WhenToBird

Podilymbus podiceps · Podicipedidae

When Do Pied-billed Grebes Arrive in North Carolina?

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

Pied-billed Grebes are winter birds in North Carolina: the first arrive in late August, they are common by mid October, peak in late November (14% of checklists), and most are gone by late March.

When to look

First arrivalsAug 22-31late August
Common byOct 15-21mid October
PeakNov 22-30late November
Most gone byMar 22-31late March

Best: late November. First arrivals late August; most are gone by late March. Peak: on about 14% of North Carolina checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Maynot usually seen
  6. Junnot usually seen
  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: 11% of 30085 checklistsJan 8-14: 11% of 22728 checklistsJan 15-21: 10% of 24292 checklistsJan 22-31: 10% of 34122 checklistsFeb 1-7: 9.5% of 26352 checklistsFeb 8-14: 7.4% of 29663 checklistsFeb 15-21: 6.0% of 41515 checklistsFeb 22-28: 8.6% of 24318 checklistsMar 1-7: 8.6% of 23408 checklistsMar 8-14: 8.5% of 22658 checklistsMar 15-21: 8.3% of 22784 checklistsMar 22-31: 6.4% of 36034 checklistsApr 1-7: 4.2% of 28131 checklistsApr 8-14: 2.7% of 29190 checklistsApr 15-21: 1.3% of 32847 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.6% of 47966 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.2% of 37076 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.1% of 36228 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 30378 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 40237 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 27551 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 26473 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.1% of 22789 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.1% of 27615 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.1% of 20022 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.2% of 19315 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.3% of 18934 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.5% of 25600 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.6% of 17987 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.6% of 17307 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.8% of 17080 checklistsAug 22-31: 1.0% of 25844 checklistsSep 1-7: 1.2% of 20818 checklistsSep 8-14: 1.4% of 20070 checklistsSep 15-21: 1.7% of 21984 checklistsSep 22-30: 2.2% of 26979 checklistsOct 1-7: 3.1% of 22605 checklistsOct 8-14: 4.3% of 22677 checklistsOct 15-21: 6.9% of 21407 checklistsOct 22-31: 8.5% of 25927 checklistsNov 1-7: 10% of 18830 checklistsNov 8-14: 13% of 18418 checklistsNov 15-21: 13% of 19101 checklistsNov 22-30: 14% of 25709 checklistsDec 1-7: 14% of 18856 checklistsDec 8-14: 13% of 18745 checklistsDec 15-21: 11% of 22478 checklistsDec 22-31: 11% of 34796 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 North Carolina 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 North Carolina

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Wilson CountyBest the second week of December · 113 checklists that week, 5,078 in all41%
  2. Haywood CountyBest mid November · 306 checklists that week, 20,168 in all35%
  3. Yadkin CountyBest early November · 22 checklists that week, 1,641 in all33%
  4. Chatham CountyBest late November · 828 checklists that week, 33,471 in all31%
  5. Alexander CountyBest late December · 32 checklists that week, 1,387 in all31%
  6. Wayne CountyBest the second week of November · 43 checklists that week, 3,465 in all30%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Gaston County ParkGaston County, best early March · 33 checklists that week, 1,166 in all98%
  2. New Hanover County ParkNew Hanover County, best the second week of December · 26 checklists that week, 1,171 in all95%
  3. Lake JunaluskaHaywood County, best early December · 81 checklists that week, 3,604 in all94%
  4. Price LakeWatauga County, best the second week of November · 26 checklists that week, 631 in all93%
  5. NonameTransylvania County, best the second week of March · 94 checklists that week, 2,650 in all92%
  6. B. Everett Jordan Lake (Beaver Creek)Chatham County, best late November · 87 checklists that week, 442 in all91%

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

Best time of day

In North Carolina, the Pied-billed Grebe is most often listed on checklists started between 1 and 3 pm (6.1% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%8%12 am: too few checklists (520) to judge1 am: too few checklists (489) to judge2 am: too few checklists (442) to judge3 am: too few checklists (544) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1621) to judge5 am: too few checklists (9671) to judge6 am: 2.5% of 50335 checklists7 am: 4.8% of 150152 checklists8 am: 5.3% of 182902 checklists9 am: 5.6% of 158933 checklists10 am: 5.7% of 128398 checklists11 am: 5.5% of 98671 checklists12 pm: 5.6% of 78640 checklists1 pm: 6.1% of 72510 checklists2 pm: 6.1% of 69179 checklists3 pm: 5.9% of 67669 checklists4 pm: 4.8% of 63964 checklists5 pm: 2.8% of 48520 checklists6 pm: 1.3% of 33196 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (19700) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (6160) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1943) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1119) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (651) 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
January11%11%10%10%
February9.5%7.4%6.0%8.6%
March8.6%8.5%8.3%6.4%
April4.2%2.7%1.3%0.6%
May0.2%0.1%0.1%0.1%
June0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
July0.1%0.2%0.3%0.5%
August0.6%0.6%0.8%1.0%
September1.2%1.4%1.7%2.2%
October3.1%4.3%6.9%8.5%
November10%13%13%14%
December14%13%11%11%

Neighboring states

  • South Carolina: arrives late July, 4 weeks earlier than North Carolina
  • Virginia: arrives early September, 1 week later than North Carolina
  • West Virginia: arrives the second week of September, 2 weeks later than North Carolina
  • District of Columbia: arrives mid August, 1 week earlier than North Carolina

Common questions

When do Pied-billed Grebes arrive in North Carolina?
Pied-billed Grebes are winter birds in North Carolina: the first arrive in late August, they are common by mid October, peak in late November (14% of checklists), and most are gone by late March.
When do Pied-billed Grebes leave North Carolina?
Most Pied-billed Grebes have left North Carolina by late March, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until mid April.
When is the best time to see a Pied-billed Grebe in North Carolina?
The Pied-billed Grebe is reported most often in late November, on about 14% of North Carolina checklists.
Where in North Carolina are Pied-billed Grebes seen most often?
By county, Wilson County, Haywood County, and Yadkin County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Pied-billed Grebe (counties with at least 200 checklists).