WhenToBird

Aythya affinis · Anatidae

When Do Lesser Scaups Arrive in Illinois?

Adult male Lesser Scaup
Photo: Paul Lewis, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Lesser Scaups are winter birds in Illinois: the first arrive in mid October, they are common by late October, peak in mid March (12% of checklists), and most are gone by late April.

When to look

First arrivalsOct 15-21mid October
Common byOct 22-31late October
PeakMar 15-21mid March
Most gone byApr 22-30late April

Best: mid March. First arrivals mid October; most are gone by late April. Peak: on about 12% of Illinois checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Mayrare
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepnot usually seen
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 2.9% of 29700 checklistsJan 8-14: 3.0% of 20189 checklistsJan 15-21: 2.7% of 19784 checklistsJan 22-31: 3.1% of 26641 checklistsFeb 1-7: 4.1% of 20478 checklistsFeb 8-14: 3.6% of 21967 checklistsFeb 15-21: 4.5% of 28735 checklistsFeb 22-28: 9.0% of 24223 checklistsMar 1-7: 11% of 26775 checklistsMar 8-14: 11% of 27579 checklistsMar 15-21: 12% of 27193 checklistsMar 22-31: 12% of 42278 checklistsApr 1-7: 8.6% of 34579 checklistsApr 8-14: 5.8% of 38290 checklistsApr 15-21: 4.3% of 39261 checklistsApr 22-30: 2.2% of 59584 checklistsMay 1-7: 1.0% of 60485 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.4% of 59647 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.3% of 43173 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.2% of 47913 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 31151 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 27692 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.1% of 23983 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.1% of 28448 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.1% of 21273 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.1% of 19284 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.1% of 17712 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.1% of 24500 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.1% of 18498 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.1% of 19331 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.1% of 19983 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.1% of 31892 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.1% of 26396 checklistsSep 8-14: 0% of 25011 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.1% of 23597 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.1% of 30638 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.2% of 23949 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.4% of 24412 checklistsOct 15-21: 1.3% of 22359 checklistsOct 22-31: 2.0% of 29794 checklistsNov 1-7: 3.2% of 21877 checklistsNov 8-14: 3.5% of 19742 checklistsNov 15-21: 3.9% of 18989 checklistsNov 22-30: 3.5% of 23905 checklistsDec 1-7: 3.3% of 16935 checklistsDec 8-14: 3.4% of 16687 checklistsDec 15-21: 2.5% of 20931 checklistsDec 22-31: 2.5% of 29011 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 Illinois 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 Illinois

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Putnam CountyBest early April · 55 checklists that week, 3,333 in all62%
  2. Mercer CountyBest mid March · 13 checklists that week, 949 in all55%
  3. Warren CountyBest the second week of March · 13 checklists that week, 658 in all48%
  4. Carroll CountyBest late March · 148 checklists that week, 4,152 in all43%
  5. Brown CountyBest mid April · 24 checklists that week, 403 in all41%
  6. Marshall CountyBest late March · 81 checklists that week, 2,668 in all39%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Pool 14Rock Island County, best late March · 24 checklists that week, 662 in all90%
  2. Cooper Park - North & SouthTazewell County, best late March · 33 checklists that week, 750 in all89%

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

Best time of day

In Illinois, the Lesser Scaup is most often listed on checklists started between 2 and 4 pm (3.7% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%4%12 am: too few checklists (484) to judge1 am: too few checklists (631) to judge2 am: too few checklists (485) to judge3 am: too few checklists (610) to judge4 am: too few checklists (2321) to judge5 am: too few checklists (23536) to judge6 am: 1.7% of 95511 checklists7 am: 2.3% of 164584 checklists8 am: 2.6% of 163654 checklists9 am: 3.0% of 141804 checklists10 am: 3.3% of 122882 checklists11 am: 3.6% of 100640 checklists12 pm: 3.4% of 89894 checklists1 pm: 3.6% of 82729 checklists2 pm: 3.7% of 79801 checklists3 pm: 3.6% of 82169 checklists4 pm: 3.0% of 75124 checklists5 pm: 2.3% of 57708 checklists6 pm: 1.5% of 41843 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (20943) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (6131) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1677) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (843) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (448) 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
January2.9%3.0%2.7%3.1%
February4.1%3.6%4.5%9.0%
March11%11%12%12%
April8.6%5.8%4.3%2.2%
May1.0%0.4%0.3%0.2%
June0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
July0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
August0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
September0.1%0%0.1%0.1%
October0.2%0.4%1.3%2.0%
November3.2%3.5%3.9%3.5%
December3.3%3.4%2.5%2.5%

Neighboring states

  • Indiana: arrives mid October, in the same week than Illinois
  • Wisconsin: arrives the second week of October, 1 week earlier than Illinois
  • Michigan: arrives early October, 2 weeks earlier than Illinois
  • Iowa: arrives mid October, in the same week than Illinois

Common questions

When do Lesser Scaups arrive in Illinois?
Lesser Scaups are winter birds in Illinois: the first arrive in mid October, they are common by late October, peak in mid March (12% of checklists), and most are gone by late April.
When do Lesser Scaups leave Illinois?
Most Lesser Scaups have left Illinois by late April, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until early May.
When is the best time to see a Lesser Scaup in Illinois?
The Lesser Scaup is reported most often in mid March, on about 12% of Illinois checklists.
Where in Illinois are Lesser Scaups seen most often?
By county, Putnam County, Mercer County, and Warren County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Lesser Scaup (counties with at least 200 checklists).