WhenToBird

Podiceps auritus · Podicipedidae

When Do Horned Grebes Arrive in Michigan?

Adult Horned Grebe
Photo: Kalvin Chan, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Horned Grebes arrive in Michigan in late February, peak in early April (5.1% of checklists), and most are gone by early May.

When to look

First arrivalsFeb 22-28late February
Common byFeb 22-28late February
PeakApr 1-7early April
Most gone byMay 1-7early May

Best: early April. First arrivals late February; most are gone by early May. Peak: on about 5.1% of Michigan checklists.

  1. Janrare
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%2%4%6%Jan 1-7: 0.5% of 38160 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.4% of 24696 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.3% of 23771 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.4% of 31347 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.5% of 23225 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.4% of 27398 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.5% of 36606 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.2% of 27127 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.8% of 29700 checklistsMar 8-14: 2.5% of 31587 checklistsMar 15-21: 2.9% of 32118 checklistsMar 22-31: 5.0% of 47777 checklistsApr 1-7: 5.6% of 38557 checklistsApr 8-14: 4.6% of 42207 checklistsApr 15-21: 3.8% of 42759 checklistsApr 22-30: 2.3% of 64458 checklistsMay 1-7: 1.1% of 60998 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.3% of 72091 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 59058 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 64724 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 35990 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 32595 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.1% of 30017 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.1% of 33988 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.1% of 28708 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.1% of 25175 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.1% of 24084 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.1% of 33522 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.1% of 25098 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.1% of 24353 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.2% of 25059 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.2% of 37489 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.2% of 28410 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.4% of 27887 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.4% of 26614 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.8% of 32557 checklistsOct 1-7: 1.3% of 25844 checklistsOct 8-14: 1.9% of 27741 checklistsOct 15-21: 2.8% of 24693 checklistsOct 22-31: 3.6% of 32460 checklistsNov 1-7: 3.9% of 23660 checklistsNov 8-14: 3.8% of 21542 checklistsNov 15-21: 3.7% of 19922 checklistsNov 22-30: 2.4% of 25069 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.9% of 18272 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.0% of 18961 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.0% of 24171 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.7% of 30908 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 Michigan 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 Michigan

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Huron CountyBest the second week of November · 95 checklists that week, 4,733 in all39%
  2. Delta CountyBest early November · 139 checklists that week, 6,537 in all30%
  3. Alcona CountyBest the second week of November · 157 checklists that week, 9,236 in all27%
  4. Sanilac CountyBest the second week of November · 73 checklists that week, 4,539 in all22%
  5. Emmet CountyBest the second week of December · 98 checklists that week, 11,769 in all20%
  6. Iosco CountyBest early November · 319 checklists that week, 31,409 in all18%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Gull LakeKalamazoo County, best mid April · 20 checklists that week, 1,132 in all78%
  2. First LakeHillsdale County, best late March · 36 checklists that week, 390 in all78%
  3. Gilletts LakeJackson County, best early April · 31 checklists that week, 346 in all78%
  4. Nepessing LakeLapeer County, best the second week of April · 37 checklists that week, 515 in all75%
  5. Founders LantingMarquette County, best mid October · 22 checklists that week, 496 in all75%
  6. Ripley RockMarquette County, best late October · 47 checklists that week, 1,191 in all73%

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

Best time of day

In Michigan, the Horned Grebe is most often listed on checklists started between 2 and 4 pm (1.6% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%2%12 am: too few checklists (712) to judge1 am: too few checklists (592) to judge2 am: too few checklists (532) to judge3 am: too few checklists (516) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1592) to judge5 am: too few checklists (6849) to judge6 am: 0.6% of 39298 checklists7 am: 1.0% of 120344 checklists8 am: 1.2% of 180109 checklists9 am: 1.4% of 171966 checklists10 am: 1.5% of 156332 checklists11 am: 1.6% of 134964 checklists12 pm: 1.5% of 120967 checklists1 pm: 1.6% of 113852 checklists2 pm: 1.6% of 110773 checklists3 pm: 1.6% of 105530 checklists4 pm: 1.5% of 100958 checklists5 pm: 1.4% of 80085 checklists6 pm: 1.4% of 62883 checklists7 pm: 0.9% of 44912 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (21062) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (5920) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1629) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (775) 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
January0.5%0.4%0.3%0.4%
February0.5%0.4%0.5%1.2%
March1.8%2.5%2.9%5.0%
April5.6%4.6%3.8%2.3%
May1.1%0.3%0.1%0.1%
June0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
July0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
August0.1%0.1%0.2%0.2%
September0.2%0.4%0.4%0.8%
October1.3%1.9%2.8%3.6%
November3.9%3.8%3.7%2.4%
December1.9%1.0%1.0%0.7%

Neighboring states

  • Ohio: arrives mid February, 1 week earlier than Michigan
  • Indiana: arrives mid February, 1 week earlier than Michigan
  • Illinois: arrives late February, in the same week than Michigan
  • Wisconsin: arrives early October, 19 weeks earlier than Michigan

Common questions

When do Horned Grebes arrive in Michigan?
Horned Grebes arrive in Michigan in late February, peak in early April (5.1% of checklists), and most are gone by early May.
When do Horned Grebes leave Michigan?
Most Horned Grebes have left Michigan by early May, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Horned Grebe in Michigan?
The Horned Grebe is reported most often in early April, on about 5.1% of Michigan checklists.
Where in Michigan are Horned Grebes seen most often?
By county, Huron County, Delta County, and Alcona County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Horned Grebe (counties with at least 200 checklists).