WhenToBird

Larus fuscus · Laridae

When Do Lesser Black-backed Gulls Arrive in Colorado?

Adult Lesser Black-backed Gull
Photo: danielarah, CC0 1.0 via iNaturalist

Lesser Black-backed Gulls are winter birds in Colorado: they arrive in late September, peak in early January (1.6% of checklists), and most are gone by early April.

When to look

First arrivalsSep 22-30late September
Common bySep 22-30late September
PeakJan 1-7early January
Most gone byApr 1-7early April

Best: early January. First arrivals late September; most are gone by early April. Peak: on about 1.6% of Colorado checklists.

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

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

0%0.5%1%1.5%2%Jan 1-7: 1.7% of 32254 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.4% of 23278 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.4% of 22933 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.2% of 30856 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.2% of 21464 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.7% of 22910 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.7% of 28739 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.0% of 21833 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.0% of 23066 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.0% of 23783 checklistsMar 15-21: 1.2% of 24797 checklistsMar 22-31: 1.1% of 38439 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.6% of 31676 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.2% of 35092 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.2% of 36778 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.1% of 50885 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.1% of 44186 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.1% of 49011 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 40784 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 53073 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 32432 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 29978 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.2% of 29457 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.1% of 36072 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.1% of 28857 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.1% of 27224 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.1% of 27629 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.1% of 37318 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.1% of 25893 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.1% of 24870 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.1% of 24035 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.1% of 35691 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.2% of 27068 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.3% of 26709 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.7% of 26098 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.6% of 31550 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.7% of 24110 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.8% of 23352 checklistsOct 15-21: 1.0% of 21895 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.1% of 28319 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.3% of 21698 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.5% of 21061 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.5% of 19855 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.5% of 25798 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.6% of 18626 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.4% of 19004 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.3% of 23103 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.6% of 30802 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 Colorado 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 Colorado

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Washington CountyBest early October · 64 checklists that week, 2,511 in all16%
  2. Pueblo CountyBest the second week of January · 678 checklists that week, 26,547 in all13%
  3. Sedgwick CountyBest mid September · 38 checklists that week, 1,168 in all13%
  4. Kiowa CountyBest late February · 24 checklists that week, 3,854 in all12%
  5. Crowley CountyBest the second week of December · 11 checklists that week, 1,883 in all12%
  6. Bent CountyBest early January · 50 checklists that week, 5,275 in all11%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Horseshoe LakeLarimer County, best late November · 45 checklists that week, 747 in all87%
  2. Warren LakeLarimer County, best early March · 41 checklists that week, 712 in all73%
  3. Lake Pueblo State ParkPueblo County, best late June · 37 checklists that week, 1,491 in all69%
  4. Larimer County LandfillLarimer County, best mid December · 26 checklists that week, 340 in all66%

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

Best time of day

In Colorado, the Lesser Black-backed Gull is most often listed on checklists started between 12 and 2 pm (0.8% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%12 am: too few checklists (512) to judge1 am: too few checklists (468) to judge2 am: too few checklists (513) to judge3 am: too few checklists (656) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1918) to judge5 am: too few checklists (16045) to judge6 am: 0.3% of 71991 checklists7 am: 0.5% of 159189 checklists8 am: 0.5% of 177206 checklists9 am: 0.6% of 165269 checklists10 am: 0.6% of 141029 checklists11 am: 0.7% of 115283 checklists12 pm: 0.8% of 96068 checklists1 pm: 0.9% of 89512 checklists2 pm: 0.8% of 86319 checklists3 pm: 0.8% of 82496 checklists4 pm: 0.6% of 71648 checklists5 pm: 0.4% of 52445 checklists6 pm: 0.2% of 40199 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (24246) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (7986) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2004) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (888) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (450) 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
January1.7%1.4%1.4%1.2%
February1.2%0.7%0.7%1.0%
March1.0%1.0%1.2%1.1%
April0.6%0.2%0.2%0.1%
May0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
June0.1%0.1%0.2%0.1%
July0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
August0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
September0.2%0.3%0.7%0.6%
October0.7%0.8%1.0%1.1%
November1.3%1.5%1.5%1.5%
December1.6%1.4%1.3%1.6%

Neighboring states

  • Utah: arrives early November, 5 weeks later than Colorado
  • Nebraska: arrives the second week of September, 2 weeks earlier than Colorado
  • South Dakota: arrives late September, in the same week than Colorado
  • Kansas: arrives late September, in the same week than Colorado

Common questions

When do Lesser Black-backed Gulls arrive in Colorado?
Lesser Black-backed Gulls are winter birds in Colorado: they arrive in late September, peak in early January (1.6% of checklists), and most are gone by early April.
When do Lesser Black-backed Gulls leave Colorado?
Most Lesser Black-backed Gulls have left Colorado by early April, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Lesser Black-backed Gull in Colorado?
The Lesser Black-backed Gull is reported most often in early January, on about 1.6% of Colorado checklists.
Where in Colorado are Lesser Black-backed Gulls seen most often?
By county, Washington County, Pueblo County, and Sedgwick County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Lesser Black-backed Gull (counties with at least 200 checklists).