WhenToBird

Leucophaeus pipixcan · Laridae

When Do Franklin's Gulls Arrive in Oklahoma?

Adult Franklin's Gull
Photo: Dani Alba, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Franklin's Gulls are winter birds in Oklahoma: the first arrive in the second week of September, they are common by mid September, peak in early November (17% of checklists), and most are gone by early December.

When to look

First arrivalsSep 8-14the second week of September
Common bySep 15-21mid September
PeakNov 1-7early November
Most gone byDec 1-7early December

Best: early November. First arrivals the second week of September; most are gone by early December. Peak: on about 17% of Oklahoma checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Jununcommon
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%10%20%30%Jan 1-7: 0.1% of 6087 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.1% of 4350 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.1% of 4381 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.1% of 6165 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.1% of 4259 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0% of 4589 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.1% of 7001 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.1% of 4482 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.4% of 4724 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.9% of 4571 checklistsMar 15-21: 1.3% of 4393 checklistsMar 22-31: 3.1% of 7544 checklistsApr 1-7: 6.0% of 5967 checklistsApr 8-14: 9.3% of 6543 checklistsApr 15-21: 15% of 7366 checklistsApr 22-30: 13% of 10618 checklistsMay 1-7: 8.4% of 8835 checklistsMay 8-14: 5.4% of 8247 checklistsMay 15-21: 5.4% of 6081 checklistsMay 22-31: 4.6% of 7283 checklistsJun 1-7: 1.6% of 4256 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.7% of 3774 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.7% of 3541 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.1% of 4159 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.1% of 3209 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.1% of 2916 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.1% of 2861 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.4% of 4146 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.6% of 3043 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.5% of 2839 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.6% of 3014 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.4% of 4759 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.9% of 3861 checklistsSep 8-14: 1.6% of 3748 checklistsSep 15-21: 1.6% of 3569 checklistsSep 22-30: 3.1% of 4830 checklistsOct 1-7: 4.8% of 3809 checklistsOct 8-14: 6.7% of 4142 checklistsOct 15-21: 12% of 3705 checklistsOct 22-31: 14% of 4738 checklistsNov 1-7: 21% of 3823 checklistsNov 8-14: 16% of 3849 checklistsNov 15-21: 9.1% of 3722 checklistsNov 22-30: 4.7% of 4795 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.6% of 3324 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.8% of 3574 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.4% of 3884 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.1% of 5774 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 Oklahoma 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 Oklahoma

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Canadian CountyBest mid April · 248 checklists that week, 4,307 in all46%
  2. Delaware CountyBest early November · 12 checklists that week, 1,727 in all38%
  3. Alfalfa CountyBest mid October · 76 checklists that week, 3,843 in all35%
  4. Washington CountyBest early November · 19 checklists that week, 2,263 in all35%
  5. Marshall CountyBest mid April · 11 checklists that week, 590 in all35%
  6. Blaine CountyBest the second week of September · 11 checklists that week, 732 in all33%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. CLO LandsPayne County, best late October · 39 checklists that week, 1,208 in all94%
  2. Lake Thunderbird State ParkCleveland County, best late October · 38 checklists that week, 824 in all90%
  3. Lake Hefner (Ski Island Lake)Oklahoma County, best late May · 28 checklists that week, 428 in all74%
  4. Stars & Stripes ParkOklahoma County, best mid May · 23 checklists that week, 1,039 in all73%
  5. Lake YaholaTulsa County, best early November · 39 checklists that week, 1,291 in all71%

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

Best time of day

In Oklahoma, the Franklin's Gull is most often listed on checklists started between 5 and 7 pm (5.2% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%12 am: too few checklists (91) to judge1 am: too few checklists (65) to judge2 am: too few checklists (73) to judge3 am: too few checklists (73) to judge4 am: too few checklists (100) to judge5 am: too few checklists (647) to judge6 am: 4.1% of 8353 checklists7 am: 4.7% of 24509 checklists8 am: 4.2% of 27848 checklists9 am: 4.0% of 25316 checklists10 am: 3.9% of 21161 checklists11 am: 3.9% of 18730 checklists12 pm: 3.7% of 16097 checklists1 pm: 4.4% of 14028 checklists2 pm: 4.3% of 13599 checklists3 pm: 4.8% of 14228 checklists4 pm: 4.9% of 14597 checklists5 pm: 5.0% of 12125 checklists6 pm: 5.6% of 9337 checklists7 pm: 3.1% of 6944 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (2403) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (459) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (226) 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
January0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
February0.1%0%0.1%0.1%
March0.4%0.9%1.3%3.1%
April6.0%9.3%15%13%
May8.4%5.4%5.4%4.6%
June1.6%0.7%0.7%0.1%
July0.1%0.1%0.1%0.4%
August0.6%0.5%0.6%0.4%
September0.9%1.6%1.6%3.1%
October4.8%6.7%12%14%
November21%16%9.1%4.7%
December1.6%0.8%0.4%0.1%

Neighboring states

  • Kansas: arrives early July, 9 weeks earlier than Oklahoma
  • Arkansas: arrives mid October, 5 weeks later than Oklahoma
  • Missouri: arrives mid September, 1 week later than Oklahoma
  • Nebraska: arrives mid July, 7 weeks earlier than Oklahoma

Common questions

When do Franklin's Gulls arrive in Oklahoma?
Franklin's Gulls are winter birds in Oklahoma: the first arrive in the second week of September, they are common by mid September, peak in early November (17% of checklists), and most are gone by early December.
When do Franklin's Gulls leave Oklahoma?
Most Franklin's Gulls have left Oklahoma by early December, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Franklin's Gull in Oklahoma?
The Franklin's Gull is reported most often in early November, on about 17% of Oklahoma checklists.
Where in Oklahoma are Franklin's Gulls seen most often?
By county, Canadian County, Delaware County, and Alfalfa County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Franklin's Gull (counties with at least 200 checklists).