WhenToBird

Mergus serrator · Anatidae

When Do Red-breasted Mergansers Arrive in Pennsylvania?

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

Red-breasted Mergansers are winter birds in Pennsylvania: they arrive in early November, peak in late March (3.6% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of May.

When to look

First arrivalsNov 1-7early November
Common byNov 1-7early November
PeakMar 22-31late March
Most gone byMay 8-14the second week of May

Best: late March. First arrivals early November; most are gone by the second week of May. Peak: on about 3.6% of Pennsylvania checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  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. Octrare
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%1%2%3%4%Jan 1-7: 0.6% of 47145 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.7% of 35840 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.7% of 35423 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.7% of 49126 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.6% of 36366 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.5% of 42248 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.6% of 55888 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.4% of 42050 checklistsMar 1-7: 2.1% of 42709 checklistsMar 8-14: 2.4% of 43985 checklistsMar 15-21: 3.1% of 44547 checklistsMar 22-31: 3.7% of 66940 checklistsApr 1-7: 3.8% of 51147 checklistsApr 8-14: 3.1% of 54868 checklistsApr 15-21: 2.3% of 57252 checklistsApr 22-30: 1.2% of 81727 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.8% of 76472 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.6% of 79341 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.3% of 61724 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.2% of 70722 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% 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: 0.1% of 31104 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.1% of 29262 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.1% of 41436 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.1% of 29189 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.1% of 28840 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.1% of 29948 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.1% of 48235 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.1% of 37175 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.1% of 36527 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.1% of 37261 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.1% of 43583 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.1% of 35352 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.1% of 35560 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.2% of 33119 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.4% of 44654 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.5% of 32965 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.7% of 31305 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.0% of 29471 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.1% of 38642 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.1% of 28779 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.8% of 29486 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.8% of 37465 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.5% 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. Erie CountyBest early April · 1196 checklists that week, 49,012 in all26%
  2. Mercer CountyBest late March · 647 checklists that week, 17,853 in all23%
  3. Butler CountyBest late March · 1801 checklists that week, 46,093 in all13%
  4. Clearfield CountyBest the second week of April · 299 checklists that week, 9,768 in all11%
  5. Venango CountyBest mid March · 56 checklists that week, 2,831 in all11%
  6. Carbon CountyBest the second week of April · 480 checklists that week, 16,269 in all11%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Ridge PondErie County, best late November · 101 checklists that week, 1,112 in all98%
  2. Walnut CreekErie County, best the second week of December · 22 checklists that week, 168 in all92%
  3. Long PondErie County, best mid March · 20 checklists that week, 333 in all86%
  4. Pymatuning ReservoirCrawford County, best late March · 21 checklists that week, 223 in all84%
  5. Presque Isle State Park (southwest)Erie County, best late March · 26 checklists that week, 919 in all75%

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

Best time of day

In Pennsylvania, the Red-breasted Merganser is most often listed on checklists started between 2 and 4 pm (1.1% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%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: 0.7% of 92903 checklists7 am: 0.9% of 241233 checklists8 am: 0.7% of 271994 checklists9 am: 0.8% of 236842 checklists10 am: 0.8% of 199508 checklists11 am: 1.0% of 161893 checklists12 pm: 1.0% of 143945 checklists1 pm: 1.0% of 134352 checklists2 pm: 1.1% of 129692 checklists3 pm: 1.1% of 126132 checklists4 pm: 1.0% of 115055 checklists5 pm: 1.0% of 90719 checklists6 pm: 0.9% of 67534 checklists7 pm: 0.6% 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
January0.6%0.7%0.7%0.7%
February0.6%0.5%0.6%1.4%
March2.1%2.4%3.1%3.7%
April3.8%3.1%2.3%1.2%
May0.8%0.6%0.3%0.2%
June0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
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%0.1%0.2%0.4%
November0.5%0.7%1.0%1.1%
December1.1%0.8%0.8%0.5%

Neighboring states

  • Maryland: arrives mid November, 2 weeks later than Pennsylvania
  • District of Columbia: arrives late December, 7 weeks later than Pennsylvania
  • Delaware: arrives the second week of November, 1 week later than Pennsylvania
  • New Jersey: arrives early November, in the same week than Pennsylvania

Common questions

When do Red-breasted Mergansers arrive in Pennsylvania?
Red-breasted Mergansers are winter birds in Pennsylvania: they arrive in early November, peak in late March (3.6% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of May.
When do Red-breasted Mergansers leave Pennsylvania?
Most Red-breasted Mergansers have left Pennsylvania by the second week of May, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Red-breasted Merganser in Pennsylvania?
The Red-breasted Merganser is reported most often in late March, on about 3.6% of Pennsylvania checklists.
Where in Pennsylvania are Red-breasted Mergansers seen most often?
By county, Erie County, Mercer County, and Butler County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Red-breasted Merganser (counties with at least 200 checklists).