WhenToBird

Sterna forsteri · Laridae

When Do Forster's Terns Arrive in Alabama?

Adult Forster's Tern
Photo: Aitor, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Forster's Terns are winter birds in Alabama: the first arrive in late June, they are common by late July, peak in the second week of October (5.2% of checklists), and most are gone by early May.

When to look

First arrivalsJun 22-30late June
Common byJul 22-31late July
PeakOct 8-14the second week of October
Most gone byMay 1-7early May

Best: the second week of October. First arrivals late June; most are gone by early May. Peak: on about 5.2% of Alabama checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maycommon
  6. Jununcommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%2%4%6%Jan 1-7: 3.8% of 8642 checklistsJan 8-14: 4.3% of 6607 checklistsJan 15-21: 3.2% of 6680 checklistsJan 22-31: 3.2% of 9008 checklistsFeb 1-7: 3.5% of 6642 checklistsFeb 8-14: 3.2% of 7568 checklistsFeb 15-21: 2.5% of 9929 checklistsFeb 22-28: 3.2% of 6490 checklistsMar 1-7: 3.1% of 6458 checklistsMar 8-14: 3.2% of 6570 checklistsMar 15-21: 3.5% of 6773 checklistsMar 22-31: 3.7% of 10830 checklistsApr 1-7: 3.8% of 8995 checklistsApr 8-14: 3.9% of 10390 checklistsApr 15-21: 4.8% of 12700 checklistsApr 22-30: 3.5% of 14225 checklistsMay 1-7: 2.5% of 9140 checklistsMay 8-14: 1.6% of 8111 checklistsMay 15-21: 1.3% of 6353 checklistsMay 22-31: 1.4% of 8318 checklistsJun 1-7: 1.1% of 5231 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.9% of 4757 checklistsJun 15-21: 1.3% of 4646 checklistsJun 22-30: 1.6% of 5740 checklistsJul 1-7: 1.9% of 4694 checklistsJul 8-14: 1.6% of 4178 checklistsJul 15-21: 1.8% of 4109 checklistsJul 22-31: 2.7% of 6000 checklistsAug 1-7: 3.5% of 4666 checklistsAug 8-14: 3.3% of 4468 checklistsAug 15-21: 3.8% of 4474 checklistsAug 22-31: 4.5% of 6494 checklistsSep 1-7: 4.6% of 5434 checklistsSep 8-14: 4.7% of 5216 checklistsSep 15-21: 4.0% of 5162 checklistsSep 22-30: 4.2% of 7474 checklistsOct 1-7: 5.6% of 6916 checklistsOct 8-14: 5.3% of 7332 checklistsOct 15-21: 4.7% of 6038 checklistsOct 22-31: 4.9% of 7071 checklistsNov 1-7: 4.1% of 5207 checklistsNov 8-14: 4.9% of 4883 checklistsNov 15-21: 4.7% of 5122 checklistsNov 22-30: 4.0% of 7130 checklistsDec 1-7: 3.8% of 4897 checklistsDec 8-14: 4.1% of 4738 checklistsDec 15-21: 4.1% of 5321 checklistsDec 22-31: 4.4% of 9158 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 Alabama 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 Alabama

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Mobile CountyBest late August · 434 checklists that week, 34,270 in all20%
  2. Baldwin CountyBest early September · 883 checklists that week, 54,971 in all18%
  3. Barbour CountyBest late November · 78 checklists that week, 2,947 in all16%
  4. Marshall CountyBest mid April · 111 checklists that week, 5,647 in all14%
  5. Colbert CountyBest late March · 148 checklists that week, 4,794 in all11%
  6. Wilcox CountyBest late December · 20 checklists that week, 564 in all11%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Florida PointBaldwin County, best mid March · 44 checklists that week, 316 in all73%
  2. Village PointBaldwin County, best mid December · 59 checklists that week, 3,600 in all72%
  3. Meaher State ParkBaldwin County, best mid November · 22 checklists that week, 1,299 in all59%
  4. 5 Rivers Delta Resource CenterBaldwin County, best the second week of November · 24 checklists that week, 1,050 in all59%

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

Best time of day

In Alabama, the Forster's Tern is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (5.1% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%12 am: too few checklists (109) to judge1 am: too few checklists (111) to judge2 am: too few checklists (112) to judge3 am: too few checklists (143) to judge4 am: too few checklists (303) to judge5 am: too few checklists (4125) to judge6 am: 5.9% of 26677 checklists7 am: 4.6% of 42599 checklists8 am: 3.3% of 39919 checklists9 am: 3.2% of 34699 checklists10 am: 3.2% of 28551 checklists11 am: 3.1% of 23505 checklists12 pm: 3.0% of 20345 checklists1 pm: 3.3% of 18964 checklists2 pm: 3.3% of 20110 checklists3 pm: 3.3% of 20685 checklists4 pm: 2.5% of 19041 checklists5 pm: 2.4% of 13807 checklists6 pm: 1.7% of 8507 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (3367) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (637) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (295) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (233) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (141) 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
January3.8%4.3%3.2%3.2%
February3.5%3.2%2.5%3.2%
March3.1%3.2%3.5%3.7%
April3.8%3.9%4.8%3.5%
May2.5%1.6%1.3%1.4%
June1.1%0.9%1.3%1.6%
July1.9%1.6%1.8%2.7%
August3.5%3.3%3.8%4.5%
September4.6%4.7%4.0%4.2%
October5.6%5.3%4.7%4.9%
November4.1%4.9%4.7%4.0%
December3.8%4.1%4.1%4.4%

Neighboring states

  • Mississippi: arrives mid August, 7 weeks later than Alabama
  • Georgia: arrives the second week of September, 10 weeks later than Alabama
  • Tennessee: arrives mid July, 3 weeks later than Alabama
  • Louisiana: arrives mid March, 13 weeks earlier than Alabama

Common questions

When do Forster's Terns arrive in Alabama?
Forster's Terns are winter birds in Alabama: the first arrive in late June, they are common by late July, peak in the second week of October (5.2% of checklists), and most are gone by early May.
When do Forster's Terns leave Alabama?
Most Forster's Terns have left Alabama by early May, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until mid May.
When is the best time to see a Forster's Tern in Alabama?
The Forster's Tern is reported most often in the second week of October, on about 5.2% of Alabama checklists.
Where in Alabama are Forster's Terns seen most often?
By county, Mobile County, Baldwin County, and Barbour County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Forster's Tern (counties with at least 200 checklists).