WhenToBird

Podilymbus podiceps · Podicipedidae

When Do Pied-billed Grebes Arrive in Maryland?

Adult Pied-billed Grebe
Photo: Rodrigo Paiva Lázaro, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Pied-billed Grebes are winter birds in Maryland: the first arrive in the second week of September, they are common by the second week of October, peak in mid November (7.6% of checklists), and most are gone by mid April.

When to look

First arrivalsSep 8-14the second week of September
Common byOct 8-14the second week of October
PeakNov 15-21mid November
Most gone byApr 15-21mid April

Best: mid November. First arrivals the second week of September; most are gone by mid April. Peak: on about 7.6% of Maryland checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Mayrare
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julrare
  8. Augrare
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%5%10%Jan 1-7: 5.1% of 28716 checklistsJan 8-14: 4.5% of 21449 checklistsJan 15-21: 4.3% of 21267 checklistsJan 22-31: 3.2% of 29144 checklistsFeb 1-7: 3.9% of 21347 checklistsFeb 8-14: 2.8% of 22166 checklistsFeb 15-21: 2.8% of 29986 checklistsFeb 22-28: 4.3% of 22427 checklistsMar 1-7: 4.5% of 21389 checklistsMar 8-14: 5.8% of 22192 checklistsMar 15-21: 7.2% of 22823 checklistsMar 22-31: 7.9% of 33720 checklistsApr 1-7: 7.0% of 25513 checklistsApr 8-14: 5.6% of 27718 checklistsApr 15-21: 3.3% of 29328 checklistsApr 22-30: 1.5% of 42595 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.9% of 38532 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.4% of 42722 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.3% of 31936 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.3% of 36903 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.2% of 23191 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 21853 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.2% of 21000 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.2% of 25133 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.1% of 18715 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.2% of 16376 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.4% of 15793 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.3% of 21969 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.4% of 16013 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.4% of 15249 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.6% of 15674 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.6% of 24925 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.9% of 19808 checklistsSep 8-14: 1.3% of 18513 checklistsSep 15-21: 1.3% of 21901 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.8% of 22901 checklistsOct 1-7: 2.1% of 19111 checklistsOct 8-14: 3.1% of 18482 checklistsOct 15-21: 4.3% of 17380 checklistsOct 22-31: 5.7% of 23992 checklistsNov 1-7: 6.8% of 17915 checklistsNov 8-14: 7.8% of 18905 checklistsNov 15-21: 8.0% of 16259 checklistsNov 22-30: 7.0% of 22852 checklistsDec 1-7: 7.7% of 16108 checklistsDec 8-14: 6.2% of 16512 checklistsDec 15-21: 3.9% of 18952 checklistsDec 22-31: 4.3% of 29728 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 Maryland 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 Maryland

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Garrett CountyBest early November · 554 checklists that week, 37,616 in all21%
  2. Prince George's CountyBest late November · 1865 checklists that week, 87,907 in all15%
  3. Wicomico CountyBest late January · 272 checklists that week, 12,356 in all13%
  4. Baltimore CountyBest late November · 3188 checklists that week, 136,139 in all12%
  5. Montgomery CountyBest late March · 6921 checklists that week, 219,548 in all12%
  6. Carroll CountyBest mid November · 343 checklists that week, 26,728 in all11%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Quarry LakeBaltimore County, best late November · 22 checklists that week, 915 in all94%
  2. Lake ArtemesiaPrince George's County, best the second week of November · 120 checklists that week, 6,051 in all90%
  3. Loch Raven Reservoir (Jenkins Run)Baltimore County, best early November · 21 checklists that week, 759 in all88%
  4. Black Hill Regional ParkMontgomery County, best the second week of January · 93 checklists that week, 1,746 in all77%
  5. Loch Raven Reservoir (Timberline Park)Baltimore County, best the second week of December · 50 checklists that week, 571 in all77%

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

Best time of day

In Maryland, the Pied-billed Grebe is most often listed on checklists started between 2 and 4 pm (3.8% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%4%12 am: too few checklists (486) to judge1 am: too few checklists (451) to judge2 am: too few checklists (447) to judge3 am: too few checklists (766) to judge4 am: too few checklists (2076) to judge5 am: too few checklists (11098) to judge6 am: 2.5% of 56604 checklists7 am: 2.8% of 139255 checklists8 am: 2.8% of 148626 checklists9 am: 3.2% of 126820 checklists10 am: 3.5% of 106973 checklists11 am: 3.6% of 87483 checklists12 pm: 3.5% of 74808 checklists1 pm: 3.7% of 69428 checklists2 pm: 3.8% of 67800 checklists3 pm: 3.8% of 67688 checklists4 pm: 3.3% of 60927 checklists5 pm: 2.4% of 43876 checklists6 pm: 1.5% of 32930 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (19051) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (5708) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1977) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1170) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (635) 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
January5.1%4.5%4.3%3.2%
February3.9%2.8%2.8%4.3%
March4.5%5.8%7.2%7.9%
April7.0%5.6%3.3%1.5%
May0.9%0.4%0.3%0.3%
June0.2%0.1%0.2%0.2%
July0.1%0.2%0.4%0.3%
August0.4%0.4%0.6%0.6%
September0.9%1.3%1.3%1.8%
October2.1%3.1%4.3%5.7%
November6.8%7.8%8.0%7.0%
December7.7%6.2%3.9%4.3%

Neighboring states

  • District of Columbia: arrives mid August, 3 weeks earlier than Maryland
  • Delaware: arrives early September, 1 week earlier than Maryland
  • Virginia: arrives early September, 1 week earlier than Maryland
  • Pennsylvania: arrives late February, 22 weeks later than Maryland

Common questions

When do Pied-billed Grebes arrive in Maryland?
Pied-billed Grebes are winter birds in Maryland: the first arrive in the second week of September, they are common by the second week of October, peak in mid November (7.6% of checklists), and most are gone by mid April.
When do Pied-billed Grebes leave Maryland?
Most Pied-billed Grebes have left Maryland by mid April, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until late April.
When is the best time to see a Pied-billed Grebe in Maryland?
The Pied-billed Grebe is reported most often in mid November, on about 7.6% of Maryland checklists.
Where in Maryland are Pied-billed Grebes seen most often?
By county, Garrett County, Prince George's County, and Wicomico County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Pied-billed Grebe (counties with at least 200 checklists).