WhenToBird

Leucophaeus atricilla · Laridae

When Do Laughing Gulls Arrive in Virginia?

Adult Laughing Gull
Photo: Drew Baxter, CC0 1.0 via iNaturalist

Laughing Gulls reach Virginia in early March, are common by late March, peak in the second week of August (14% of checklists), and most are gone by early December.

When to look

First arrivalsMar 1-7early March
Common byMar 22-31late March
PeakAug 8-14the second week of August
Most gone byDec 1-7early December

Best: the second week of August. First arrivals early March; most are gone by early December. Peak: on about 14% of Virginia checklists.

  1. Janrare
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 0.8% of 32817 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.3% of 25111 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.2% of 25510 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.1% of 34492 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.1% of 24950 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.1% of 28224 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.1% of 43578 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.6% of 26467 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.2% of 25851 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.8% of 25901 checklistsMar 15-21: 3.0% of 26747 checklistsMar 22-31: 4.4% of 40819 checklistsApr 1-7: 5.8% of 31351 checklistsApr 8-14: 6.5% of 33239 checklistsApr 15-21: 7.2% of 37284 checklistsApr 22-30: 6.6% of 54364 checklistsMay 1-7: 7.2% of 47698 checklistsMay 8-14: 6.6% of 46174 checklistsMay 15-21: 7.1% of 36444 checklistsMay 22-31: 6.4% of 43203 checklistsJun 1-7: 5.7% of 28503 checklistsJun 8-14: 5.9% of 25485 checklistsJun 15-21: 5.8% of 23728 checklistsJun 22-30: 6.6% of 28785 checklistsJul 1-7: 8.1% of 22294 checklistsJul 8-14: 8.5% of 20481 checklistsJul 15-21: 9.7% of 18914 checklistsJul 22-31: 11% of 26976 checklistsAug 1-7: 13% of 19555 checklistsAug 8-14: 14% of 18744 checklistsAug 15-21: 14% of 18721 checklistsAug 22-31: 13% of 28763 checklistsSep 1-7: 14% of 23594 checklistsSep 8-14: 14% of 22581 checklistsSep 15-21: 12% of 23036 checklistsSep 22-30: 12% of 29687 checklistsOct 1-7: 11% of 24321 checklistsOct 8-14: 9.5% of 23946 checklistsOct 15-21: 9.6% of 22191 checklistsOct 22-31: 9.0% of 30161 checklistsNov 1-7: 8.9% of 21431 checklistsNov 8-14: 8.7% of 22758 checklistsNov 15-21: 6.4% of 19988 checklistsNov 22-30: 5.5% of 27665 checklistsDec 1-7: 3.6% of 19324 checklistsDec 8-14: 2.6% of 20316 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.9% of 25675 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.5% of 38677 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 Virginia 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 Virginia

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Hopewell CountyBest late August · 83 checklists that week, 3,116 in all98%
  2. Poquoson CountyBest early July · 54 checklists that week, 2,669 in all81%
  3. Accomack CountyBest late July · 850 checklists that week, 43,278 in all79%
  4. Northampton CountyBest early August · 349 checklists that week, 27,227 in all72%
  5. Mathews CountyBest early August · 93 checklists that week, 3,594 in all71%
  6. Norfolk CountyBest the second week of August · 344 checklists that week, 21,204 in all66%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. George Washington Memorial Parkway (Belle Haven)Fairfax County, best late July · 20 checklists that week, 346 in all100%
  2. Little Toms Cove (south)Accomack County, best early August · 23 checklists that week, 1,099 in all100%
  3. Bethel Beach State Natural Area PreserveMathews County, best early August · 32 checklists that week, 931 in all100%
  4. City ParkHopewell County, best late August · 61 checklists that week, 1,971 in all100%
  5. Ocean View BeachNorfolk County, best late July · 25 checklists that week, 495 in all98%

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

Best time of day

In Virginia, the Laughing Gull is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (9.2% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%12 am: too few checklists (485) to judge1 am: too few checklists (488) to judge2 am: too few checklists (423) to judge3 am: too few checklists (565) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1410) to judge5 am: too few checklists (10265) to judge6 am: 14% of 64788 checklists7 am: 7.4% of 169128 checklists8 am: 5.7% of 180748 checklists9 am: 5.3% of 153462 checklists10 am: 5.1% of 128966 checklists11 am: 5.2% of 104204 checklists12 pm: 5.2% of 91604 checklists1 pm: 5.6% of 85547 checklists2 pm: 5.4% of 82355 checklists3 pm: 5.4% of 82265 checklists4 pm: 5.6% of 76714 checklists5 pm: 6.7% of 56782 checklists6 pm: 6.5% of 40131 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (24290) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (7744) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2383) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1122) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (651) 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
January0.8%0.3%0.2%0.1%
February0.1%0.1%0.1%0.6%
March1.2%1.8%3.0%4.4%
April5.8%6.5%7.2%6.6%
May7.2%6.6%7.1%6.4%
June5.7%5.9%5.8%6.6%
July8.1%8.5%9.7%11%
August13%14%14%13%
September14%14%12%12%
October11%9.5%9.6%9.0%
November8.9%8.7%6.4%5.5%
December3.6%2.6%1.9%1.5%

Neighboring states

  • District of Columbia: arrives the second week of July, 17 weeks later than Virginia
  • Maryland: arrives the second week of March, 1 week later than Virginia
  • Delaware: arrives mid March, 2 weeks later than Virginia
  • North Carolina: arrives late February, 1 week earlier than Virginia

Common questions

When do Laughing Gulls arrive in Virginia?
Laughing Gulls reach Virginia in early March, are common by late March, peak in the second week of August (14% of checklists), and most are gone by early December.
When do Laughing Gulls leave Virginia?
Most Laughing Gulls have left Virginia by early December, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until late December.
When is the best time to see a Laughing Gull in Virginia?
The Laughing Gull is reported most often in the second week of August, on about 14% of Virginia checklists.
Where in Virginia are Laughing Gulls seen most often?
By county, Hopewell County, Poquoson County, and Accomack County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Laughing Gull (counties with at least 200 checklists).