WhenToBird

Podilymbus podiceps · Podicipedidae

When Do Pied-billed Grebes Arrive in New York?

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

Pied-billed Grebes reach New York in early July, are common by the second week of July, peak in early April (5.1% of checklists), and most are gone by early June.

When to look

First arrivalsJul 1-7early July
Common byJul 8-14the second week of July
PeakApr 1-7early April
Most gone byJun 1-7early June

Best: early April. First arrivals early July; most are gone by early June. Peak: on about 5.1% of New York checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Jununcommon
  7. Juluncommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Deccommon

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

0%2%4%6%Jan 1-7: 1.7% of 66410 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.7% of 49310 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.6% of 49919 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.5% of 62513 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.2% of 43526 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.0% of 49753 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.9% of 65147 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.2% of 50173 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.4% of 50325 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.6% of 55371 checklistsMar 15-21: 2.6% of 56293 checklistsMar 22-31: 4.2% of 82677 checklistsApr 1-7: 5.9% of 65295 checklistsApr 8-14: 5.3% of 73080 checklistsApr 15-21: 3.8% of 73857 checklistsApr 22-30: 2.6% of 106093 checklistsMay 1-7: 1.6% of 102772 checklistsMay 8-14: 1.2% of 110051 checklistsMay 15-21: 1.1% of 94797 checklistsMay 22-31: 1.4% of 101272 checklistsJun 1-7: 1.1% of 59471 checklistsJun 8-14: 1.0% of 55497 checklistsJun 15-21: 1.0% of 51761 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.9% of 59219 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.9% of 48226 checklistsJul 8-14: 1.3% of 42315 checklistsJul 15-21: 1.4% of 40637 checklistsJul 22-31: 1.5% of 57183 checklistsAug 1-7: 1.7% of 40461 checklistsAug 8-14: 1.9% of 39880 checklistsAug 15-21: 2.1% of 41146 checklistsAug 22-31: 2.2% of 63381 checklistsSep 1-7: 2.6% of 48640 checklistsSep 8-14: 2.5% of 47882 checklistsSep 15-21: 2.3% of 49063 checklistsSep 22-30: 2.7% of 57906 checklistsOct 1-7: 3.2% of 48447 checklistsOct 8-14: 3.3% of 51901 checklistsOct 15-21: 3.9% of 46717 checklistsOct 22-31: 4.1% of 61992 checklistsNov 1-7: 4.7% of 44593 checklistsNov 8-14: 4.2% of 42566 checklistsNov 15-21: 3.5% of 39675 checklistsNov 22-30: 2.7% of 51197 checklistsDec 1-7: 2.3% of 36567 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.9% of 37254 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.5% of 43754 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.1% of 62470 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 New York 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.

Embed this map on your site

Where in New York

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Seneca CountyBest the second week of August · 879 checklists that week, 47,387 in all38%
  2. Genesee CountyBest mid April · 378 checklists that week, 17,726 in all32%
  3. Sullivan CountyBest early April · 683 checklists that week, 28,620 in all21%
  4. Clinton CountyBest early May · 236 checklists that week, 8,764 in all18%
  5. Wayne CountyBest late August · 985 checklists that week, 37,738 in all16%
  6. Schuyler CountyBest mid November · 156 checklists that week, 12,381 in all15%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Lower Lake (southwest)St. Lawrence County, best mid October · 26 checklists that week, 467 in all97%
  2. Northern Montezuma Wildlife Management AreaWayne County, best the second week of July · 27 checklists that week, 1,324 in all92%
  3. Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge (Willow Grove)Wayne County, best the second week of May · 32 checklists that week, 872 in all89%
  4. Montezuma National Wildlife RefugeSeneca County, best mid April · 243 checklists that week, 7,126 in all80%
  5. Black Lake (east)Seneca County, best the second week of April · 50 checklists that week, 798 in all76%

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

Best time of day

In New York, the Pied-billed Grebe is most often listed on checklists started between 1 and 3 pm (2.7% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%12 am: too few checklists (1146) to judge1 am: too few checklists (1055) to judge2 am: too few checklists (1121) to judge3 am: too few checklists (1353) to judge4 am: too few checklists (4785) to judge5 am: too few checklists (32052) to judge6 am: 1.4% of 124869 checklists7 am: 1.7% of 298506 checklists8 am: 2.0% of 337334 checklists9 am: 2.4% of 307787 checklists10 am: 2.5% of 270801 checklists11 am: 2.6% of 233238 checklists12 pm: 2.6% of 213830 checklists1 pm: 2.7% of 193321 checklists2 pm: 2.7% of 180741 checklists3 pm: 2.6% of 170348 checklists4 pm: 2.3% of 147224 checklists5 pm: 2.2% of 111962 checklists6 pm: 2.0% of 78261 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (44425) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (15648) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (4795) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (2454) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (1378) 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
January1.7%1.7%1.6%1.5%
February1.2%1.0%0.9%1.2%
March1.4%1.6%2.6%4.2%
April5.9%5.3%3.8%2.6%
May1.6%1.2%1.1%1.4%
June1.1%1.0%1.0%0.9%
July0.9%1.3%1.4%1.5%
August1.7%1.9%2.1%2.2%
September2.6%2.5%2.3%2.7%
October3.2%3.3%3.9%4.1%
November4.7%4.2%3.5%2.7%
December2.3%1.9%1.5%1.1%

Neighboring states

  • Connecticut: arrives the second week of September, 9 weeks later than New York
  • New Jersey: arrives the second week of September, 9 weeks later than New York
  • Pennsylvania: arrives late February, 17 weeks earlier than New York
  • Vermont: arrives early August, 4 weeks later than New York

Common questions

When do Pied-billed Grebes arrive in New York?
Pied-billed Grebes reach New York in early July, are common by the second week of July, peak in early April (5.1% of checklists), and most are gone by early June.
When do Pied-billed Grebes leave New York?
Most Pied-billed Grebes have left New York by early June, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until the second week of June.
When is the best time to see a Pied-billed Grebe in New York?
The Pied-billed Grebe is reported most often in early April, on about 5.1% of New York checklists.
Where in New York are Pied-billed Grebes seen most often?
By county, Seneca County, Genesee County, and Sullivan County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Pied-billed Grebe (counties with at least 200 checklists).