WhenToBird

Common Loon · Gavia immer

When Do Loons Arrive in North Dakota?

Adult Common Loon
Photo: Hungry-Sarracenia Photo, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Common Loons are winter birds in North Dakota: they arrive in the second week of September, peak in late October (2.9% of checklists), and most are gone by mid November. They are the only regular loons in North Dakota.

When to look

First arrivalsSep 8-14the second week of September
Common bySep 8-14the second week of September
PeakOct 22-31late October
Most gone byNov 15-21mid November

Best: late October. First arrivals the second week of September; most are gone by mid November. Peak: on about 2.9% of North Dakota checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marnot usually seen
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Jununcommon
  7. Juluncommon
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

Loons in North Dakota, species by species

SpeciesFirst arrivalsCommon byPeakMost gone byPeak %
Common LoonSep 8-14Sep 8-14Oct 22-31Nov 15-212.9%
0%1%2%3%4%Common LoonJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
  • Common Loon
Share of complete checklists reporting each species, by week (4 per month). Gaps: fewer than 10 checklists that week.

Frequency is the share of complete checklists in North Dakota 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.

Where in North Dakota

Best counties for Common Loon

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. McLean CountyBest the second week of October · 24 checklists that week, 1,933 in all40%
  2. Rolette CountyBest mid April · 10 checklists that week, 490 in all39%
  3. Renville CountyBest mid October · 10 checklists that week, 415 in all27%
  4. Mountrail CountyBest late October · 134 checklists that week, 3,275 in all18%
  5. Bottineau CountyBest mid June · 71 checklists that week, 1,949 in all17%
  6. Eddy CountyBest late April · 10 checklists that week, 360 in all14%

Common questions

When do loons arrive in North Dakota?
Common Loons are winter birds in North Dakota: they arrive in the second week of September, peak in late October (2.9% of checklists), and most are gone by mid November. They are the only regular loons in North Dakota.
When do loons leave North Dakota?
Most Common Loons have left North Dakota by mid November, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see loons in North Dakota?
The Common Loon is reported most often in late October, on about 2.9% of North Dakota checklists.