WhenToBird

Sterna forsteri · Laridae

When Do Forster's Terns Arrive in Virginia?

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

Forster's Terns reach Virginia in the second week of March, are common by late March, peak in early September (4.7% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of January.

When to look

First arrivalsMar 8-14the second week of March
Common byMar 22-31late March
PeakSep 1-7early September
Most gone byJan 8-14the second week of January

Best: early September. First arrivals the second week of March; most are gone by the second week of January. Peak: on about 4.7% of Virginia checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Jununcommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%2%4%6%Jan 1-7: 1.7% of 32817 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.6% of 25111 checklistsJan 15-21: 2.0% of 25510 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.3% of 34492 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.2% of 24950 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.1% of 28224 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.9% of 43578 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.2% of 26467 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.1% of 25851 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.1% of 25901 checklistsMar 15-21: 1.4% of 26747 checklistsMar 22-31: 1.9% of 40819 checklistsApr 1-7: 2.4% of 31351 checklistsApr 8-14: 2.8% of 33239 checklistsApr 15-21: 3.0% of 37284 checklistsApr 22-30: 2.2% of 54364 checklistsMay 1-7: 2.1% of 47698 checklistsMay 8-14: 2.0% of 46174 checklistsMay 15-21: 2.3% of 36444 checklistsMay 22-31: 1.6% of 43203 checklistsJun 1-7: 1.2% of 28503 checklistsJun 8-14: 1.4% of 25485 checklistsJun 15-21: 1.3% of 23728 checklistsJun 22-30: 1.4% of 28785 checklistsJul 1-7: 2.1% of 22294 checklistsJul 8-14: 1.9% of 20481 checklistsJul 15-21: 2.6% of 18914 checklistsJul 22-31: 2.9% of 26976 checklistsAug 1-7: 3.5% of 19555 checklistsAug 8-14: 4.2% of 18744 checklistsAug 15-21: 4.3% of 18721 checklistsAug 22-31: 4.4% of 28763 checklistsSep 1-7: 4.8% of 23594 checklistsSep 8-14: 4.9% of 22581 checklistsSep 15-21: 3.5% of 23036 checklistsSep 22-30: 3.5% of 29687 checklistsOct 1-7: 3.4% of 24321 checklistsOct 8-14: 2.7% of 23946 checklistsOct 15-21: 2.9% of 22191 checklistsOct 22-31: 2.6% of 30161 checklistsNov 1-7: 3.0% of 21431 checklistsNov 8-14: 4.3% of 22758 checklistsNov 15-21: 2.7% of 19988 checklistsNov 22-30: 3.1% of 27665 checklistsDec 1-7: 2.1% of 19324 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.5% of 20316 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.6% of 25675 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.9% of 38677 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 Virginia 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 Virginia

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Poquoson CountyBest the second week of April · 109 checklists that week, 2,669 in all48%
  2. Accomack CountyBest mid April · 1152 checklists that week, 43,278 in all41%
  3. Mathews CountyBest late August · 120 checklists that week, 3,594 in all32%
  4. Surry CountyBest early August · 69 checklists that week, 2,669 in all31%
  5. Prince George CountyBest the second week of September · 19 checklists that week, 1,809 in all24%
  6. Northumberland CountyBest mid November · 49 checklists that week, 4,172 in all24%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Shelly BayAccomack County, best mid May · 43 checklists that week, 1,348 in all87%
  2. Little Toms Cove (northwest)Accomack County, best early July · 38 checklists that week, 1,972 in all85%
  3. Fore Landing CreekPoquoson County, best the second week of April · 24 checklists that week, 525 in all81%
  4. Cape Charles State Natural Area PreserveNorthampton County, best late November · 40 checklists that week, 725 in all76%
  5. Bethel Beach State Natural Area PreserveMathews County, best late March · 20 checklists that week, 931 in all75%

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

Best time of day

In Virginia, the Forster's Tern is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (3.0% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%12 am: too few checklists (485) to judge1 am: too few checklists (488) to judge2 am: too few checklists (423) to judge3 am: too few checklists (565) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1410) to judge5 am: too few checklists (10265) to judge6 am: 4.3% of 64788 checklists7 am: 2.4% of 169128 checklists8 am: 2.1% of 180748 checklists9 am: 2.1% of 153462 checklists10 am: 2.2% of 128966 checklists11 am: 2.3% of 104204 checklists12 pm: 2.2% of 91604 checklists1 pm: 2.4% of 85547 checklists2 pm: 2.4% of 82355 checklists3 pm: 2.2% of 82265 checklists4 pm: 2.0% of 76714 checklists5 pm: 2.1% of 56782 checklists6 pm: 1.9% of 40131 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (24290) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (7744) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2383) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1122) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (651) 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
January1.7%1.6%2.0%1.3%
February1.2%1.1%0.9%1.2%
March1.1%1.1%1.4%1.9%
April2.4%2.8%3.0%2.2%
May2.1%2.0%2.3%1.6%
June1.2%1.4%1.3%1.4%
July2.1%1.9%2.6%2.9%
August3.5%4.2%4.3%4.4%
September4.8%4.9%3.5%3.5%
October3.4%2.7%2.9%2.6%
November3.0%4.3%2.7%3.1%
December2.1%1.5%1.6%1.9%

Neighboring states

  • District of Columbia: arrives early August, 19 weeks later than Virginia
  • Maryland: arrives late March, 2 weeks later than Virginia
  • Delaware: arrives the second week of March, in the same week than Virginia
  • North Carolina: arrives mid June, 13 weeks later than Virginia

Common questions

When do Forster's Terns arrive in Virginia?
Forster's Terns reach Virginia in the second week of March, are common by late March, peak in early September (4.7% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of January.
When do Forster's Terns leave Virginia?
Most Forster's Terns have left Virginia by the second week of January, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until early February.
When is the best time to see a Forster's Tern in Virginia?
The Forster's Tern is reported most often in early September, on about 4.7% of Virginia checklists.
Where in Virginia are Forster's Terns seen most often?
By county, Poquoson County, Accomack County, and Mathews County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Forster's Tern (counties with at least 200 checklists).