WhenToBird

Morus bassanus · Sulidae

When Do Northern Gannets Arrive in Florida?

Adult Northern Gannet
Photo: Dave, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Northern Gannets are winter birds in Florida: they arrive in early November, peak in mid November (1.9% of checklists), and most are gone by mid April.

When to look

First arrivalsNov 1-7early November
Common byNov 1-7early November
PeakNov 15-21mid November
Most gone byApr 15-21mid April

Best: mid November. First arrivals early November; most are gone by mid April. Peak: on about 1.9% of Florida checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Junrare
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepnot usually seen
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%1%2%3%Jan 1-7: 1.1% of 74446 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.2% of 60074 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.0% of 62945 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.5% of 84954 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.3% of 59204 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.2% of 63259 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.0% of 77150 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.8% of 62850 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.8% of 58560 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.7% of 57756 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.7% of 54898 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.7% of 76702 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.9% of 55096 checklistsApr 8-14: 1.0% of 55892 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.7% of 59358 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.5% of 73124 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.4% of 47915 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.4% of 44114 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.4% of 31858 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.2% of 40723 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 31668 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 27802 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.1% of 26698 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.1% of 32346 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.1% of 23826 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.1% of 23071 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.1% of 22903 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.1% of 32952 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.1% of 25093 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.1% of 24888 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.1% of 26030 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.1% of 38612 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.1% of 31023 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.1% of 30022 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.1% of 31611 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.1% of 42108 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.1% of 36219 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.1% of 43113 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.1% of 40987 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.3% of 53457 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.3% of 38587 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.8% of 39208 checklistsNov 15-21: 2.2% of 39729 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.9% of 54965 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.4% of 42070 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.7% of 43424 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.6% of 50581 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.7% of 82405 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 Florida 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 Florida

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Volusia CountyBest early February · 1559 checklists that week, 52,415 in all9.7%
  2. Flagler CountyBest early January · 409 checklists that week, 11,954 in all8.5%
  3. Walton CountyBest late November · 236 checklists that week, 9,530 in all8.4%
  4. Nassau CountyBest late January · 408 checklists that week, 10,618 in all8.2%
  5. Palm Beach CountyBest the second week of November · 2162 checklists that week, 118,595 in all7.7%
  6. St. Johns CountyBest early January · 1620 checklists that week, 51,026 in all7.6%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Tom Renick ParkVolusia County, best the second week of February · 38 checklists that week, 1,941 in all94%
  2. East Max Hoeck Creek (northwest)Brevard County, best late January · 36 checklists that week, 211 in all67%
  3. Juno Beach Ocean ParkPalm Beach County, best mid November · 24 checklists that week, 339 in all66%
  4. Barton Park/Municipal PoolPalm Beach County, best the second week of November · 29 checklists that week, 963 in all63%
  5. Boynton InletPalm Beach County, best the second week of November · 156 checklists that week, 3,371 in all62%
  6. Frank Rendon ParkVolusia County, best early February · 63 checklists that week, 640 in all56%

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

Best time of day

In Florida, the Northern Gannet is most often listed on checklists started between 2 and 4 pm (1.1% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%12 am: too few checklists (771) to judge1 am: too few checklists (771) to judge2 am: too few checklists (701) to judge3 am: too few checklists (752) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1378) to judge5 am: too few checklists (9462) to judge6 am: 0.9% of 94591 checklists7 am: 1.0% of 296183 checklists8 am: 0.7% of 319987 checklists9 am: 0.7% of 254830 checklists10 am: 0.7% of 209480 checklists11 am: 0.7% of 163924 checklists12 pm: 0.8% of 133478 checklists1 pm: 0.9% of 125012 checklists2 pm: 1.0% of 125299 checklists3 pm: 1.2% of 131072 checklists4 pm: 0.9% of 134410 checklists5 pm: 0.4% of 113373 checklists6 pm: 0.2% of 69886 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (37509) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (8966) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2093) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1485) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (862) 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
January1.1%1.2%1.0%1.5%
February1.3%1.2%1.0%0.8%
March0.8%0.7%0.7%0.7%
April0.9%1.0%0.7%0.5%
May0.4%0.4%0.4%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%0.1%0.1%0.1%
October0.1%0.1%0.1%0.3%
November1.3%1.8%2.2%1.9%
December1.4%1.7%1.6%1.7%

Neighboring states

  • South Carolina: arrives early November, in the same week than Florida
  • North Carolina: arrives early November, in the same week than Florida
  • Virginia: arrives early November, in the same week than Florida
  • Maryland: arrives late October, 1 week earlier than Florida

Common questions

When do Northern Gannets arrive in Florida?
Northern Gannets are winter birds in Florida: they arrive in early November, peak in mid November (1.9% of checklists), and most are gone by mid April.
When do Northern Gannets leave Florida?
Most Northern Gannets have left Florida by mid April, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Northern Gannet in Florida?
The Northern Gannet is reported most often in mid November, on about 1.9% of Florida checklists.
Where in Florida are Northern Gannets seen most often?
By county, Volusia County, Flagler County, and Walton County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Northern Gannet (counties with at least 200 checklists).