WhenToBird

Larus marinus · Laridae

When Do Great Black-backed Gulls Arrive in Vermont?

Adult Great Black-backed Gull
Photo: Rob Wadsworth, CC0 1.0 via iNaturalist

Great Black-backed Gulls are winter birds in Vermont: the first arrive in late July, they are common by early August, peak in the second week of January (3.4% of checklists), and most are gone by mid March.

When to look

First arrivalsJul 22-31late July
Common byAug 1-7early August
PeakJan 8-14the second week of January
Most gone byMar 15-21mid March

Best: the second week of January. First arrivals late July; most are gone by mid March. Peak: on about 3.4% of Vermont checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Mayrare
  6. Junrare
  7. Juluncommon
  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%1%2%3%4%Jan 1-7: 3.9% of 12234 checklistsJan 8-14: 3.1% of 8293 checklistsJan 15-21: 3.1% of 7885 checklistsJan 22-31: 2.8% of 10534 checklistsFeb 1-7: 2.3% of 7212 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.8% of 8144 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.3% of 10480 checklistsFeb 22-28: 2.1% of 7932 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.7% of 8192 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.5% of 9383 checklistsMar 15-21: 1.5% of 10620 checklistsMar 22-31: 1.4% of 16257 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.9% of 12568 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.7% of 14677 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.5% of 14106 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.4% of 19617 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.3% of 18143 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.3% of 19626 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.4% of 17779 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.5% of 20310 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.5% of 11493 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.4% of 10215 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.3% of 9951 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.4% of 11050 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.3% of 8690 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.5% of 7679 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.7% of 7687 checklistsJul 22-31: 1.3% of 10712 checklistsAug 1-7: 1.9% of 7703 checklistsAug 8-14: 2.8% of 7743 checklistsAug 15-21: 3.0% of 8314 checklistsAug 22-31: 3.1% of 12428 checklistsSep 1-7: 3.2% of 9526 checklistsSep 8-14: 2.6% of 8493 checklistsSep 15-21: 2.4% of 8283 checklistsSep 22-30: 2.7% of 10352 checklistsOct 1-7: 2.4% of 8802 checklistsOct 8-14: 2.3% of 9088 checklistsOct 15-21: 2.3% of 7739 checklistsOct 22-31: 2.9% of 10907 checklistsNov 1-7: 3.5% of 7868 checklistsNov 8-14: 3.4% of 7223 checklistsNov 15-21: 3.3% of 7224 checklistsNov 22-30: 3.0% of 8375 checklistsDec 1-7: 3.2% of 6580 checklistsDec 8-14: 3.0% of 6800 checklistsDec 15-21: 2.2% of 8334 checklistsDec 22-31: 2.9% of 10579 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 Vermont 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 Vermont

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Grand Isle CountyBest late November · 150 checklists that week, 8,507 in all32%
  2. Chittenden CountyBest late August · 2535 checklists that week, 109,477 in all11%
  3. Franklin CountyBest late October · 386 checklists that week, 25,284 in all9.0%
  4. Addison CountyBest the second week of January · 1639 checklists that week, 77,064 in all5.3%
  5. Washington CountyBest early January · 843 checklists that week, 37,036 in all3.6%
  6. Orleans CountyBest mid September · 222 checklists that week, 11,785 in all2.2%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. The GutGrand Isle County, best late November · 25 checklists that week, 185 in all95%
  2. Perkins PierChittenden County, best late January · 25 checklists that week, 281 in all63%

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

Best time of day

In Vermont, the Great Black-backed Gull is most often listed on checklists started between 2 and 4 pm (2.6% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%12 am: too few checklists (384) to judge1 am: too few checklists (418) to judge2 am: too few checklists (568) to judge3 am: too few checklists (1183) to judge4 am: too few checklists (3460) to judge5 am: 1.4% of 10340 checklists6 am: 1.5% of 30951 checklists7 am: 1.2% of 64150 checklists8 am: 1.2% of 70252 checklists9 am: 1.6% of 55280 checklists10 am: 2.0% of 47111 checklists11 am: 2.3% of 37615 checklists12 pm: 2.4% of 32195 checklists1 pm: 2.4% of 30185 checklists2 pm: 2.5% of 29679 checklists3 pm: 2.6% of 26483 checklists4 pm: 1.7% of 20110 checklists5 pm: 1.0% of 15993 checklists6 pm: 0.6% of 12110 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (8203) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (4425) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1829) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (597) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (309) 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
January3.9%3.1%3.1%2.8%
February2.3%1.8%1.3%2.1%
March1.7%1.5%1.5%1.4%
April0.9%0.7%0.5%0.4%
May0.3%0.3%0.4%0.5%
June0.5%0.4%0.3%0.4%
July0.3%0.5%0.7%1.3%
August1.9%2.8%3.0%3.1%
September3.2%2.6%2.4%2.7%
October2.4%2.3%2.3%2.9%
November3.5%3.4%3.3%3.0%
December3.2%3.0%2.2%2.9%

Neighboring states

Common questions

When do Great Black-backed Gulls arrive in Vermont?
Great Black-backed Gulls are winter birds in Vermont: the first arrive in late July, they are common by early August, peak in the second week of January (3.4% of checklists), and most are gone by mid March.
When do Great Black-backed Gulls leave Vermont?
Most Great Black-backed Gulls have left Vermont by mid March, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until early April.
When is the best time to see a Great Black-backed Gull in Vermont?
The Great Black-backed Gull is reported most often in the second week of January, on about 3.4% of Vermont checklists.
Where in Vermont are Great Black-backed Gulls seen most often?
By county, Grand Isle County, Chittenden County, and Franklin County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Great Black-backed Gull (counties with at least 200 checklists).