WhenToBird

Gavia pacifica · Gaviidae

When Do Pacific Loons Arrive in Montana?

Adult Pacific Loon
Photo: Bob Miller, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Pacific Loons mostly pass through Montana: they arrive in the second week of October, peak in late October (1.1% of checklists), and most are gone by mid November.

When to look

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

Best: late October. First arrivals the second week of October; most are gone by mid November. Peak: on about 1.1% of Montana checklists.

  1. Janrare
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marnot usually seen
  4. Aprnot usually seen
  5. Maynot usually seen
  6. Junnot usually seen
  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.

0%0.5%1%1.5%Jan 1-7: 0.1% of 7987 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.1% of 5561 checklistsJan 15-21: 0% of 5613 checklistsJan 22-31: 0% of 7881 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0% of 5018 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0% of 5598 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0% of 7247 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0% of 5531 checklistsMar 1-7: 0% of 6110 checklistsMar 8-14: 0% of 6623 checklistsMar 15-21: 0% of 7687 checklistsMar 22-31: 0% of 11095 checklistsApr 1-7: 0% of 7774 checklistsApr 8-14: 0% of 8785 checklistsApr 15-21: 0% of 9684 checklistsApr 22-30: 0% of 13805 checklistsMay 1-7: 0% of 11847 checklistsMay 8-14: 0% of 13547 checklistsMay 15-21: 0% of 13019 checklistsMay 22-31: 0% of 20456 checklistsJun 1-7: 0% of 12993 checklistsJun 8-14: 0% of 11594 checklistsJun 15-21: 0% of 11159 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 13786 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 9584 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.1% of 9078 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 7905 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 10906 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 7335 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 6868 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.1% of 6866 checklistsAug 22-31: 0% of 10076 checklistsSep 1-7: 0% of 7670 checklistsSep 8-14: 0% of 7490 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.1% of 6804 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.1% of 8016 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.1% of 5996 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.6% of 6156 checklistsOct 15-21: 1.4% of 5742 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.2% of 7790 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.7% of 5353 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.9% of 5475 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.5% of 4603 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.2% of 6067 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.3% of 4362 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.1% of 4467 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.1% of 5328 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.3% of 6672 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 Montana 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 Montana

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Liberty CountyBest late October · 20 checklists that week, 800 in all7.3%
  2. Powell CountyBest late October · 180 checklists that week, 5,305 in all5.6%
  3. Madison CountyBest late October · 109 checklists that week, 7,008 in all4.3%
  4. Mineral CountyBest the second week of August · 44 checklists that week, 2,163 in all2.1%
  5. Missoula CountyBest mid October · 889 checklists that week, 64,368 in all2.0%
  6. Yellowstone CountyBest mid November · 128 checklists that week, 13,895 in all1.8%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Frenchtown PondMissoula County, best late October · 30 checklists that week, 300 in all40%
  2. Hyalite ReservoirGallatin County, best late October · 49 checklists that week, 403 in all30%
  3. Three Forks Ponds Fishing Access SiteGallatin County, best mid October · 71 checklists that week, 1,662 in all19%
  4. Browns LakePowell County, best late October · 46 checklists that week, 433 in all19%
  5. Giant Springs State ParkCascade County, best the second week of November · 21 checklists that week, 1,249 in all18%
  6. Flathead Lake/Wayfarers State ParkFlathead County, best the second week of November · 21 checklists that week, 635 in all16%

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

Best time of day

In Montana, the Pacific Loon is most often listed on checklists started between 2 and 4 pm (0.2% of those checklists).

0%0.5%12 am: too few checklists (183) to judge1 am: too few checklists (169) to judge2 am: too few checklists (163) to judge3 am: too few checklists (212) to judge4 am: too few checklists (503) to judge5 am: too few checklists (4022) to judge6 am: 0% of 12719 checklists7 am: 0.1% of 31202 checklists8 am: 0.1% of 47646 checklists9 am: 0.1% of 44624 checklists10 am: 0.1% of 40704 checklists11 am: 0.1% of 33825 checklists12 pm: 0.2% of 29407 checklists1 pm: 0.1% of 27959 checklists2 pm: 0.2% of 26928 checklists3 pm: 0.2% of 25313 checklists4 pm: 0.1% of 22151 checklists5 pm: 0.1% of 16884 checklists6 pm: 0.1% of 13780 checklists7 pm: 0.1% of 9926 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (5765) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2099) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (595) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (230) 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
January0.1%0.1%0%0%
February0%0%0%0%
March0%0%0%0%
April0%0%0%0%
May0%0%0%0%
June0%0%0%0%
July0%0.1%0%0%
August0%0%0.1%0%
September0%0%0.1%0.1%
October0.1%0.6%1.4%1.2%
November0.7%0.9%0.5%0.2%
December0.3%0.1%0.1%0.3%

Neighboring states

  • Idaho: arrives mid October, 1 week later than Montana
  • Washington: arrives mid September, 3 weeks earlier than Montana
  • Oregon: arrives late June, 14 weeks earlier than Montana
  • Colorado: arrives mid October, 1 week later than Montana

Common questions

When do Pacific Loons arrive in Montana?
Pacific Loons mostly pass through Montana: they arrive in the second week of October, peak in late October (1.1% of checklists), and most are gone by mid November.
When do Pacific Loons leave Montana?
Most Pacific Loons have left Montana by mid November, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Pacific Loon in Montana?
The Pacific Loon is reported most often in late October, on about 1.1% of Montana checklists.
Where in Montana are Pacific Loons seen most often?
By county, Liberty County, Powell County, and Madison County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Pacific Loon (counties with at least 200 checklists).