WhenToBird

Common Loon · Gavia immer

When Do Loons Arrive in Utah?

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

Common Loons are winter birds in Utah: they arrive in early October, peak in early November (5.0% of checklists), and most are gone by early December. They are the only regular loons in Utah.

When to look

First arrivalsOct 1-7early October
Common byOct 1-7early October
PeakNov 1-7early November
Most gone byDec 1-7early December

Best: early November. First arrivals early October; most are gone by early December. Peak: on about 5.0% of Utah checklists.

  1. Janrare
  2. Febrare
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maycommon
  6. Junrare
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Seprare
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decuncommon

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

Loons in Utah, species by species

SpeciesFirst arrivalsCommon byPeakMost gone byPeak %
Common LoonOct 1-7Oct 1-7Nov 1-7Dec 1-75.0%
0%2%4%6%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 Utah 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 Utah

Best counties for Common Loon

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Summit CountyBest early November · 214 checklists that week, 13,829 in all40%
  2. Morgan CountyBest late October · 45 checklists that week, 3,178 in all38%
  3. Piute CountyBest mid April · 24 checklists that week, 1,035 in all35%
  4. Wasatch CountyBest the second week of November · 71 checklists that week, 7,780 in all32%
  5. Rich CountyBest late April · 37 checklists that week, 1,563 in all20%
  6. Cache CountyBest late October · 473 checklists that week, 21,769 in all17%

Common questions

When do loons arrive in Utah?
Common Loons are winter birds in Utah: they arrive in early October, peak in early November (5.0% of checklists), and most are gone by early December. They are the only regular loons in Utah.
When do loons leave Utah?
Most Common Loons have left Utah by early December, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see loons in Utah?
The Common Loon is reported most often in early November, on about 5.0% of Utah checklists.