WhenToBird

Gavia immer · Gaviidae

When Do Common Loons Arrive in Indiana?

Adult Common Loon
Photo: Hungry-Sarracenia Photo, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Common Loons are winter birds in Indiana: the first arrive in early March, they are common by the second week of March, peak in late March (8.0% of checklists), and most are gone by late April.

When to look

First arrivalsMar 1-7early March
Common byMar 8-14the second week of March
PeakMar 22-31late March
Most gone byApr 22-30late April

Best: late March. First arrivals early March; most are gone by late April. Peak: on about 8.0% of Indiana checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febrare
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Mayrare
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepnot usually seen
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Deccommon

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

0%5%10%Jan 1-7: 2.0% of 18123 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.2% of 12006 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.1% of 12403 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.1% of 16181 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.6% of 12546 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.4% of 14250 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.3% of 18077 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.3% of 13590 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.8% of 14545 checklistsMar 8-14: 2.8% of 14594 checklistsMar 15-21: 7.7% of 13894 checklistsMar 22-31: 9.3% of 22400 checklistsApr 1-7: 6.7% of 18069 checklistsApr 8-14: 4.0% of 19579 checklistsApr 15-21: 2.7% of 19518 checklistsApr 22-30: 1.3% of 30544 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.8% of 28430 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.7% of 30624 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.5% of 22920 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.3% of 21234 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.2% of 12279 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 10904 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.2% of 9488 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.1% of 11362 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.1% of 9947 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.1% of 9585 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.1% of 8929 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.1% of 12639 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.1% of 9528 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 9451 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.1% of 9442 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.1% of 14969 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.1% of 12628 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.1% of 11793 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.1% of 11396 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.1% of 14203 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.2% of 11365 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.2% of 12092 checklistsOct 15-21: 1.0% of 10440 checklistsOct 22-31: 2.8% of 13883 checklistsNov 1-7: 5.0% of 10476 checklistsNov 8-14: 5.6% of 9776 checklistsNov 15-21: 6.6% of 9035 checklistsNov 22-30: 6.0% of 12547 checklistsDec 1-7: 5.2% of 9078 checklistsDec 8-14: 3.4% of 8732 checklistsDec 15-21: 2.4% of 11024 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.9% of 15432 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 Indiana 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 Indiana

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Whitley CountyBest early April · 140 checklists that week, 4,695 in all45%
  2. Dubois CountyBest late November · 29 checklists that week, 1,896 in all34%
  3. Scott CountyBest mid November · 21 checklists that week, 798 in all34%
  4. Marshall CountyBest mid November · 14 checklists that week, 1,525 in all30%
  5. Howard CountyBest late March · 19 checklists that week, 788 in all29%
  6. Orange CountyBest mid December · 100 checklists that week, 1,311 in all29%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Monroe Recreation Area (Rush Ridge)Monroe County, best late November · 20 checklists that week, 294 in all95%
  2. Morse ParkHamilton County, best late March · 30 checklists that week, 625 in all93%
  3. Paynetown State Recreation AreaMonroe County, best late November · 52 checklists that week, 989 in all90%
  4. Fall Creek Trail at Geist DamMarion County, best late March · 107 checklists that week, 1,733 in all89%
  5. Monroe Recreation AreaMonroe County, best late March · 121 checklists that week, 3,126 in all82%

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

Best time of day

In Indiana, the Common Loon is most often listed on checklists started between 2 and 4 pm (2.3% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%12 am: too few checklists (240) to judge1 am: too few checklists (231) to judge2 am: too few checklists (222) to judge3 am: too few checklists (202) to judge4 am: too few checklists (674) to judge5 am: too few checklists (4329) to judge6 am: 1.7% of 20589 checklists7 am: 1.6% of 58470 checklists8 am: 1.5% of 86931 checklists9 am: 1.8% of 78239 checklists10 am: 1.8% of 66080 checklists11 am: 2.0% of 54904 checklists12 pm: 2.1% of 47610 checklists1 pm: 2.2% of 44814 checklists2 pm: 2.3% of 43790 checklists3 pm: 2.3% of 42983 checklists4 pm: 2.2% of 45349 checklists5 pm: 1.9% of 35993 checklists6 pm: 1.5% of 26447 checklists7 pm: 1.5% of 17740 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (7603) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1721) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (517) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (272) 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
January2.0%1.2%1.1%1.1%
February0.6%0.4%0.3%0.3%
March0.8%2.8%7.7%9.3%
April6.7%4.0%2.7%1.3%
May0.8%0.7%0.5%0.3%
June0.2%0.1%0.2%0.1%
July0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
August0.1%0%0.1%0.1%
September0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
October0.2%0.2%1.0%2.8%
November5.0%5.6%6.6%6.0%
December5.2%3.4%2.4%1.9%

Neighboring states

  • Illinois: arrives the second week of March, 1 week later than Indiana
  • Kentucky: arrives mid October, 18 weeks earlier than Indiana
  • Ohio: arrives mid October, 18 weeks earlier than Indiana
  • Michigan: arrives mid March, 2 weeks later than Indiana

Common questions

When do Common Loons arrive in Indiana?
Common Loons are winter birds in Indiana: the first arrive in early March, they are common by the second week of March, peak in late March (8.0% of checklists), and most are gone by late April.
When do Common Loons leave Indiana?
Most Common Loons have left Indiana by late April, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Common Loon in Indiana?
The Common Loon is reported most often in late March, on about 8.0% of Indiana checklists.
Where in Indiana are Common Loons seen most often?
By county, Whitley County, Dubois County, and Scott County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Common Loon (counties with at least 200 checklists).