WhenToBird

Bucephala clangula · Anatidae

When Do Common Goldeneyes Arrive in Ohio?

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

Common Goldeneyes are winter birds in Ohio: the first arrive in the second week of November, they are common by late November, peak in early February (7.2% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of March.

When to look

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

Best: early February. First arrivals the second week of November; most are gone by the second week of March. Peak: on about 7.2% of Ohio 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. Octrare
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%2%4%6%8%Jan 1-7: 5.4% of 46637 checklistsJan 8-14: 5.7% of 31056 checklistsJan 15-21: 6.7% of 30129 checklistsJan 22-31: 7.3% of 38665 checklistsFeb 1-7: 7.5% of 27203 checklistsFeb 8-14: 6.9% of 30626 checklistsFeb 15-21: 5.7% of 40705 checklistsFeb 22-28: 7.3% of 31391 checklistsMar 1-7: 5.8% of 32914 checklistsMar 8-14: 3.9% of 33973 checklistsMar 15-21: 2.1% of 33678 checklistsMar 22-31: 1.1% of 49889 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.5% of 41225 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.3% of 47174 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.1% of 47017 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.1% of 73055 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.1% of 80637 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.1% of 102552 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 64582 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 52766 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 29279 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 25773 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.1% of 23163 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 27794 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.1% of 23334 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 22147 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 20998 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.1% of 29749 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 22899 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 21972 checklistsAug 15-21: 0% of 22215 checklistsAug 22-31: 0% of 35087 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.1% of 29148 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.1% of 28042 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.1% of 26751 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.1% of 32398 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.1% of 26209 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.1% of 26809 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.1% of 23504 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.2% of 33269 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.9% of 25563 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.8% of 23810 checklistsNov 15-21: 2.7% of 22127 checklistsNov 22-30: 3.0% of 29449 checklistsDec 1-7: 3.4% of 22370 checklistsDec 8-14: 3.8% of 21581 checklistsDec 15-21: 3.8% of 24232 checklistsDec 22-31: 4.6% of 36084 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 Ohio 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 Ohio

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Ashtabula CountyBest mid January · 112 checklists that week, 12,390 in all24%
  2. Allen CountyBest early January · 331 checklists that week, 7,709 in all19%
  3. Montgomery CountyBest late January · 1282 checklists that week, 46,673 in all18%
  4. Preble CountyBest late February · 170 checklists that week, 8,090 in all18%
  5. Trumbull CountyBest mid February · 529 checklists that week, 21,066 in all17%
  6. Mercer CountyBest late January · 15 checklists that week, 2,091 in all16%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Sims ParkCuyahoga County, best the second week of January · 82 checklists that week, 1,453 in all97%
  2. Columbia Rd ParkCuyahoga County, best the second week of December · 24 checklists that week, 379 in all92%
  3. Euclid ParkCuyahoga County, best late February · 21 checklists that week, 168 in all91%
  4. Marblehead Lighthouse State ParkOttawa County, best mid February · 74 checklists that week, 620 in all91%

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

Best time of day

In Ohio, the Common Goldeneye is most often listed on checklists started between 1 and 3 pm (2.3% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%12 am: too few checklists (574) to judge1 am: too few checklists (609) to judge2 am: too few checklists (466) to judge3 am: too few checklists (478) to judge4 am: too few checklists (662) to judge5 am: too few checklists (4366) to judge6 am: 0.1% of 43093 checklists7 am: 1.0% of 142017 checklists8 am: 1.6% of 205296 checklists9 am: 2.0% of 196322 checklists10 am: 2.2% of 170882 checklists11 am: 2.3% of 144567 checklists12 pm: 2.3% of 126551 checklists1 pm: 2.3% of 117855 checklists2 pm: 2.4% of 112869 checklists3 pm: 2.2% of 109786 checklists4 pm: 1.7% of 103116 checklists5 pm: 1.1% of 78409 checklists6 pm: 0.3% of 56785 checklists7 pm: 0.1% of 37923 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (14954) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2710) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (854) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (486) 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
January5.4%5.7%6.7%7.3%
February7.5%6.9%5.7%7.3%
March5.8%3.9%2.1%1.1%
April0.5%0.3%0.1%0.1%
May0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
June0.1%0.1%0.1%0%
July0.1%0%0%0.1%
August0%0%0%0%
September0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
October0.1%0.1%0.1%0.2%
November0.9%1.8%2.7%3.0%
December3.4%3.8%3.8%4.6%

Neighboring states

  • West Virginia: arrives early January, 7 weeks later than Ohio
  • Indiana: arrives the second week of November, in the same week than Ohio
  • Michigan: arrives mid October, 3 weeks earlier than Ohio
  • Kentucky: arrives late November, 2 weeks later than Ohio

Common questions

When do Common Goldeneyes arrive in Ohio?
Common Goldeneyes are winter birds in Ohio: the first arrive in the second week of November, they are common by late November, peak in early February (7.2% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of March.
When do Common Goldeneyes leave Ohio?
Most Common Goldeneyes have left Ohio 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 Common Goldeneye in Ohio?
The Common Goldeneye is reported most often in early February, on about 7.2% of Ohio checklists.
Where in Ohio are Common Goldeneyes seen most often?
By county, Ashtabula County, Allen County, and Montgomery County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Common Goldeneye (counties with at least 200 checklists).