WhenToBird

Podiceps auritus · Podicipedidae

When Do Horned Grebes Arrive in Ohio?

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

Horned Grebes are winter birds in Ohio: the first arrive in mid February, they are common by late February, peak in mid March (7.5% of checklists), and most are gone by mid April.

When to look

First arrivalsFeb 15-21mid February
Common byFeb 22-28late February
PeakMar 15-21mid March
Most gone byApr 15-21mid April

Best: mid March. First arrivals mid February; most are gone by mid April. Peak: on about 7.5% of Ohio checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Mayrare
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepnot usually seen
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%5%10%Jan 1-7: 2.2% of 46637 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.2% of 31056 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.2% of 30129 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.5% of 38665 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.4% of 27203 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.9% of 30626 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.9% of 40705 checklistsFeb 22-28: 2.3% of 31391 checklistsMar 1-7: 4.5% of 32914 checklistsMar 8-14: 6.3% of 33973 checklistsMar 15-21: 8.0% of 33678 checklistsMar 22-31: 8.0% of 49889 checklistsApr 1-7: 6.2% of 41225 checklistsApr 8-14: 3.8% of 47174 checklistsApr 15-21: 2.6% of 47017 checklistsApr 22-30: 1.2% of 73055 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.6% of 80637 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.5% of 102552 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 64582 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 52766 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 29279 checklistsJun 8-14: 0% of 25773 checklistsJun 15-21: 0% of 23163 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 27794 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 23334 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.1% of 22147 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.1% of 20998 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.1% of 29749 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.1% of 22899 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 21972 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.1% of 22215 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.1% of 35087 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.1% of 29148 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.1% of 28042 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.1% of 26751 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.1% of 32398 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.1% of 26209 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.2% of 26809 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.9% of 23504 checklistsOct 22-31: 2.3% of 33269 checklistsNov 1-7: 3.7% of 25563 checklistsNov 8-14: 6.0% of 23810 checklistsNov 15-21: 8.1% of 22127 checklistsNov 22-30: 7.8% of 29449 checklistsDec 1-7: 5.9% of 22370 checklistsDec 8-14: 3.9% of 21581 checklistsDec 15-21: 2.6% of 24232 checklistsDec 22-31: 2.1% of 36084 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 Ohio 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 Ohio

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Fulton CountyBest late March · 121 checklists that week, 2,375 in all29%
  2. Ashtabula CountyBest late November · 206 checklists that week, 12,390 in all24%
  3. Allen CountyBest mid March · 216 checklists that week, 7,709 in all24%
  4. Lake CountyBest late November · 1075 checklists that week, 59,983 in all24%
  5. Huron CountyBest mid March · 98 checklists that week, 3,141 in all23%
  6. Delaware CountyBest late November · 1315 checklists that week, 51,114 in all21%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Wellington Reservoir ParkLorain County, best early April · 33 checklists that week, 1,044 in all88%
  2. Buck Creek State Park (southwest)Clark County, best late March · 25 checklists that week, 727 in all83%
  3. Summit LakeSummit County, best mid March · 46 checklists that week, 1,360 in all79%
  4. Caesar Creek Recreation Area (northeast 2)Warren County, best early December · 20 checklists that week, 251 in all78%
  5. Upper Sandusky ReservoirWyandot County, best late March · 31 checklists that week, 890 in all78%
  6. Lake MedinaMedina County, best late March · 55 checklists that week, 740 in all77%

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

Best time of day

In Ohio, the Horned Grebe is most often listed on checklists started between 1 and 3 pm (2.3% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%12 am: too few checklists (574) to judge1 am: too few checklists (609) to judge2 am: too few checklists (466) to judge3 am: too few checklists (478) to judge4 am: too few checklists (662) to judge5 am: too few checklists (4366) to judge6 am: 0.5% of 43093 checklists7 am: 1.6% of 142017 checklists8 am: 1.8% of 205296 checklists9 am: 2.1% of 196322 checklists10 am: 2.3% of 170882 checklists11 am: 2.3% of 144567 checklists12 pm: 2.2% of 126551 checklists1 pm: 2.3% of 117855 checklists2 pm: 2.3% of 112869 checklists3 pm: 2.1% of 109786 checklists4 pm: 2.0% of 103116 checklists5 pm: 1.8% of 78409 checklists6 pm: 1.3% of 56785 checklists7 pm: 0.7% of 37923 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (14954) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2710) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (854) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (486) 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
January2.2%1.2%1.2%0.5%
February0.4%0.9%0.9%2.3%
March4.5%6.3%8.0%8.0%
April6.2%3.8%2.6%1.2%
May0.6%0.5%0.1%0.1%
June0.1%0%0%0%
July0%0.1%0.1%0.1%
August0.1%0%0.1%0.1%
September0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
October0.1%0.2%0.9%2.3%
November3.7%6.0%8.1%7.8%
December5.9%3.9%2.6%2.1%

Neighboring states

  • West Virginia: arrives the second week of January, 5 weeks earlier than Ohio
  • Indiana: arrives mid February, in the same week than Ohio
  • Michigan: arrives late February, 1 week later than Ohio
  • Kentucky: arrives late October, 15 weeks earlier than Ohio

Common questions

When do Horned Grebes arrive in Ohio?
Horned Grebes are winter birds in Ohio: the first arrive in mid February, they are common by late February, peak in mid March (7.5% of checklists), and most are gone by mid April.
When do Horned Grebes leave Ohio?
Most Horned Grebes have left Ohio by mid April, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until late April.
When is the best time to see a Horned Grebe in Ohio?
The Horned Grebe is reported most often in mid March, on about 7.5% of Ohio checklists.
Where in Ohio are Horned Grebes seen most often?
By county, Fulton County, Ashtabula County, and Allen County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Horned Grebe (counties with at least 200 checklists).