsAug 15-21: 7.3% of 2850 checklistsAug 22-31: 7.6% of 4007 checklistsSep 1-7: 8.4% of 2893 checklistsSep 8-14: 8.7% of 2850 checklistsSep 15-21: 8.5% of 2770 checklistsSep 22-30: 7.8% of 3888 checklistsOct 1-7: 7.1% of 3174 checklistsOct 8-14: 6.6% of 3278 checklistsOct 15-21: 7.1% of 3008 checklistsOct 22-31: 8.5% of 3678 checklistsNov 1-7: 9.1% of 3270 checklistsNov 8-14: 14% of 3405 checklistsNov 15-21: 15% of 2907 checklistsNov 22-30: 16% of 3607 checklistsDec 1-7: 17% of 2415 checklistsDec 8-14: 18% of 2345 checklistsDec 15-21: 17% of 2836 checklistsDec 22-31: 22% of 4826 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 Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Newport CountyBest mid December · 644 checklists that week, 33,574 in all44%
  2. Washington CountyBest early January · 2266 checklists that week, 65,038 in all24%
  3. Bristol CountyBest the second week of January · 329 checklists that week, 15,899 in all6.6%
  4. Kent CountyBest the second week of January · 315 checklists that week, 16,966 in all2.0%
  5. Providence CountyBest early January · 1132 checklists that week, 40,898 in all0.8%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Beavertail PointNewport County, best mid January · 87 checklists that week, 2,620 in all96%
  2. Salty Brine State BeachWashington County, best the second week of January · 20 checklists that week, 148 in all94%
  3. Sachuest Point National Wildlife RefugeNewport County, best early December · 84 checklists that week, 3,685 in all94%
  4. Fisherman'sNewport County, best late November · 23 checklists that week, 840 in all93%
  5. Watch Hill PointWashington County, best mid December · 23 checklists that week, 510 in all93%
  6. Point JudithWashington County, best late December · 33 checklists that week, 427 in all92%

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

Best time of day

In Rhode Island, the Common Eider is most often listed on checklists started between 1 and 3 pm (12% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%12 am: too few checklists (42) to judge1 am: too few checklists (58) to judge2 am: too few checklists (45) to judge3 am: too few checklists (69) to judge4 am: too few checklists (319) to judge5 am: too few checklists (3170) to judge6 am: 10% of 10493 checklists7 am: 9.4% of 17631 checklists8 am: 9.8% of 18834 checklists9 am: 10% of 17725 checklists10 am: 11% of 16696 checklists11 am: 12% of 14799 checklists12 pm: 12% of 12580 checklists1 pm: 12% of 12779 checklists2 pm: 12% of 12302 checklists3 pm: 10% of 11884 checklists4 pm: 6.4% of 9762 checklists5 pm: 5.1% of 6442 checklists6 pm: 4.6% of 3947 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (2119) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (452) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (105) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (69) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (53) 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
January19%20%18%19%
February16%15%13%17%
March12%12%10%9.8%
April6.7%5.6%5.8%2.8%
May2.7%2.3%2.5%3.4%
June4.6%5.5%5.9%7.5%
July6.0%7.9%9.6%9.4%
August7.9%8.3%7.3%7.6%
September8.4%8.7%8.5%7.8%
October7.1%6.6%7.1%8.5%
November9.1%14%15%16%
December17%18%17%22%

Neighboring states

  • Massachusetts: arrives the second week of November, in the same week than Rhode Island
  • Connecticut: arrives the second week of November, in the same week than Rhode Island
  • New Hampshire: arrives mid December, 5 weeks later than Rhode Island
  • New Jersey: arrives the second week of November, in the same week than Rhode Island

Common questions

When do Common Eiders arrive in Rhode Island?
Common Eiders are in Rhode Island all year, but most are here in winter: numbers build from the second week of November, peak in early January (20% of checklists), and fall back by the second week of March. In the quietest week (the second week of May) they are still on about 2.5% of checklists.
When do Common Eiders leave Rhode Island?
Common Eiders never fully leave Rhode Island: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by the second week of March, but some are still reported in every week, about 2.5% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Common Eider in Rhode Island?
The Common Eider is reported most often in early January, on about 20% of Rhode Island checklists.
Where in Rhode Island are Common Eiders seen most often?
By county, Newport County, Washington County, and Bristol County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Common Eider (counties with at least 200 checklists).