WhenToBird

Podiceps auritus · Podicipedidae

When Do Horned Grebes Arrive in Washington?

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

Horned Grebes are winter birds in Washington: the first arrive in late August, they are common by late September, peak in the second week of November (15% of checklists), and most are gone by mid April.

When to look

First arrivalsAug 22-31late August
Common bySep 22-30late September
PeakNov 8-14the second week of November
Most gone byApr 15-21mid April

Best: the second week of November. First arrivals late August; most are gone by mid April. Peak: on about 15% of Washington checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augrare
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 13% of 41928 checklistsJan 8-14: 13% of 31152 checklistsJan 15-21: 12% of 31753 checklistsJan 22-31: 12% of 42530 checklistsFeb 1-7: 11% of 29739 checklistsFeb 8-14: 9.4% of 32746 checklistsFeb 15-21: 8.7% of 40328 checklistsFeb 22-28: 9.7% of 28432 checklistsMar 1-7: 9.5% of 30758 checklistsMar 8-14: 8.6% of 29368 checklistsMar 15-21: 8.8% of 32580 checklistsMar 22-31: 7.6% of 45614 checklistsApr 1-7: 8.1% of 33997 checklistsApr 8-14: 7.4% of 34729 checklistsApr 15-21: 7.2% of 38474 checklistsApr 22-30: 5.4% of 52185 checklistsMay 1-7: 2.5% of 44236 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.7% of 48708 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.3% of 41742 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.2% of 57082 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.2% of 39193 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.2% of 36042 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.1% of 34003 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.1% of 39711 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.1% of 31949 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.1% of 29086 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.1% of 28045 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.2% of 38275 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.3% of 28846 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.6% of 28036 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.8% of 27614 checklistsAug 22-31: 1.3% of 40356 checklistsSep 1-7: 2.4% of 31214 checklistsSep 8-14: 3.8% of 27795 checklistsSep 15-21: 4.8% of 29677 checklistsSep 22-30: 6.4% of 35241 checklistsOct 1-7: 9.1% of 28605 checklistsOct 8-14: 11% of 28655 checklistsOct 15-21: 13% of 24643 checklistsOct 22-31: 14% of 34874 checklistsNov 1-7: 15% of 25658 checklistsNov 8-14: 15% of 25700 checklistsNov 15-21: 15% of 24331 checklistsNov 22-30: 13% of 32784 checklistsDec 1-7: 13% of 24099 checklistsDec 8-14: 12% of 23339 checklistsDec 15-21: 11% of 27666 checklistsDec 22-31: 12% of 42130 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 Washington 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.

Embed this map on your site

Where in Washington

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Jefferson CountyBest the second week of November · 912 checklists that week, 59,663 in all41%
  2. Kitsap CountyBest the second week of November · 1116 checklists that week, 74,545 in all31%
  3. Mason CountyBest the second week of November · 545 checklists that week, 27,853 in all29%
  4. Island CountyBest early November · 792 checklists that week, 46,092 in all25%
  5. Benton CountyBest early November · 299 checklists that week, 23,565 in all24%
  6. Whatcom CountyBest early November · 952 checklists that week, 64,687 in all24%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Poverty BayKing County, best late December · 20 checklists that week, 219 in all98%
  2. Dash Point ParkPierce County, best late November · 20 checklists that week, 498 in all96%
  3. Lighthouse Marine ParkWhatcom County, best mid November · 36 checklists that week, 1,449 in all96%
  4. Norwegian Point ParkKitsap County, best the second week of January · 23 checklists that week, 723 in all95%
  5. Joe Block ParkKing County, best the second week of January · 35 checklists that week, 996 in all94%

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

Best time of day

In Washington, the Horned Grebe is most often listed on checklists started between 1 and 3 pm (8.2% of those checklists).

0%5%10%12 am: too few checklists (796) to judge1 am: too few checklists (776) to judge2 am: too few checklists (709) to judge3 am: too few checklists (901) to judge4 am: too few checklists (3221) to judge5 am: too few checklists (16576) to judge6 am: 3.0% of 56744 checklists7 am: 5.7% of 133294 checklists8 am: 6.4% of 184196 checklists9 am: 6.9% of 186303 checklists10 am: 7.7% of 177063 checklists11 am: 7.9% of 154936 checklists12 pm: 7.7% of 138061 checklists1 pm: 8.2% of 127449 checklists2 pm: 8.1% of 121511 checklists3 pm: 7.3% of 107793 checklists4 pm: 5.0% of 82862 checklists5 pm: 3.1% of 57183 checklists6 pm: 1.8% of 39886 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (26969) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (12427) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (3658) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1500) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (834) 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
January13%13%12%12%
February11%9.4%8.7%9.7%
March9.5%8.6%8.8%7.6%
April8.1%7.4%7.2%5.4%
May2.5%0.7%0.3%0.2%
June0.2%0.2%0.1%0.1%
July0.1%0.1%0.1%0.2%
August0.3%0.6%0.8%1.3%
September2.4%3.8%4.8%6.4%
October9.1%11%13%14%
November15%15%15%13%
December13%12%11%12%

Neighboring states

  • Oregon: arrives late September, 4 weeks later than Washington
  • Idaho: arrives the second week of September, 2 weeks later than Washington
  • Montana: arrives early September, 1 week later than Washington
  • Nevada: arrives the second week of September, 2 weeks later than Washington

Common questions

When do Horned Grebes arrive in Washington?
Horned Grebes are winter birds in Washington: the first arrive in late August, they are common by late September, peak in the second week of November (15% of checklists), and most are gone by mid April.
When do Horned Grebes leave Washington?
Most Horned Grebes have left Washington by mid April, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until the second week of May.
When is the best time to see a Horned Grebe in Washington?
The Horned Grebe is reported most often in the second week of November, on about 15% of Washington checklists.
Where in Washington are Horned Grebes seen most often?
By county, Jefferson County, Kitsap County, and Mason County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Horned Grebe (counties with at least 200 checklists).