WhenToBird

Clangula hyemalis · Anatidae

When Do Long-tailed Ducks Arrive in Maryland?

Adult male Long-tailed Duck
Photo: Diego González Dopico, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Long-tailed Ducks are winter birds in Maryland: the first arrive in mid November, they are common by late November, peak in late January (4.4% of checklists), and most are gone by late March.

When to look

First arrivalsNov 15-21mid November
Common byNov 22-30late November
PeakJan 22-31late January
Most gone byMar 22-31late March

Best: late January. First arrivals mid November; most are gone by late March. Peak: on about 4.4% of Maryland checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marcommon
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Maynot usually seen
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepnot usually seen
  10. Octnot usually seen
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%2%4%6%Jan 1-7: 3.6% of 28716 checklistsJan 8-14: 4.1% of 21449 checklistsJan 15-21: 4.6% of 21267 checklistsJan 22-31: 4.0% of 29144 checklistsFeb 1-7: 4.8% of 21347 checklistsFeb 8-14: 3.3% of 22166 checklistsFeb 15-21: 3.1% of 29986 checklistsFeb 22-28: 3.7% of 22427 checklistsMar 1-7: 2.8% of 21389 checklistsMar 8-14: 2.6% of 22192 checklistsMar 15-21: 2.3% of 22823 checklistsMar 22-31: 1.7% of 33720 checklistsApr 1-7: 1.1% of 25513 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.4% of 27718 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.1% of 29328 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.1% of 42595 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.1% of 38532 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.1% of 42722 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 31936 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 36903 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 23191 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 21853 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.1% of 21000 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.1% of 25133 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.1% of 18715 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.1% of 16376 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.1% of 15793 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.1% of 21969 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.1% of 16013 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 15249 checklistsAug 15-21: 0% of 15674 checklistsAug 22-31: 0% of 24925 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.1% of 19808 checklistsSep 8-14: 0% of 18513 checklistsSep 15-21: 0% of 21901 checklistsSep 22-30: 0% of 22901 checklistsOct 1-7: 0% of 19111 checklistsOct 8-14: 0% of 18482 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.1% of 17380 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.1% of 23992 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.4% of 17915 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.8% of 18905 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.0% of 16259 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.7% of 22852 checklistsDec 1-7: 2.5% of 16108 checklistsDec 8-14: 2.8% of 16512 checklistsDec 15-21: 2.8% of 18952 checklistsDec 22-31: 4.2% of 29728 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 Maryland 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 Maryland

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Worcester CountyBest early February · 1183 checklists that week, 44,596 in all25%
  2. Queen Anne's CountyBest early February · 535 checklists that week, 26,875 in all21%
  3. St. Mary's CountyBest mid January · 439 checklists that week, 20,572 in all21%
  4. Calvert CountyBest late January · 1124 checklists that week, 43,807 in all15%
  5. Dorchester CountyBest the second week of January · 732 checklists that week, 26,161 in all12%
  6. Talbot CountyBest late January · 826 checklists that week, 31,140 in all11%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Blackwalnut CoveTalbot County, best early February · 46 checklists that week, 2,044 in all87%
  2. Point Lookout SpSt. Mary's County, best mid January · 62 checklists that week, 1,235 in all85%
  3. Holligans Snooze InletQueen Anne's County, best late January · 31 checklists that week, 478 in all81%
  4. Point Lookout Sp (Lake Conoy)St. Mary's County, best mid January · 23 checklists that week, 240 in all78%
  5. Ocean City InletWorcester County, best early February · 316 checklists that week, 5,187 in all78%
  6. Cambridge Long WharfDorchester County, best mid February · 24 checklists that week, 336 in all73%

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

Best time of day

In Maryland, the Long-tailed Duck is most often listed on checklists started between 1 and 3 pm (1.7% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%2%12 am: too few checklists (486) to judge1 am: too few checklists (451) to judge2 am: too few checklists (447) to judge3 am: too few checklists (766) to judge4 am: too few checklists (2076) to judge5 am: too few checklists (11098) to judge6 am: 0.5% of 56604 checklists7 am: 1.1% of 139255 checklists8 am: 1.2% of 148626 checklists9 am: 1.3% of 126820 checklists10 am: 1.4% of 106973 checklists11 am: 1.6% of 87483 checklists12 pm: 1.6% of 74808 checklists1 pm: 1.7% of 69428 checklists2 pm: 1.6% of 67800 checklists3 pm: 1.6% of 67688 checklists4 pm: 1.3% of 60927 checklists5 pm: 0.6% of 43876 checklists6 pm: 0.4% of 32930 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (19051) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (5708) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1977) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1170) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (635) 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
January3.6%4.1%4.6%4.0%
February4.8%3.3%3.1%3.7%
March2.8%2.6%2.3%1.7%
April1.1%0.4%0.1%0.1%
May0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
June0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
July0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
August0.1%0%0%0%
September0.1%0%0%0%
October0%0%0.1%0.1%
November0.4%0.8%1.0%1.7%
December2.5%2.8%2.8%4.2%

Neighboring states

  • Delaware: arrives late November, 1 week later than Maryland
  • Virginia: arrives early December, 2 weeks later than Maryland
  • Pennsylvania: arrives early November, 2 weeks earlier than Maryland
  • New Jersey: arrives the second week of November, 1 week earlier than Maryland

Common questions

When do Long-tailed Ducks arrive in Maryland?
Long-tailed Ducks are winter birds in Maryland: the first arrive in mid November, they are common by late November, peak in late January (4.4% of checklists), and most are gone by late March.
When do Long-tailed Ducks leave Maryland?
Most Long-tailed Ducks have left Maryland by late March, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until early April.
When is the best time to see a Long-tailed Duck in Maryland?
The Long-tailed Duck is reported most often in late January, on about 4.4% of Maryland checklists.
Where in Maryland are Long-tailed Ducks seen most often?
By county, Worcester County, Queen Anne's County, and St. Mary's County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Long-tailed Duck (counties with at least 200 checklists).