WhenToBird

Lophodytes cucullatus · Anatidae

When Do Hooded Mergansers Arrive in Delaware?

Adult male Hooded Merganser
Photo: Justin Flint, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Hooded Mergansers are winter birds in Delaware: the first arrive in early November, they are common by mid November, peak in late December (9.8% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of March.

When to look

First arrivalsNov 1-7early November
Common byNov 15-21mid November
PeakDec 22-31late December
Most gone byMar 8-14the second week of March

Best: late December. First arrivals early November; most are gone by the second week of March. Peak: on about 9.8% of Delaware checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marcommon
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Maynot usually seen
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepnot usually seen
  10. Octrare
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 11% of 5901 checklistsJan 8-14: 9.0% of 4091 checklistsJan 15-21: 9.1% of 3841 checklistsJan 22-31: 9.3% of 5084 checklistsFeb 1-7: 10% of 3705 checklistsFeb 8-14: 8.4% of 3991 checklistsFeb 15-21: 7.0% of 6056 checklistsFeb 22-28: 7.8% of 4036 checklistsMar 1-7: 7.0% of 3822 checklistsMar 8-14: 5.2% of 3873 checklistsMar 15-21: 3.8% of 3856 checklistsMar 22-31: 2.3% of 5702 checklistsApr 1-7: 1.7% of 4104 checklistsApr 8-14: 1.0% of 4456 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.6% of 4871 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.5% of 7249 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.2% of 6806 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.2% of 7229 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.2% of 6466 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 7437 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 3596 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 2847 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.1% of 2901 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.1% of 3644 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.1% of 3142 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 2767 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 2882 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 4175 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 3482 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 3477 checklistsAug 15-21: 0% of 3386 checklistsAug 22-31: 0% of 5028 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.1% of 3631 checklistsSep 8-14: 0% of 3507 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.1% of 3404 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.1% of 4252 checklistsOct 1-7: 0% of 3563 checklistsOct 8-14: 0% of 3440 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.2% of 3282 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.5% of 4025 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.1% of 3030 checklistsNov 8-14: 3.5% of 3141 checklistsNov 15-21: 5.4% of 2858 checklistsNov 22-30: 7.0% of 4104 checklistsDec 1-7: 8.6% of 2472 checklistsDec 8-14: 9.8% of 2415 checklistsDec 15-21: 9.3% of 3306 checklistsDec 22-31: 9.3% of 5527 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 Delaware 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 Delaware

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Kent CountyBest late January · 823 checklists that week, 36,693 in all15%
  2. Sussex CountyBest the second week of December · 1063 checklists that week, 91,027 in all12%
  3. New Castle CountyBest early March · 1367 checklists that week, 72,140 in all4.7%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Thirty-five Acre PondSussex County, best early February · 33 checklists that week, 808 in all86%
  2. Silver LakeSussex County, best late December · 83 checklists that week, 1,280 in all74%
  3. Little Creek Wildlife Area (Taylors Gut)Kent County, best early March · 21 checklists that week, 421 in all56%
  4. Shearness PoolKent County, best the second week of February · 28 checklists that week, 2,800 in all52%
  5. C&D Canal Conservation AreaNew Castle County, best mid February · 21 checklists that week, 303 in all49%

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

Best time of day

In Delaware, the Hooded Merganser is most often listed on checklists started between 1 and 3 pm (4.2% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%12 am: too few checklists (129) to judge1 am: too few checklists (122) to judge2 am: too few checklists (102) to judge3 am: too few checklists (114) to judge4 am: too few checklists (210) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1334) to judge6 am: 1.5% of 8055 checklists7 am: 2.6% of 21367 checklists8 am: 2.8% of 25648 checklists9 am: 3.2% of 22669 checklists10 am: 3.5% of 20679 checklists11 am: 3.6% of 17516 checklists12 pm: 4.1% of 15361 checklists1 pm: 4.3% of 14319 checklists2 pm: 4.1% of 13726 checklists3 pm: 3.6% of 12793 checklists4 pm: 2.7% of 10392 checklists5 pm: 1.3% of 6859 checklists6 pm: 0.5% of 4542 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (2633) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (831) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (211) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (150) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (98) 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%9.0%9.1%9.3%
February10%8.4%7.0%7.8%
March7.0%5.2%3.8%2.3%
April1.7%1.0%0.6%0.5%
May0.2%0.2%0.2%0.1%
June0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
July0.1%0%0%0%
August0%0%0%0%
September0.1%0%0.1%0.1%
October0%0%0.2%0.5%
November1.1%3.5%5.4%7.0%
December8.6%9.8%9.3%9.3%

Neighboring states

  • Maryland: arrives late October, 1 week earlier than Delaware
  • New Jersey: arrives late October, 1 week earlier than Delaware
  • District of Columbia: arrives early November, in the same week than Delaware
  • Pennsylvania: arrives late October, 1 week earlier than Delaware

Common questions

When do Hooded Mergansers arrive in Delaware?
Hooded Mergansers are winter birds in Delaware: the first arrive in early November, they are common by mid November, peak in late December (9.8% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of March.
When do Hooded Mergansers leave Delaware?
Most Hooded Mergansers have left Delaware by the second week of March, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until the second week of April.
When is the best time to see a Hooded Merganser in Delaware?
The Hooded Merganser is reported most often in late December, on about 9.8% of Delaware checklists.
Where in Delaware are Hooded Mergansers seen most often?
By county, Kent County, Sussex County, and New Castle County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Hooded Merganser (counties with at least 200 checklists).