WhenToBird

Podiceps auritus · Podicipedidae

When Do Horned Grebes Arrive in Wisconsin?

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

Horned Grebes are winter birds in Wisconsin: they arrive in early October, peak in early November (4.2% of checklists), and most are gone by early December.

When to look

First arrivalsOct 1-7early October
Common byOct 1-7early October
PeakNov 1-7early November
Most gone byDec 1-7early December

Best: early November. First arrivals early October; most are gone by early December. Peak: on about 4.2% of Wisconsin checklists.

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

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

0%2%4%6%Jan 1-7: 0.2% of 27925 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.1% of 18337 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.1% of 17370 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.1% of 23777 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.1% of 16656 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.1% of 18286 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.1% of 24739 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.1% of 20113 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.5% of 24024 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.8% of 26722 checklistsMar 15-21: 1.2% of 27238 checklistsMar 22-31: 2.3% of 40171 checklistsApr 1-7: 2.6% of 34961 checklistsApr 8-14: 3.3% of 39128 checklistsApr 15-21: 4.0% of 38887 checklistsApr 22-30: 2.9% of 57231 checklistsMay 1-7: 1.5% of 55115 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.2% of 63098 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 49821 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 56796 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 33621 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 31282 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.1% of 30186 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.1% of 35128 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.1% of 27088 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.1% of 23293 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 20933 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.1% of 27595 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.1% of 19147 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.1% of 18286 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.1% of 19195 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.1% of 28229 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.1% of 22408 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.3% of 20857 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.5% of 20707 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.6% of 26469 checklistsOct 1-7: 1.0% of 21069 checklistsOct 8-14: 1.1% of 21011 checklistsOct 15-21: 2.4% of 20006 checklistsOct 22-31: 4.2% of 26362 checklistsNov 1-7: 4.7% of 18928 checklistsNov 8-14: 3.5% of 17052 checklistsNov 15-21: 2.6% of 16291 checklistsNov 22-30: 2.0% of 20564 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.6% of 15354 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.4% of 16294 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.2% of 21430 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.2% of 26314 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 Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Ashland CountyBest early November · 282 checklists that week, 16,576 in all22%
  2. Kewaunee CountyBest the second week of November · 116 checklists that week, 9,747 in all15%
  3. Ozaukee CountyBest the second week of November · 514 checklists that week, 38,294 in all14%
  4. Oconto CountyBest early November · 122 checklists that week, 8,609 in all13%
  5. Shawano CountyBest late October · 44 checklists that week, 3,900 in all11%
  6. Door CountyBest mid November · 480 checklists that week, 37,397 in all11%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Root RiverRacine County, best late March · 21 checklists that week, 107 in all83%
  2. Prairie Springs ParkKenosha County, best early April · 21 checklists that week, 372 in all80%
  3. Little Muskego LakeWaukesha County, best early April · 21 checklists that week, 234 in all73%
  4. Little Muskego Lake (east)Waukesha County, best the second week of April · 35 checklists that week, 186 in all71%
  5. Dc Everest ParkMarathon County, best late April · 59 checklists that week, 829 in all65%

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

Best time of day

In Wisconsin, the Horned Grebe is most often listed on checklists started between 11 am and 1 pm (1.2% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%12 am: too few checklists (993) to judge1 am: too few checklists (844) to judge2 am: too few checklists (839) to judge3 am: too few checklists (1488) to judge4 am: too few checklists (5344) to judge5 am: 0.3% of 27016 checklists6 am: 0.8% of 83973 checklists7 am: 0.7% of 160717 checklists8 am: 0.9% of 160531 checklists9 am: 1.1% of 136968 checklists10 am: 1.2% of 119110 checklists11 am: 1.2% of 99116 checklists12 pm: 1.2% of 85078 checklists1 pm: 1.2% of 80688 checklists2 pm: 1.1% of 79140 checklists3 pm: 1.1% of 78599 checklists4 pm: 1.2% of 69767 checklists5 pm: 1.1% of 53229 checklists6 pm: 0.7% of 38769 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (24396) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (10155) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (4990) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (2463) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (1281) 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
January0.2%0.1%0.1%0.1%
February0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
March0.5%0.8%1.2%2.3%
April2.6%3.3%4.0%2.9%
May1.5%0.2%0.1%0.1%
June0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
July0.1%0.1%0%0.1%
August0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
September0.1%0.3%0.5%0.6%
October1.0%1.1%2.4%4.2%
November4.7%3.5%2.6%2.0%
December0.6%0.4%0.2%0.2%

Neighboring states

  • Illinois: arrives late February, 19 weeks later than Wisconsin
  • Iowa: arrives the second week of October, 1 week later than Wisconsin
  • Michigan: arrives late February, 19 weeks later than Wisconsin
  • Minnesota: arrives late March, 23 weeks later than Wisconsin

Common questions

When do Horned Grebes arrive in Wisconsin?
Horned Grebes are winter birds in Wisconsin: they arrive in early October, peak in early November (4.2% of checklists), and most are gone by early December.
When do Horned Grebes leave Wisconsin?
Most Horned Grebes have left Wisconsin by early December, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Horned Grebe in Wisconsin?
The Horned Grebe is reported most often in early November, on about 4.2% of Wisconsin checklists.
Where in Wisconsin are Horned Grebes seen most often?
By county, Ashland County, Kewaunee County, and Ozaukee County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Horned Grebe (counties with at least 200 checklists).