WhenToBird

Gavia immer · Gaviidae

When Do Common Loons Arrive in Ohio?

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

Common Loons are winter birds in Ohio: they arrive in mid October, peak in mid November (7.8% of checklists), and most are gone by early January.

When to look

First arrivalsOct 15-21mid October
Common byOct 15-21mid October
PeakNov 15-21mid November
Most gone byJan 1-7early January

Best: mid November. First arrivals mid October; most are gone by early January. Peak: on about 7.8% of Ohio checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Junrare
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepnot usually seen
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Deccommon

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

0%5%10%Jan 1-7: 1.6% of 46637 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.7% of 31056 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.4% of 30129 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.4% of 38665 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.3% of 27203 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.1% of 30626 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.1% of 40705 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.1% of 31391 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.2% of 32914 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.0% of 33973 checklistsMar 15-21: 4.3% of 33678 checklistsMar 22-31: 7.0% of 49889 checklistsApr 1-7: 6.4% of 41225 checklistsApr 8-14: 4.8% of 47174 checklistsApr 15-21: 3.5% of 47017 checklistsApr 22-30: 2.4% of 73055 checklistsMay 1-7: 1.3% of 80637 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.8% of 102552 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.6% of 64582 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.4% of 52766 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.4% of 29279 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.2% of 25773 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.2% of 23163 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.1% of 27794 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.1% of 23334 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.1% of 22147 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.1% of 20998 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.2% of 29749 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.1% of 22899 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.1% of 21972 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.1% of 22215 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.1% 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: 0.2% of 26809 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.8% of 23504 checklistsOct 22-31: 3.6% of 33269 checklistsNov 1-7: 5.6% of 25563 checklistsNov 8-14: 7.8% of 23810 checklistsNov 15-21: 8.9% of 22127 checklistsNov 22-30: 7.1% of 29449 checklistsDec 1-7: 4.8% of 22370 checklistsDec 8-14: 2.7% of 21581 checklistsDec 15-21: 2.0% of 24232 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.6% 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. Fulton CountyBest early April · 65 checklists that week, 2,375 in all26%
  2. Allen CountyBest late March · 335 checklists that week, 7,709 in all26%
  3. Trumbull CountyBest mid November · 373 checklists that week, 21,066 in all24%
  4. Champaign CountyBest late March · 82 checklists that week, 2,549 in all23%
  5. Hancock CountyBest early November · 131 checklists that week, 9,040 in all21%
  6. Paulding CountyBest late March · 48 checklists that week, 1,653 in all21%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Ferguson ReservoirAllen County, best the second week of April · 23 checklists that week, 668 in all91%
  2. Clear Fork Reservoir (west)Richland County, best late March · 29 checklists that week, 496 in all91%
  3. Akron City ReservoirGeauga County, best early April · 131 checklists that week, 4,955 in all89%
  4. Caesar Creek Recreation Area (Trace Run)Warren County, best late November · 26 checklists that week, 547 in all88%
  5. Buck Creek State Park (southwest)Clark County, best late March · 25 checklists that week, 727 in all86%
  6. Findlay Upground Reservoir Number TwoHancock County, best the second week of April · 23 checklists that week, 1,191 in all86%

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

Best time of day

In Ohio, the Common Loon is most often listed on checklists started between 9 and 11 am (1.9% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%2%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: 1.3% of 43093 checklists7 am: 1.9% of 142017 checklists8 am: 1.8% of 205296 checklists9 am: 2.0% of 196322 checklists10 am: 1.9% of 170882 checklists11 am: 1.8% of 144567 checklists12 pm: 1.7% of 126551 checklists1 pm: 1.8% of 117855 checklists2 pm: 1.9% of 112869 checklists3 pm: 1.7% of 109786 checklists4 pm: 1.7% of 103116 checklists5 pm: 1.6% of 78409 checklists6 pm: 1.5% of 56785 checklists7 pm: 1.2% 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
January1.6%0.7%0.4%0.4%
February0.3%0.1%0.1%0.1%
March0.2%1.0%4.3%7.0%
April6.4%4.8%3.5%2.4%
May1.3%0.8%0.6%0.4%
June0.4%0.2%0.2%0.1%
July0.1%0.1%0.1%0.2%
August0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
September0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
October0.1%0.2%0.8%3.6%
November5.6%7.8%8.9%7.1%
December4.8%2.7%2.0%1.6%

Neighboring states

  • West Virginia: arrives mid October, in the same week than Ohio
  • Indiana: arrives early March, 18 weeks later than Ohio
  • Michigan: arrives mid March, 20 weeks later than Ohio
  • Kentucky: arrives mid October, in the same week than Ohio

Common questions

When do Common Loons arrive in Ohio?
Common Loons are winter birds in Ohio: they arrive in mid October, peak in mid November (7.8% of checklists), and most are gone by early January.
When do Common Loons leave Ohio?
Most Common Loons have left Ohio by early January, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Common Loon in Ohio?
The Common Loon is reported most often in mid November, on about 7.8% of Ohio checklists.
Where in Ohio are Common Loons seen most often?
By county, Fulton County, Allen County, and Trumbull County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Common Loon (counties with at least 200 checklists).