WhenToBird

Podilymbus podiceps · Podicipedidae

When Do Pied-billed Grebes Arrive in Oregon?

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

The Pied-billed Grebe is in Oregon all year. It turns up on about 12% of checklists at its peak (early November) and on 3.9% in its quietest week (mid June).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekNov 1-7early November
Quietest weekJun 15-21mid June

Best: early November. Here all year. Peak: on about 12% of Oregon checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 11% of 34973 checklistsJan 8-14: 10% of 26807 checklistsJan 15-21: 9.9% of 26567 checklistsJan 22-31: 11% of 36019 checklistsFeb 1-7: 11% of 24020 checklistsFeb 8-14: 9.2% of 25765 checklistsFeb 15-21: 9.0% of 31019 checklistsFeb 22-28: 10% of 24582 checklistsMar 1-7: 10% of 24834 checklistsMar 8-14: 9.6% of 24642 checklistsMar 15-21: 9.4% of 27420 checklistsMar 22-31: 8.9% of 39913 checklistsApr 1-7: 9.0% of 28817 checklistsApr 8-14: 7.9% of 31221 checklistsApr 15-21: 6.6% of 34402 checklistsApr 22-30: 6.0% of 47144 checklistsMay 1-7: 6.2% of 37716 checklistsMay 8-14: 6.3% of 39651 checklistsMay 15-21: 6.1% of 37496 checklistsMay 22-31: 5.6% of 56967 checklistsJun 1-7: 4.9% of 35893 checklistsJun 8-14: 4.3% of 31880 checklistsJun 15-21: 3.9% of 30942 checklistsJun 22-30: 3.7% of 38478 checklistsJul 1-7: 4.9% of 27409 checklistsJul 8-14: 5.7% of 25161 checklistsJul 15-21: 6.8% of 25473 checklistsJul 22-31: 7.1% of 33920 checklistsAug 1-7: 7.9% of 24310 checklistsAug 8-14: 8.7% of 23675 checklistsAug 15-21: 9.7% of 23623 checklistsAug 22-31: 11% of 33762 checklistsSep 1-7: 11% of 25120 checklistsSep 8-14: 10% of 24458 checklistsSep 15-21: 11% of 25528 checklistsSep 22-30: 11% of 31631 checklistsOct 1-7: 10% of 25498 checklistsOct 8-14: 10% of 25161 checklistsOct 15-21: 11% of 23701 checklistsOct 22-31: 12% of 30996 checklistsNov 1-7: 12% of 21089 checklistsNov 8-14: 12% of 21880 checklistsNov 15-21: 12% of 21501 checklistsNov 22-30: 11% of 28930 checklistsDec 1-7: 11% of 19807 checklistsDec 8-14: 10% of 21022 checklistsDec 15-21: 9.4% of 24817 checklistsDec 22-31: 9.5% of 37592 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 Oregon 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 Oregon

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Morrow CountyBest the second week of December · 34 checklists that week, 3,484 in all41%
  2. Hood River CountyBest the second week of November · 176 checklists that week, 9,695 in all37%
  3. Washington CountyBest early September · 1836 checklists that week, 110,376 in all35%
  4. Klamath CountyBest mid October · 392 checklists that week, 26,875 in all29%
  5. Gilliam CountyBest early January · 24 checklists that week, 2,323 in all25%
  6. Umatilla CountyBest early November · 319 checklists that week, 17,651 in all25%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Ford's Pond Recreation AreaDouglas County, best late August · 25 checklists that week, 866 in all100%
  2. Lake SelmacJosephine County, best late November · 28 checklists that week, 744 in all98%
  3. Crystal Springs Rhododendron GardenMultnomah County, best late September · 40 checklists that week, 1,773 in all98%
  4. Clackamette CoveClackamas County, best the second week of November · 20 checklists that week, 541 in all97%
  5. Koll Center WetlandsWashington County, best mid August · 86 checklists that week, 6,234 in all96%
  6. Commonwealth Lake ParkWashington County, best early November · 65 checklists that week, 4,071 in all96%

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

Best time of day

In Oregon, the Pied-billed Grebe is most often listed on checklists started between 9 and 11 am (10% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%12 am: too few checklists (1505) to judge1 am: too few checklists (675) to judge2 am: too few checklists (626) to judge3 am: too few checklists (1641) to judge4 am: too few checklists (3696) to judge5 am: too few checklists (14524) to judge6 am: 6.5% of 50677 checklists7 am: 7.8% of 125347 checklists8 am: 9.1% of 163668 checklists9 am: 10% of 160351 checklists10 am: 10% of 148940 checklists11 am: 9.8% of 124743 checklists12 pm: 9.4% of 112537 checklists1 pm: 9.5% of 98999 checklists2 pm: 9.8% of 94690 checklists3 pm: 9.2% of 87923 checklists4 pm: 7.2% of 75235 checklists5 pm: 6.0% of 54504 checklists6 pm: 4.9% of 40469 checklists7 pm: 2.8% of 33675 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (18715) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (5839) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (2704) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (1549) 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%10%9.9%11%
February11%9.2%9.0%10%
March10%9.6%9.4%8.9%
April9.0%7.9%6.6%6.0%
May6.2%6.3%6.1%5.6%
June4.9%4.3%3.9%3.7%
July4.9%5.7%6.8%7.1%
August7.9%8.7%9.7%11%
September11%10%11%11%
October10%10%11%12%
November12%12%12%11%
December11%10%9.4%9.5%

Neighboring states

  • Washington: all year, most in winter, peaks early November
  • Idaho: all year, most in fall, peaks late October
  • Nevada: all year, most in winter, peaks mid November
  • California: year-round, peaks late November

Common questions

When do Pied-billed Grebes arrive in Oregon?
The Pied-billed Grebe is in Oregon all year. It turns up on about 12% of checklists at its peak (early November) and on 3.9% in its quietest week (mid June).
When do Pied-billed Grebes leave Oregon?
The Pied-billed Grebe does not leave Oregon: it is reported all year, from 3.9% of checklists in mid June to 12% in early November.
When is the best time to see a Pied-billed Grebe in Oregon?
The Pied-billed Grebe is reported most often in early November, on about 12% of Oregon checklists.
Where in Oregon are Pied-billed Grebes seen most often?
By county, Morrow County, Hood River County, and Washington County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Pied-billed Grebe (counties with at least 200 checklists).