WhenToBird

Bucephala clangula · Anatidae

When Do Common Goldeneyes Arrive in Michigan?

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

Common Goldeneyes are winter birds in Michigan: the first arrive in mid October, they are common by the second week of November, peak in early March (14% of checklists), and most are gone by early April.

When to look

First arrivalsOct 15-21mid October
Common byNov 8-14the second week of November
PeakMar 1-7early March
Most gone byApr 1-7early April

Best: early March. First arrivals mid October; most are gone by early April. Peak: on about 14% of Michigan checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Mayrare
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepnot usually seen
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%5%10%15%20%Jan 1-7: 13% of 38160 checklistsJan 8-14: 13% of 24696 checklistsJan 15-21: 13% of 23771 checklistsJan 22-31: 13% of 31347 checklistsFeb 1-7: 14% of 23225 checklistsFeb 8-14: 12% of 27398 checklistsFeb 15-21: 10% of 36606 checklistsFeb 22-28: 14% of 27127 checklistsMar 1-7: 15% of 29700 checklistsMar 8-14: 13% of 31587 checklistsMar 15-21: 11% of 32118 checklistsMar 22-31: 8.2% of 47777 checklistsApr 1-7: 6.1% of 38557 checklistsApr 8-14: 3.9% of 42207 checklistsApr 15-21: 2.7% of 42759 checklistsApr 22-30: 1.7% of 64458 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.7% of 60998 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.4% of 72091 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.4% of 59058 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.5% of 64724 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.3% of 35990 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.3% of 32595 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.2% of 30017 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.2% of 33988 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.1% of 28708 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.2% of 25175 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.1% of 24084 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.1% of 33522 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.2% of 25098 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.1% of 24353 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.2% of 25059 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.1% of 37489 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.1% of 28410 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.2% of 27887 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.2% of 26614 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.3% of 32557 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.3% of 25844 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.6% of 27741 checklistsOct 15-21: 1.1% of 24693 checklistsOct 22-31: 2.3% of 32460 checklistsNov 1-7: 4.4% of 23660 checklistsNov 8-14: 6.3% of 21542 checklistsNov 15-21: 7.9% of 19922 checklistsNov 22-30: 8.5% of 25069 checklistsDec 1-7: 9.7% of 18272 checklistsDec 8-14: 9.7% of 18961 checklistsDec 15-21: 10% of 24171 checklistsDec 22-31: 11% of 30908 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 Michigan 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 Michigan

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Schoolcraft CountyBest late January · 22 checklists that week, 3,719 in all60%
  2. Huron CountyBest the second week of December · 56 checklists that week, 4,733 in all46%
  3. Mackinac CountyBest late November · 79 checklists that week, 7,988 in all46%
  4. Baraga CountyBest the second week of March · 24 checklists that week, 3,662 in all45%
  5. Ontonagon CountyBest mid December · 32 checklists that week, 3,548 in all43%
  6. Emmet CountyBest the second week of December · 98 checklists that week, 11,769 in all42%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Wolf LakeVan Buren County, best the second week of February · 46 checklists that week, 2,451 in all99%
  2. Arcadia LakeManistee County, best late February · 20 checklists that week, 2,538 in all97%
  3. Alford ParkChippewa County, best the second week of February · 34 checklists that week, 274 in all95%
  4. OtsegoAllegan County, best the second week of February · 27 checklists that week, 208 in all95%
  5. Douglas Beach ParkAllegan County, best late December · 38 checklists that week, 358 in all94%

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

Best time of day

In Michigan, the Common Goldeneye is most often listed on checklists started between 1 and 3 pm (6.3% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%8%12 am: too few checklists (712) to judge1 am: too few checklists (592) to judge2 am: too few checklists (532) to judge3 am: too few checklists (516) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1592) to judge5 am: too few checklists (6849) to judge6 am: 0.9% of 39298 checklists7 am: 2.0% of 120344 checklists8 am: 3.5% of 180109 checklists9 am: 4.4% of 171966 checklists10 am: 5.2% of 156332 checklists11 am: 5.8% of 134964 checklists12 pm: 6.1% of 120967 checklists1 pm: 6.4% of 113852 checklists2 pm: 6.2% of 110773 checklists3 pm: 6.1% of 105530 checklists4 pm: 5.3% of 100958 checklists5 pm: 3.3% of 80085 checklists6 pm: 1.8% of 62883 checklists7 pm: 1.1% of 44912 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (21062) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (5920) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1629) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (775) 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
January13%13%13%13%
February14%12%10%14%
March15%13%11%8.2%
April6.1%3.9%2.7%1.7%
May0.7%0.4%0.4%0.5%
June0.3%0.3%0.2%0.2%
July0.1%0.2%0.1%0.1%
August0.2%0.1%0.2%0.1%
September0.1%0.2%0.2%0.3%
October0.3%0.6%1.1%2.3%
November4.4%6.3%7.9%8.5%
December9.7%9.7%10%11%

Neighboring states

  • Ohio: arrives the second week of November, 3 weeks later than Michigan
  • Indiana: arrives the second week of November, 3 weeks later than Michigan
  • Illinois: arrives the second week of November, 3 weeks later than Michigan
  • Wisconsin: arrives late October, 1 week later than Michigan

Common questions

When do Common Goldeneyes arrive in Michigan?
Common Goldeneyes are winter birds in Michigan: the first arrive in mid October, they are common by the second week of November, peak in early March (14% of checklists), and most are gone by early April.
When do Common Goldeneyes leave Michigan?
Most Common Goldeneyes have left Michigan by early April, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until late April.
When is the best time to see a Common Goldeneye in Michigan?
The Common Goldeneye is reported most often in early March, on about 14% of Michigan checklists.
Where in Michigan are Common Goldeneyes seen most often?
By county, Schoolcraft County, Huron County, and Mackinac County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Common Goldeneye (counties with at least 200 checklists).