WhenToBird

Mareca strepera · Anatidae

When Do Gadwalls Arrive in Nebraska?

Adult Gadwall
Photo: Anne Parsons, CC0 1.0 via iNaturalist

Gadwalls are winter birds in Nebraska: the first arrive in mid August, they are common by the second week of October, peak in late March (19% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of May.

When to look

First arrivalsAug 15-21mid August
Common byOct 8-14the second week of October
PeakMar 22-31late March
Most gone byMay 8-14the second week of May

Best: late March. First arrivals mid August; most are gone by the second week of May. Peak: on about 19% of Nebraska checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Junrare
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augrare
  9. Seprare
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%10%20%30%Jan 1-7: 3.4% of 4210 checklistsJan 8-14: 2.3% of 2891 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.5% of 2685 checklistsJan 22-31: 2.0% of 3834 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.6% of 2803 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.5% of 3134 checklistsFeb 15-21: 2.4% of 4508 checklistsFeb 22-28: 5.4% of 3238 checklistsMar 1-7: 12% of 3862 checklistsMar 8-14: 17% of 4894 checklistsMar 15-21: 18% of 5862 checklistsMar 22-31: 20% of 8598 checklistsApr 1-7: 20% of 5530 checklistsApr 8-14: 17% of 5528 checklistsApr 15-21: 18% of 6091 checklistsApr 22-30: 12% of 8661 checklistsMay 1-7: 6.4% of 9842 checklistsMay 8-14: 3.5% of 10044 checklistsMay 15-21: 3.4% of 8863 checklistsMay 22-31: 2.3% of 10207 checklistsJun 1-7: 1.4% of 4922 checklistsJun 8-14: 1.7% of 4054 checklistsJun 15-21: 1.4% of 3680 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.8% of 4349 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.6% of 3277 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.4% of 2803 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.7% of 2842 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.3% of 3920 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.6% of 2981 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.6% of 2819 checklistsAug 15-21: 1.0% of 3179 checklistsAug 22-31: 1.3% of 4599 checklistsSep 1-7: 1.2% of 3958 checklistsSep 8-14: 1.3% of 3460 checklistsSep 15-21: 1.7% of 3435 checklistsSep 22-30: 2.4% of 4975 checklistsOct 1-7: 3.0% of 3611 checklistsOct 8-14: 5.2% of 3605 checklistsOct 15-21: 6.7% of 3474 checklistsOct 22-31: 12% of 4352 checklistsNov 1-7: 15% of 3119 checklistsNov 8-14: 14% of 2887 checklistsNov 15-21: 10% of 2568 checklistsNov 22-30: 9.9% of 3506 checklistsDec 1-7: 9.7% of 2453 checklistsDec 8-14: 5.8% of 2756 checklistsDec 15-21: 3.9% of 3760 checklistsDec 22-31: 3.8% of 3746 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 Nebraska 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 Nebraska

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Pierce CountyBest early April · 10 checklists that week, 516 in all62%
  2. Grant CountyBest mid March · 10 checklists that week, 388 in all55%
  3. Stanton CountyBest late March · 19 checklists that week, 835 in all54%
  4. Dakota CountyBest mid November · 53 checklists that week, 2,182 in all52%
  5. Fillmore CountyBest mid March · 14 checklists that week, 503 in all46%
  6. Pawnee CountyBest late March · 41 checklists that week, 586 in all44%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. North Lake Basin Wildlife Management AreaSeward County, best late March · 23 checklists that week, 438 in all76%
  2. Wehrspann Recreation AreaSarpy County, best the second week of November · 20 checklists that week, 716 in all73%
  3. Straight Water Wildlife Management AreaSeward County, best late March · 24 checklists that week, 315 in all68%

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

Best time of day

In Nebraska, the Gadwall is most often listed on checklists started between 1 and 3 pm (8.3% of those checklists).

0%5%10%12 am: too few checklists (60) to judge1 am: too few checklists (70) to judge2 am: too few checklists (74) to judge3 am: too few checklists (97) to judge4 am: too few checklists (318) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1382) to judge6 am: 5.1% of 6945 checklists7 am: 5.0% of 19066 checklists8 am: 5.9% of 24661 checklists9 am: 6.8% of 23438 checklists10 am: 7.1% of 20424 checklists11 am: 7.4% of 16727 checklists12 pm: 7.8% of 14774 checklists1 pm: 8.1% of 14443 checklists2 pm: 8.4% of 14830 checklists3 pm: 7.5% of 14445 checklists4 pm: 7.4% of 13353 checklists5 pm: 6.7% of 10506 checklists6 pm: 7.2% of 9208 checklists7 pm: 4.5% of 6334 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (2406) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (531) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (201) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (82) 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
January3.4%2.3%1.5%2.0%
February1.6%1.5%2.4%5.4%
March12%17%18%20%
April20%17%18%12%
May6.4%3.5%3.4%2.3%
June1.4%1.7%1.4%0.8%
July0.6%0.4%0.7%0.3%
August0.6%0.6%1.0%1.3%
September1.2%1.3%1.7%2.4%
October3.0%5.2%6.7%12%
November15%14%10%9.9%
December9.7%5.8%3.9%3.8%

Neighboring states

  • Kansas: arrives late September, 5 weeks later than Nebraska
  • South Dakota: arrives the second week of March, 21 weeks earlier than Nebraska
  • Iowa: arrives the second week of February, 23 weeks later than Nebraska
  • Missouri: arrives early October, 6 weeks later than Nebraska

Common questions

When do Gadwalls arrive in Nebraska?
Gadwalls are winter birds in Nebraska: the first arrive in mid August, they are common by the second week of October, peak in late March (19% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of May.
When do Gadwalls leave Nebraska?
Most Gadwalls have left Nebraska by the second week of May, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until mid June.
When is the best time to see a Gadwall in Nebraska?
The Gadwall is reported most often in late March, on about 19% of Nebraska checklists.
Where in Nebraska are Gadwalls seen most often?
By county, Pierce County, Grant County, and Stanton County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Gadwall (counties with at least 200 checklists).