WhenToBird

Mergus serrator · Anatidae

When Do Red-breasted Mergansers Arrive in Ohio?

Adult male Red-breasted Merganser
Photo: Peter Chen 2.0, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Red-breasted Mergansers are winter birds in Ohio: the first arrive in late October, they are common by early November, peak in late March (11% of checklists), and most are gone by late April.

When to look

First arrivalsOct 22-31late October
Common byNov 1-7early November
PeakMar 22-31late March
Most gone byApr 22-30late April

Best: late March. First arrivals late October; most are gone by late April. Peak: on about 11% of Ohio checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepnot usually seen
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 6.1% of 46637 checklistsJan 8-14: 5.5% of 31056 checklistsJan 15-21: 5.5% of 30129 checklistsJan 22-31: 4.8% of 38665 checklistsFeb 1-7: 4.3% of 27203 checklistsFeb 8-14: 4.0% of 30626 checklistsFeb 15-21: 4.0% of 40705 checklistsFeb 22-28: 6.3% of 31391 checklistsMar 1-7: 8.1% of 32914 checklistsMar 8-14: 8.7% of 33973 checklistsMar 15-21: 11% of 33678 checklistsMar 22-31: 11% of 49889 checklistsApr 1-7: 9.9% of 41225 checklistsApr 8-14: 7.9% of 47174 checklistsApr 15-21: 5.8% of 47017 checklistsApr 22-30: 3.9% of 73055 checklistsMay 1-7: 2.0% of 80637 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.9% of 102552 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.5% of 64582 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.2% of 52766 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 29279 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 25773 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.1% of 23163 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.2% of 27794 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.1% of 23334 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.1% of 22147 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.1% of 20998 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.1% of 29749 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.1% of 22899 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.1% of 21972 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.1% of 22215 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.1% of 35087 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.1% of 29148 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.1% of 28042 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.1% of 26751 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.1% of 32398 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.1% of 26209 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.2% of 26809 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.8% of 23504 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.6% of 33269 checklistsNov 1-7: 3.5% of 25563 checklistsNov 8-14: 5.4% of 23810 checklistsNov 15-21: 8.6% of 22127 checklistsNov 22-30: 8.2% of 29449 checklistsDec 1-7: 8.7% of 22370 checklistsDec 8-14: 7.7% of 21581 checklistsDec 15-21: 6.2% of 24232 checklistsDec 22-31: 6.0% of 36084 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 Ohio 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 Ohio

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Ashtabula CountyBest the second week of December · 99 checklists that week, 12,390 in all43%
  2. Lake CountyBest late November · 1075 checklists that week, 59,983 in all37%
  3. Fulton CountyBest late March · 121 checklists that week, 2,375 in all32%
  4. Allen CountyBest mid March · 216 checklists that week, 7,709 in all31%
  5. Cuyahoga CountyBest late November · 3185 checklists that week, 158,034 in all31%
  6. Huron CountyBest late March · 103 checklists that week, 3,141 in all30%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Columbia Rd ParkCuyahoga County, best the second week of December · 24 checklists that week, 379 in all100%
  2. Euclid ParkCuyahoga County, best late February · 21 checklists that week, 168 in all98%
  3. Sims ParkCuyahoga County, best early December · 60 checklists that week, 1,453 in all97%
  4. Rocky River ParkCuyahoga County, best early April · 34 checklists that week, 3,661 in all95%
  5. Cahoon ParkCuyahoga County, best the second week of March · 24 checklists that week, 1,070 in all93%
  6. Fairport Harbor Lakefront ParkLake County, best late March · 45 checklists that week, 1,491 in all93%

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

Best time of day

In Ohio, the Red-breasted Merganser is most often listed on checklists started between 9 and 11 am (4.3% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%12 am: too few checklists (574) to judge1 am: too few checklists (609) to judge2 am: too few checklists (466) to judge3 am: too few checklists (478) to judge4 am: too few checklists (662) to judge5 am: too few checklists (4366) to judge6 am: 1.8% of 43093 checklists7 am: 3.1% of 142017 checklists8 am: 3.5% of 205296 checklists9 am: 4.3% of 196322 checklists10 am: 4.3% of 170882 checklists11 am: 4.2% of 144567 checklists12 pm: 4.0% of 126551 checklists1 pm: 4.2% of 117855 checklists2 pm: 4.0% of 112869 checklists3 pm: 3.7% of 109786 checklists4 pm: 3.2% of 103116 checklists5 pm: 2.8% of 78409 checklists6 pm: 2.1% of 56785 checklists7 pm: 1.3% of 37923 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (14954) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2710) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (854) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (486) 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
January6.1%5.5%5.5%4.8%
February4.3%4.0%4.0%6.3%
March8.1%8.7%11%11%
April9.9%7.9%5.8%3.9%
May2.0%0.9%0.5%0.2%
June0.1%0.1%0.1%0.2%
July0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
August0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
September0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
October0.1%0.2%0.8%1.6%
November3.5%5.4%8.6%8.2%
December8.7%7.7%6.2%6.0%

Neighboring states

  • West Virginia: arrives mid November, 3 weeks later than Ohio
  • Indiana: arrives early November, 1 week later than Ohio
  • Michigan: arrives late September, 4 weeks earlier than Ohio
  • Kentucky: arrives the second week of November, 2 weeks later than Ohio

Common questions

When do Red-breasted Mergansers arrive in Ohio?
Red-breasted Mergansers are winter birds in Ohio: the first arrive in late October, they are common by early November, peak in late March (11% of checklists), and most are gone by late April.
When do Red-breasted Mergansers leave Ohio?
Most Red-breasted Mergansers have left Ohio by late April, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until the second week of May.
When is the best time to see a Red-breasted Merganser in Ohio?
The Red-breasted Merganser is reported most often in late March, on about 11% of Ohio checklists.
Where in Ohio are Red-breasted Mergansers seen most often?
By county, Ashtabula County, Lake County, and Fulton County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Red-breasted Merganser (counties with at least 200 checklists).