WhenToBird

Podilymbus podiceps · Podicipedidae

When Do Pied-billed Grebes Arrive in Pennsylvania?

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

Pied-billed Grebes reach Pennsylvania in late February, are common by early March, peak in early April (5.9% of checklists), and most are gone by late April.

When to look

First arrivalsFeb 22-28late February
Common byMar 1-7early March
PeakApr 1-7early April
Most gone byApr 22-30late April

Best: early April. First arrivals late February; most are gone by late April. Peak: on about 5.9% of Pennsylvania checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Mayrare
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julrare
  8. Augrare
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Deccommon

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

0%2%4%6%8%Jan 1-7: 1.5% of 47145 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.5% of 35840 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.3% of 35423 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.9% of 49126 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.9% of 36366 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.9% of 42248 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.7% of 55888 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.3% of 42050 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.9% of 42709 checklistsMar 8-14: 2.6% of 43985 checklistsMar 15-21: 4.1% of 44547 checklistsMar 22-31: 6.0% of 66940 checklistsApr 1-7: 6.5% of 51147 checklistsApr 8-14: 5.3% of 54868 checklistsApr 15-21: 3.0% of 57252 checklistsApr 22-30: 1.3% of 81727 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.7% of 76472 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.4% of 79341 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.3% of 61724 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.2% of 70722 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.2% of 45652 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 41810 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.1% of 38973 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.1% of 44255 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.1% of 34822 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.2% of 31104 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.3% of 29262 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.4% of 41436 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.4% of 29189 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.7% of 28840 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.5% of 29948 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.6% of 48235 checklistsSep 1-7: 1.0% of 37175 checklistsSep 8-14: 1.7% of 36527 checklistsSep 15-21: 1.6% of 37261 checklistsSep 22-30: 2.1% of 43583 checklistsOct 1-7: 2.8% of 35352 checklistsOct 8-14: 3.2% of 35560 checklistsOct 15-21: 4.0% of 33119 checklistsOct 22-31: 5.3% of 44654 checklistsNov 1-7: 5.8% of 32965 checklistsNov 8-14: 5.6% of 31305 checklistsNov 15-21: 5.0% of 29471 checklistsNov 22-30: 4.0% of 38642 checklistsDec 1-7: 3.0% of 28779 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.7% of 29486 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.1% of 37465 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.1% of 50651 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 Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Indiana CountyBest early November · 346 checklists that week, 20,768 in all25%
  2. Fulton CountyBest mid November · 77 checklists that week, 7,004 in all18%
  3. Erie CountyBest early November · 748 checklists that week, 49,012 in all18%
  4. Clearfield CountyBest mid October · 152 checklists that week, 9,768 in all17%
  5. Lebanon CountyBest early April · 894 checklists that week, 33,727 in all16%
  6. Butler CountyBest the second week of November · 797 checklists that week, 46,093 in all16%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Hall PondLycoming County, best early November · 56 checklists that week, 1,740 in all82%
  2. Glade Run LakeButler County, best early November · 23 checklists that week, 701 in all81%
  3. Yellow Creek State ParkIndiana County, best early November · 75 checklists that week, 2,300 in all78%
  4. Mammoth County ParkWestmoreland County, best the second week of November · 20 checklists that week, 897 in all72%
  5. Kahle LakeClarion County, best late October · 20 checklists that week, 273 in all72%

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

Best time of day

In Pennsylvania, the Pied-billed Grebe is most often listed on checklists started between 1 and 3 pm (2.4% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%12 am: too few checklists (1558) to judge1 am: too few checklists (1136) to judge2 am: too few checklists (839) to judge3 am: too few checklists (842) to judge4 am: too few checklists (2550) to judge5 am: too few checklists (18294) to judge6 am: 1.3% of 92903 checklists7 am: 1.8% of 241233 checklists8 am: 1.8% of 271994 checklists9 am: 1.9% of 236842 checklists10 am: 2.0% of 199508 checklists11 am: 2.2% of 161893 checklists12 pm: 2.1% of 143945 checklists1 pm: 2.4% of 134352 checklists2 pm: 2.4% of 129692 checklists3 pm: 2.3% of 126132 checklists4 pm: 2.1% of 115055 checklists5 pm: 1.9% of 90719 checklists6 pm: 1.5% of 67534 checklists7 pm: 0.7% of 43004 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (13966) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (3913) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1989) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (1146) 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
January1.5%1.5%1.3%0.9%
February0.9%0.9%0.7%1.3%
March1.9%2.6%4.1%6.0%
April6.5%5.3%3.0%1.3%
May0.7%0.4%0.3%0.2%
June0.2%0.1%0.1%0.1%
July0.1%0.2%0.3%0.4%
August0.4%0.7%0.5%0.6%
September1.0%1.7%1.6%2.1%
October2.8%3.2%4.0%5.3%
November5.8%5.6%5.0%4.0%
December3.0%1.7%1.1%1.1%

Neighboring states

  • Maryland: arrives the second week of September, 22 weeks earlier than Pennsylvania
  • District of Columbia: arrives mid August, 23 weeks later than Pennsylvania
  • Delaware: arrives early September, 23 weeks earlier than Pennsylvania
  • New Jersey: arrives the second week of September, 22 weeks earlier than Pennsylvania

Common questions

When do Pied-billed Grebes arrive in Pennsylvania?
Pied-billed Grebes reach Pennsylvania in late February, are common by early March, peak in early April (5.9% of checklists), and most are gone by late April.
When do Pied-billed Grebes leave Pennsylvania?
Most Pied-billed Grebes have left Pennsylvania by late April, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Pied-billed Grebe in Pennsylvania?
The Pied-billed Grebe is reported most often in early April, on about 5.9% of Pennsylvania checklists.
Where in Pennsylvania are Pied-billed Grebes seen most often?
By county, Indiana County, Fulton County, and Erie County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Pied-billed Grebe (counties with at least 200 checklists).