WhenToBird

Cepphus columba · Alcidae

When Do Pigeon Guillemots Arrive in Alaska?

Adult Pigeon Guillemot
Photo: Jeffrey Lee (he/him/his), CC0 1.0 via iNaturalist

Pigeon Guillemots reach Alaska in mid November, are common by early March, peak in late July (8.6% of checklists), and most are gone by late September.

When to look

First arrivalsNov 15-21mid November
Common byMar 1-7early March
PeakJul 22-31late July
Most gone bySep 22-30late September

Best: late July. First arrivals mid November; most are gone by late September. Peak: on about 8.6% of Alaska checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%5%10%Jan 1-7: 2.0% of 3788 checklistsJan 8-14: 3.1% of 2852 checklistsJan 15-21: 3.1% of 2810 checklistsJan 22-31: 2.4% of 3629 checklistsFeb 1-7: 2.8% of 2519 checklistsFeb 8-14: 2.7% of 2927 checklistsFeb 15-21: 2.8% of 3743 checklistsFeb 22-28: 2.1% of 2846 checklistsMar 1-7: 3.0% of 2904 checklistsMar 8-14: 4.4% of 3073 checklistsMar 15-21: 4.4% of 3359 checklistsMar 22-31: 5.0% of 5855 checklistsApr 1-7: 4.6% of 4329 checklistsApr 8-14: 4.5% of 4949 checklistsApr 15-21: 4.1% of 7114 checklistsApr 22-30: 3.8% of 10916 checklistsMay 1-7: 3.9% of 11827 checklistsMay 8-14: 4.7% of 14115 checklistsMay 15-21: 4.8% of 12152 checklistsMay 22-31: 4.9% of 19919 checklistsJun 1-7: 5.3% of 15816 checklistsJun 8-14: 4.0% of 17194 checklistsJun 15-21: 4.1% of 15943 checklistsJun 22-30: 4.6% of 16192 checklistsJul 1-7: 6.4% of 9815 checklistsJul 8-14: 7.1% of 8263 checklistsJul 15-21: 8.6% of 7081 checklistsJul 22-31: 9.0% of 9434 checklistsAug 1-7: 8.2% of 6380 checklistsAug 8-14: 8.2% of 6258 checklistsAug 15-21: 6.8% of 6114 checklistsAug 22-31: 5.0% of 8189 checklistsSep 1-7: 4.3% of 5848 checklistsSep 8-14: 2.3% of 4853 checklistsSep 15-21: 3.2% of 4415 checklistsSep 22-30: 3.1% of 5086 checklistsOct 1-7: 2.9% of 3576 checklistsOct 8-14: 1.8% of 4212 checklistsOct 15-21: 2.0% of 3339 checklistsOct 22-31: 2.0% of 4169 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.5% of 2844 checklistsNov 8-14: 2.5% of 2753 checklistsNov 15-21: 2.1% of 2291 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.9% of 3066 checklistsDec 1-7: 3.2% of 2199 checklistsDec 8-14: 2.3% of 2472 checklistsDec 15-21: 2.6% of 3071 checklistsDec 22-31: 3.1% of 3442 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 Alaska 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 Alaska

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Kodiak Island BoroughBest early August · 200 checklists that week, 11,483 in all45%
  2. Aleutians West Census AreaBest early April · 11 checklists that week, 6,087 in all33%
  3. Hoonah-Angoon Census AreaBest early August · 239 checklists that week, 8,159 in all32%
  4. Aleutians East BoroughBest the second week of August · 23 checklists that week, 1,634 in all29%
  5. Wrangell City and BoroughBest late July · 63 checklists that week, 2,509 in all26%
  6. Petersburg BoroughBest early August · 136 checklists that week, 6,063 in all25%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Northwest CapeNome Census Area, best early September · 36 checklists that week, 272 in all97%
  2. South Marble IslandHoonah-Angoon Census Area, best late July · 20 checklists that week, 198 in all88%
  3. Gastineau ChannelJuneau City and Borough, best late June · 29 checklists that week, 315 in all78%
  4. Fort Abercrombie State Historical ParkKodiak Island Borough, best the second week of July · 21 checklists that week, 709 in all78%
  5. Kittilngook BayNome Census Area, best early October · 26 checklists that week, 838 in all74%
  6. Kachemak Bay Critical Habitat AreaKenai Peninsula Borough, best late June · 22 checklists that week, 314 in all64%

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

Best time of day

In Alaska, the Pigeon Guillemot is most often listed on checklists started between 9 and 11 am (5.0% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%12 am: too few checklists (549) to judge1 am: too few checklists (365) to judge2 am: too few checklists (291) to judge3 am: too few checklists (624) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1241) to judge5 am: too few checklists (3532) to judge6 am: 4.2% of 9751 checklists7 am: 4.3% of 17236 checklists8 am: 5.1% of 24936 checklists9 am: 4.9% of 30139 checklists10 am: 5.2% of 30866 checklists11 am: 4.9% of 28207 checklists12 pm: 4.5% of 25650 checklists1 pm: 4.7% of 24144 checklists2 pm: 4.9% of 23323 checklists3 pm: 4.8% of 20763 checklists4 pm: 4.8% of 18245 checklists5 pm: 4.0% of 14895 checklists6 pm: 3.7% of 11707 checklists7 pm: 3.6% of 9365 checklists8 pm: 3.4% of 6934 checklists9 pm: too few checklists (4176) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (2050) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (952) 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
January2.0%3.1%3.1%2.4%
February2.8%2.7%2.8%2.1%
March3.0%4.4%4.4%5.0%
April4.6%4.5%4.1%3.8%
May3.9%4.7%4.8%4.9%
June5.3%4.0%4.1%4.6%
July6.4%7.1%8.6%9.0%
August8.2%8.2%6.8%5.0%
September4.3%2.3%3.2%3.1%
October2.9%1.8%2.0%2.0%
November1.5%2.5%2.1%1.9%
December3.2%2.3%2.6%3.1%

Neighboring states

  • Washington: year-round, peaks the second week of August
  • Oregon: arrives the second week of March, 15 weeks later than Alaska
  • California: arrives late March, 17 weeks later than Alaska

Common questions

When do Pigeon Guillemots arrive in Alaska?
Pigeon Guillemots reach Alaska in mid November, are common by early March, peak in late July (8.6% of checklists), and most are gone by late September.
When do Pigeon Guillemots leave Alaska?
Most Pigeon Guillemots have left Alaska by late September, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until the second week of October.
When is the best time to see a Pigeon Guillemot in Alaska?
The Pigeon Guillemot is reported most often in late July, on about 8.6% of Alaska checklists.
Where in Alaska are Pigeon Guillemots seen most often?
By county, Kodiak Island Borough, Aleutians West Census Area, and Hoonah-Angoon Census Area have the highest peak reporting rates for the Pigeon Guillemot (counties with at least 200 checklists).