WhenToBird

Mareca strepera · Anatidae

When Do Gadwalls Arrive in Washington?

Adult Gadwall
Photo: Anne Parsons, CC0 1.0 via iNaturalist

The Gadwall is in Washington all year. It turns up on about 12% of checklists at its peak (late April) and on 3.5% in its quietest week (mid July).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekApr 22-30late April
Quietest weekJul 15-21mid July

Best: late April. Here all year. Peak: on about 12% of Washington checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Juluncommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 11% of 41928 checklistsJan 8-14: 11% of 31152 checklistsJan 15-21: 11% of 31753 checklistsJan 22-31: 11% of 42530 checklistsFeb 1-7: 11% of 29739 checklistsFeb 8-14: 9.8% of 32746 checklistsFeb 15-21: 9.2% of 40328 checklistsFeb 22-28: 12% of 28432 checklistsMar 1-7: 12% of 30758 checklistsMar 8-14: 12% of 29368 checklistsMar 15-21: 12% of 32580 checklistsMar 22-31: 12% of 45614 checklistsApr 1-7: 12% of 33997 checklistsApr 8-14: 12% of 34729 checklistsApr 15-21: 12% of 38474 checklistsApr 22-30: 12% of 52185 checklistsMay 1-7: 12% of 44236 checklistsMay 8-14: 12% of 48708 checklistsMay 15-21: 12% of 41742 checklistsMay 22-31: 11% of 57082 checklistsJun 1-7: 8.8% of 39193 checklistsJun 8-14: 7.9% of 36042 checklistsJun 15-21: 6.4% of 34003 checklistsJun 22-30: 5.2% of 39711 checklistsJul 1-7: 4.0% of 31949 checklistsJul 8-14: 3.7% of 29086 checklistsJul 15-21: 3.5% of 28045 checklistsJul 22-31: 3.4% of 38275 checklistsAug 1-7: 3.7% of 28846 checklistsAug 8-14: 4.3% of 28036 checklistsAug 15-21: 5.6% of 27614 checklistsAug 22-31: 6.5% of 40356 checklistsSep 1-7: 6.9% of 31214 checklistsSep 8-14: 7.6% of 27795 checklistsSep 15-21: 7.4% of 29677 checklistsSep 22-30: 8.4% of 35241 checklistsOct 1-7: 8.5% of 28605 checklistsOct 8-14: 9.1% of 28655 checklistsOct 15-21: 9.8% of 24643 checklistsOct 22-31: 10% of 34874 checklistsNov 1-7: 10% of 25658 checklistsNov 8-14: 11% of 25700 checklistsNov 15-21: 11% of 24331 checklistsNov 22-30: 12% of 32784 checklistsDec 1-7: 11% of 24099 checklistsDec 8-14: 11% of 23339 checklistsDec 15-21: 9.7% of 27666 checklistsDec 22-31: 11% of 42130 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 Washington 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 Washington

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Adams CountyBest late May · 223 checklists that week, 4,574 in all38%
  2. Lincoln CountyBest the second week of May · 278 checklists that week, 6,135 in all37%
  3. Skamania CountyBest early February · 177 checklists that week, 10,140 in all35%
  4. Wahkiakum CountyBest mid November · 66 checklists that week, 5,618 in all29%
  5. Clark CountyBest late May · 1937 checklists that week, 53,250 in all28%
  6. Walla Walla CountyBest the second week of May · 1154 checklists that week, 35,829 in all26%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Kah Tai Lagoon Nature ParkJefferson County, best early June · 49 checklists that week, 2,811 in all96%
  2. James T. Slavin Family Conservation AreaSpokane County, best late May · 22 checklists that week, 649 in all96%
  3. Old ChannelSkagit County, best mid May · 21 checklists that week, 1,445 in all94%

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

Best time of day

In Washington, the Gadwall is most often listed on checklists started between 2 and 4 pm (10% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%12 am: too few checklists (796) to judge1 am: too few checklists (776) to judge2 am: too few checklists (709) to judge3 am: too few checklists (901) to judge4 am: too few checklists (3221) to judge5 am: too few checklists (16576) to judge6 am: 9.8% of 56744 checklists7 am: 9.3% of 133294 checklists8 am: 9.6% of 184196 checklists9 am: 9.5% of 186303 checklists10 am: 10% of 177063 checklists11 am: 9.9% of 154936 checklists12 pm: 9.6% of 138061 checklists1 pm: 10% of 127449 checklists2 pm: 10% of 121511 checklists3 pm: 10% of 107793 checklists4 pm: 8.9% of 82862 checklists5 pm: 8.6% of 57183 checklists6 pm: 7.7% of 39886 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (26969) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (12427) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (3658) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1500) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (834) 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
January11%11%11%11%
February11%9.8%9.2%12%
March12%12%12%12%
April12%12%12%12%
May12%12%12%11%
June8.8%7.9%6.4%5.2%
July4.0%3.7%3.5%3.4%
August3.7%4.3%5.6%6.5%
September6.9%7.6%7.4%8.4%
October8.5%9.1%9.8%10%
November10%11%11%12%
December11%11%9.7%11%

Neighboring states

  • Oregon: all year, most in spring, peaks the second week of May
  • Idaho: year-round, peaks mid April
  • Montana: summer visitor, peaks late April
  • Nevada: all year, most in winter, peaks mid April

Common questions

When do Gadwalls arrive in Washington?
The Gadwall is in Washington all year. It turns up on about 12% of checklists at its peak (late April) and on 3.5% in its quietest week (mid July).
When do Gadwalls leave Washington?
The Gadwall does not leave Washington: it is reported all year, from 3.5% of checklists in mid July to 12% in late April.
When is the best time to see a Gadwall in Washington?
The Gadwall is reported most often in late April, on about 12% of Washington checklists.
Where in Washington are Gadwalls seen most often?
By county, Adams County, Lincoln County, and Skamania County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Gadwall (counties with at least 200 checklists).