WhenToBird

Bucephala clangula · Anatidae

When Do Common Goldeneyes Arrive in Alaska?

Adult male Common Goldeneye
Photo: Bjoern Rost, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Common Goldeneyes reach Alaska in the second week of July, are common by the second week of October, peak in early April (21% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of May.

When to look

First arrivalsJul 8-14the second week of July
Common byOct 8-14the second week of October
PeakApr 1-7early April
Most gone byMay 8-14the second week of May

Best: early April. First arrivals the second week of July; most are gone by the second week of May. Peak: on about 21% of Alaska checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maycommon
  6. Junrare
  7. Julrare
  8. Augrare
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%10%20%30%Jan 1-7: 17% of 3788 checklistsJan 8-14: 16% of 2852 checklistsJan 15-21: 17% of 2810 checklistsJan 22-31: 18% of 3629 checklistsFeb 1-7: 16% of 2519 checklistsFeb 8-14: 16% of 2927 checklistsFeb 15-21: 15% of 3743 checklistsFeb 22-28: 15% of 2846 checklistsMar 1-7: 16% of 2904 checklistsMar 8-14: 18% of 3073 checklistsMar 15-21: 17% of 3359 checklistsMar 22-31: 20% of 5855 checklistsApr 1-7: 21% of 4329 checklistsApr 8-14: 23% of 4949 checklistsApr 15-21: 19% of 7114 checklistsApr 22-30: 15% of 10916 checklistsMay 1-7: 12% of 11827 checklistsMay 8-14: 7.2% of 14115 checklistsMay 15-21: 5.7% of 12152 checklistsMay 22-31: 4.0% of 19919 checklistsJun 1-7: 2.1% of 15816 checklistsJun 8-14: 1.5% of 17194 checklistsJun 15-21: 1.4% of 15943 checklistsJun 22-30: 1.4% of 16192 checklistsJul 1-7: 1.6% of 9815 checklistsJul 8-14: 1.6% of 8263 checklistsJul 15-21: 1.8% of 7081 checklistsJul 22-31: 2.0% of 9434 checklistsAug 1-7: 1.7% of 6380 checklistsAug 8-14: 2.6% of 6258 checklistsAug 15-21: 2.1% of 6114 checklistsAug 22-31: 2.6% of 8189 checklistsSep 1-7: 2.4% of 5848 checklistsSep 8-14: 3.0% of 4853 checklistsSep 15-21: 3.4% of 4415 checklistsSep 22-30: 5.0% of 5086 checklistsOct 1-7: 7.4% of 3576 checklistsOct 8-14: 9.6% of 4212 checklistsOct 15-21: 13% of 3339 checklistsOct 22-31: 14% of 4169 checklistsNov 1-7: 15% of 2844 checklistsNov 8-14: 14% of 2753 checklistsNov 15-21: 14% of 2291 checklistsNov 22-30: 14% of 3066 checklistsDec 1-7: 15% of 2199 checklistsDec 8-14: 15% of 2472 checklistsDec 15-21: 16% of 3071 checklistsDec 22-31: 16% of 3442 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 Alaska 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 Alaska

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Kodiak Island BoroughBest late January · 263 checklists that week, 11,483 in all55%
  2. Chugach Census AreaBest late January · 81 checklists that week, 7,540 in all39%
  3. Hoonah-Angoon Census AreaBest the second week of January · 90 checklists that week, 8,159 in all39%
  4. Bristol Bay BoroughBest the second week of April · 15 checklists that week, 980 in all38%
  5. Ketchikan Gateway BoroughBest late January · 37 checklists that week, 4,641 in all37%
  6. Aleutians West Census AreaBest mid February · 18 checklists that week, 6,087 in all34%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Chena Riverfront ParkFairbanks North Star Borough, best early January · 20 checklists that week, 518 in all97%
  2. Kasilof RiverKenai Peninsula Borough, best mid December · 21 checklists that week, 929 in all95%
  3. Hood LakeAnchorage Municipality, best late October · 75 checklists that week, 2,805 in all94%
  4. Chester Creek Greenbelt (Westchester Lake)Anchorage Municipality, best the second week of April · 258 checklists that week, 2,640 in all93%
  5. Jim LakeMatanuska-Susitna Borough, best late April · 24 checklists that week, 438 in all86%
  6. Jewel LakeAnchorage Municipality, best mid October · 21 checklists that week, 209 in all86%

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

Best time of day

In Alaska, the Common Goldeneye is most often listed on checklists started between 1 and 3 pm (9.5% of those checklists).

0%5%10%12 am: too few checklists (549) to judge1 am: too few checklists (365) to judge2 am: too few checklists (291) to judge3 am: too few checklists (624) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1241) to judge5 am: too few checklists (3532) to judge6 am: 3.4% of 9751 checklists7 am: 5.8% of 17236 checklists8 am: 6.6% of 24936 checklists9 am: 7.0% of 30139 checklists10 am: 8.0% of 30866 checklists11 am: 8.5% of 28207 checklists12 pm: 9.1% of 25650 checklists1 pm: 9.6% of 24144 checklists2 pm: 9.4% of 23323 checklists3 pm: 9.3% of 20763 checklists4 pm: 8.9% of 18245 checklists5 pm: 7.6% of 14895 checklists6 pm: 6.7% of 11707 checklists7 pm: 6.1% of 9365 checklists8 pm: 4.6% of 6934 checklists9 pm: too few checklists (4176) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (2050) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (952) 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
January17%16%17%18%
February16%16%15%15%
March16%18%17%20%
April21%23%19%15%
May12%7.2%5.7%4.0%
June2.1%1.5%1.4%1.4%
July1.6%1.6%1.8%2.0%
August1.7%2.6%2.1%2.6%
September2.4%3.0%3.4%5.0%
October7.4%9.6%13%14%
November15%14%14%14%
December15%15%16%16%

Neighboring states

  • Washington: arrives early November, 15 weeks later than Alaska
  • Oregon: arrives late October, 14 weeks later than Alaska
  • Idaho: arrives late October, 14 weeks later than Alaska
  • Montana: arrives mid October, 13 weeks later than Alaska

Common questions

When do Common Goldeneyes arrive in Alaska?
Common Goldeneyes reach Alaska in the second week of July, are common by the second week of October, peak in early April (21% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of May.
When do Common Goldeneyes leave Alaska?
Most Common Goldeneyes have left Alaska by the second week of May, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until the second week of June.
When is the best time to see a Common Goldeneye in Alaska?
The Common Goldeneye is reported most often in early April, on about 21% of Alaska checklists.
Where in Alaska are Common Goldeneyes seen most often?
By county, Kodiak Island Borough, Chugach Census Area, and Hoonah-Angoon Census Area have the highest peak reporting rates for the Common Goldeneye (counties with at least 200 checklists).