WhenToBird

Spatula clypeata · Anatidae

When Do Northern Shovelers Arrive in Texas?

Adult male Northern Shoveler
Photo: Chris O'Donoghue, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Northern Shovelers are winter birds in Texas: the first arrive in late August, they are common by late October, peak in the second week of January (13% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of April.

When to look

First arrivalsAug 22-31late August
Common byOct 22-31late October
PeakJan 8-14the second week of January
Most gone byApr 8-14the second week of April

Best: the second week of January. First arrivals late August; most are gone by the second week of April. Peak: on about 13% of Texas checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Junrare
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augrare
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 13% of 66038 checklistsJan 8-14: 13% of 52445 checklistsJan 15-21: 13% of 52985 checklistsJan 22-31: 13% of 71020 checklistsFeb 1-7: 12% of 52306 checklistsFeb 8-14: 11% of 55887 checklistsFeb 15-21: 10% of 69016 checklistsFeb 22-28: 13% of 52998 checklistsMar 1-7: 12% of 50836 checklistsMar 8-14: 12% of 51749 checklistsMar 15-21: 11% of 53731 checklistsMar 22-31: 9.6% of 82049 checklistsApr 1-7: 7.8% of 65854 checklistsApr 8-14: 6.6% of 78434 checklistsApr 15-21: 5.3% of 92302 checklistsApr 22-30: 4.0% of 122878 checklistsMay 1-7: 2.6% of 74592 checklistsMay 8-14: 2.0% of 61008 checklistsMay 15-21: 1.6% of 43365 checklistsMay 22-31: 1.0% of 52736 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.7% of 31643 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.5% of 30131 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.5% of 26802 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.5% of 32822 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.4% of 27213 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.3% of 24555 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.4% of 24146 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.3% of 34536 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.3% of 25764 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.5% of 26347 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.9% of 28431 checklistsAug 22-31: 1.3% of 42838 checklistsSep 1-7: 2.1% of 35070 checklistsSep 8-14: 2.2% of 33893 checklistsSep 15-21: 2.2% of 32572 checklistsSep 22-30: 2.9% of 43771 checklistsOct 1-7: 3.4% of 34143 checklistsOct 8-14: 3.8% of 37563 checklistsOct 15-21: 5.1% of 36263 checklistsOct 22-31: 6.6% of 49170 checklistsNov 1-7: 9.2% of 43301 checklistsNov 8-14: 11% of 48744 checklistsNov 15-21: 11% of 42213 checklistsNov 22-30: 12% of 54455 checklistsDec 1-7: 12% of 40166 checklistsDec 8-14: 12% of 41035 checklistsDec 15-21: 11% of 46983 checklistsDec 22-31: 12% of 73015 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 Texas 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 Texas

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Hartley CountyBest mid May · 11 checklists that week, 460 in all65%
  2. Hockley CountyBest late October · 15 checklists that week, 616 in all64%
  3. Schleicher CountyBest mid December · 12 checklists that week, 466 in all61%
  4. McMullen CountyBest mid December · 199 checklists that week, 3,965 in all56%
  5. Freestone CountyBest the second week of March · 28 checklists that week, 1,088 in all53%
  6. Garza CountyBest the second week of November · 23 checklists that week, 888 in all51%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Keystone HeritageEl Paso County, best early December · 29 checklists that week, 1,592 in all98%
  2. Lake Casa Blanca State ParkWebb County, best the second week of March · 20 checklists that week, 511 in all96%
  3. Gardens ParkTarrant County, best mid February · 21 checklists that week, 437 in all96%

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

Best time of day

In Texas, the Northern Shoveler is most often listed on checklists started between 1 and 3 pm (8.9% of those checklists).

0%5%10%12 am: too few checklists (898) to judge1 am: too few checklists (756) to judge2 am: too few checklists (663) to judge3 am: too few checklists (741) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1537) to judge5 am: too few checklists (6113) to judge6 am: 3.9% of 74687 checklists7 am: 6.1% of 285131 checklists8 am: 7.5% of 329960 checklists9 am: 7.2% of 267889 checklists10 am: 7.7% of 218205 checklists11 am: 8.0% of 178879 checklists12 pm: 7.9% of 153722 checklists1 pm: 8.7% of 144662 checklists2 pm: 9.1% of 138578 checklists3 pm: 8.4% of 136878 checklists4 pm: 7.4% of 137550 checklists5 pm: 5.7% of 113599 checklists6 pm: 3.5% of 81743 checklists7 pm: 1.9% of 53396 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (17221) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (4048) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1965) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (990) 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
January13%13%13%13%
February12%11%10%13%
March12%12%11%9.6%
April7.8%6.6%5.3%4.0%
May2.6%2.0%1.6%1.0%
June0.7%0.5%0.5%0.5%
July0.4%0.3%0.4%0.3%
August0.3%0.5%0.9%1.3%
September2.1%2.2%2.2%2.9%
October3.4%3.8%5.1%6.6%
November9.2%11%11%12%
December12%12%11%12%

Neighboring states

  • Louisiana: arrives the second week of October, 6 weeks later than Texas
  • Oklahoma: arrives mid August, 1 week earlier than Texas
  • Arkansas: arrives the second week of August, 2 weeks earlier than Texas
  • Mississippi: arrives mid September, 3 weeks later than Texas

Common questions

When do Northern Shovelers arrive in Texas?
Northern Shovelers are winter birds in Texas: the first arrive in late August, they are common by late October, peak in the second week of January (13% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of April.
When do Northern Shovelers leave Texas?
Most Northern Shovelers have left Texas by the second week of April, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until mid May.
When is the best time to see a Northern Shoveler in Texas?
The Northern Shoveler is reported most often in the second week of January, on about 13% of Texas checklists.
Where in Texas are Northern Shovelers seen most often?
By county, Hartley County, Hockley County, and Schleicher County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Northern Shoveler (counties with at least 200 checklists).