WhenToBird

Podiceps auritus · Podicipedidae

When Do Horned Grebes Arrive in Vermont?

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

Horned Grebes are winter birds in Vermont: they arrive in mid October, peak in the second week of November (2.9% of checklists), and most are gone by early March.

When to look

First arrivalsOct 15-21mid October
Common byOct 15-21mid October
PeakNov 8-14the second week of November
Most gone byMar 1-7early March

Best: the second week of November. First arrivals mid October; most are gone by early March. Peak: on about 2.9% of Vermont checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Mayrare
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepnot usually seen
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Deccommon

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

0%1%2%3%4%Jan 1-7: 2.3% of 12234 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.6% of 8293 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.6% of 7885 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.7% of 10534 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.9% of 7212 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.0% of 8144 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.1% of 10480 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.1% of 7932 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.1% of 8192 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.7% of 9383 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.6% of 10620 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.7% of 16257 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.5% of 12568 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.7% of 14677 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.9% of 14106 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.6% of 19617 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.3% of 18143 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.1% of 19626 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 17779 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 20310 checklistsJun 1-7: 0% of 11493 checklistsJun 8-14: 0% of 10215 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.1% of 9951 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 11050 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 8690 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 7679 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 7687 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 10712 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.1% of 7703 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 7743 checklistsAug 15-21: 0% of 8314 checklistsAug 22-31: 0% of 12428 checklistsSep 1-7: 0% of 9526 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.1% of 8493 checklistsSep 15-21: 0% of 8283 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.1% of 10352 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.1% of 8802 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.4% of 9088 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.8% of 7739 checklistsOct 22-31: 2.4% of 10907 checklistsNov 1-7: 3.2% of 7868 checklistsNov 8-14: 2.7% of 7223 checklistsNov 15-21: 2.8% of 7224 checklistsNov 22-30: 2.4% of 8375 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.2% of 6580 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.4% of 6800 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.1% of 8334 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.6% 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 mid November · 110 checklists that week, 8,507 in all8.8%
  2. Chittenden CountyBest the second week of January · 1823 checklists that week, 109,477 in all6.5%
  3. Addison CountyBest the second week of November · 1348 checklists that week, 77,064 in all6.1%
  4. Orleans CountyBest the second week of November · 202 checklists that week, 11,785 in all3.7%
  5. Essex CountyBest late October · 201 checklists that week, 9,416 in all2.4%
  6. Franklin CountyBest early November · 246 checklists that week, 25,284 in all2.4%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Holmes CreekChittenden County, best mid November · 49 checklists that week, 2,478 in all78%
  2. Meach CoveChittenden County, best mid November · 44 checklists that week, 1,534 in all74%
  3. Spaulding BayAddison County, best early January · 35 checklists that week, 322 in all70%
  4. Oven PointAddison County, best the second week of November · 50 checklists that week, 820 in all66%
  5. Shelburne FarmsChittenden County, best early January · 29 checklists that week, 1,288 in all42%
  6. Potash BayAddison County, best late October · 27 checklists that week, 335 in all33%

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

Best time of day

In Vermont, the Horned Grebe is most often listed on checklists started between 12 and 2 pm (1.2% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%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: 0.1% of 10340 checklists6 am: 0.2% of 30951 checklists7 am: 0.3% of 64150 checklists8 am: 0.5% of 70252 checklists9 am: 0.8% of 55280 checklists10 am: 1.0% of 47111 checklists11 am: 1.1% of 37615 checklists12 pm: 1.2% of 32195 checklists1 pm: 1.2% of 30185 checklists2 pm: 1.2% of 29679 checklists3 pm: 1.2% of 26483 checklists4 pm: 0.7% of 20110 checklists5 pm: 0.3% of 15993 checklists6 pm: 0.1% 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
January2.3%1.6%1.6%1.7%
February0.9%1.0%1.1%1.1%
March1.1%0.7%0.6%0.7%
April0.5%0.7%0.9%0.6%
May0.3%0.1%0.1%0.1%
June0%0%0.1%0%
July0%0%0%0%
August0.1%0%0%0%
September0%0.1%0%0.1%
October0.1%0.4%0.8%2.4%
November3.2%2.7%2.8%2.4%
December1.2%1.4%1.1%1.6%

Neighboring states

  • New Hampshire: arrives early November, 2 weeks later than Vermont
  • Massachusetts: arrives late October, 1 week later than Vermont
  • Connecticut: arrives late November, 5 weeks later than Vermont
  • Rhode Island: arrives early November, 2 weeks later than Vermont

Common questions

When do Horned Grebes arrive in Vermont?
Horned Grebes are winter birds in Vermont: they arrive in mid October, peak in the second week of November (2.9% of checklists), and most are gone by early March.
When do Horned Grebes leave Vermont?
Most Horned Grebes have left Vermont by early March, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Horned Grebe in Vermont?
The Horned Grebe is reported most often in the second week of November, on about 2.9% of Vermont checklists.
Where in Vermont are Horned Grebes seen most often?
By county, Grand Isle County, Chittenden County, and Addison County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Horned Grebe (counties with at least 200 checklists).