WhenToBird

Mergus serrator · Anatidae

When Do Red-breasted Mergansers Arrive in Rhode Island?

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

Red-breasted Mergansers are winter birds in Rhode Island: the first arrive in mid October, they are common by mid November, peak in early March (28% of checklists), and most are gone by mid April.

When to look

First arrivalsOct 15-21mid October
Common byNov 15-21mid November
PeakMar 1-7early March
Most gone byApr 15-21mid April

Best: early March. First arrivals mid October; most are gone by mid April. Peak: on about 28% of Rhode Island checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Junrare
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augrare
  9. Seprare
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%10%20%30%40%Jan 1-7: 25% of 5678 checklistsJan 8-14: 28% of 4004 checklistsJan 15-21: 26% of 3691 checklistsJan 22-31: 27% of 4738 checklistsFeb 1-7: 29% of 3178 checklistsFeb 8-14: 25% of 3262 checklistsFeb 15-21: 23% of 4286 checklistsFeb 22-28: 30% of 3449 checklistsMar 1-7: 28% of 3014 checklistsMar 8-14: 26% of 3259 checklistsMar 15-21: 25% of 3320 checklistsMar 22-31: 24% of 4692 checklistsApr 1-7: 22% of 3280 checklistsApr 8-14: 18% of 3872 checklistsApr 15-21: 16% of 4037 checklistsApr 22-30: 9.0% of 5595 checklistsMay 1-7: 4.7% of 5699 checklistsMay 8-14: 2.6% of 6089 checklistsMay 15-21: 1.8% of 4937 checklistsMay 22-31: 1.4% of 5445 checklistsJun 1-7: 1.3% of 3031 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.7% of 2793 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.9% of 2736 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.8% of 3318 checklistsJul 1-7: 1.1% of 2629 checklistsJul 8-14: 1.1% of 2561 checklistsJul 15-21: 1.1% of 2580 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.9% of 3654 checklistsAug 1-7: 1.1% of 2629 checklistsAug 8-14: 1.5% of 2912 checklistsAug 15-21: 1.1% of 2850 checklistsAug 22-31: 1.3% of 4007 checklistsSep 1-7: 1.1% of 2893 checklistsSep 8-14: 1.2% of 2850 checklistsSep 15-21: 1.1% of 2770 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.0% of 3888 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.8% of 3174 checklistsOct 8-14: 1.2% of 3278 checklistsOct 15-21: 1.7% of 3008 checklistsOct 22-31: 4.7% of 3678 checklistsNov 1-7: 6.2% of 3270 checklistsNov 8-14: 13% of 3405 checklistsNov 15-21: 14% of 2907 checklistsNov 22-30: 18% of 3607 checklistsDec 1-7: 22% of 2415 checklistsDec 8-14: 23% of 2345 checklistsDec 15-21: 21% of 2836 checklistsDec 22-31: 26% of 4826 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 Rhode Island 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.

Embed this map on your site

Where in Rhode Island

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Newport CountyBest mid February · 859 checklists that week, 33,574 in all42%
  2. Bristol CountyBest late January · 402 checklists that week, 15,899 in all42%
  3. Washington CountyBest early March · 1055 checklists that week, 65,038 in all34%
  4. Kent CountyBest the second week of January · 315 checklists that week, 16,966 in all15%
  5. Providence CountyBest late January · 1007 checklists that week, 40,898 in all12%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Napatree PointWashington County, best early April · 33 checklists that week, 3,109 in all96%
  2. Watch Hill PointWashington County, best mid December · 23 checklists that week, 510 in all90%
  3. Galilee Salt Pond HarborWashington County, best early February · 20 checklists that week, 442 in all84%
  4. Sunshine Island (historical)Providence County, best early February · 22 checklists that week, 744 in all84%
  5. Watchemoket CoveProvidence County, best late March · 21 checklists that week, 580 in all83%
  6. Ninigret National Wildlife RefugeWashington County, best late February · 21 checklists that week, 640 in all83%

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

Best time of day

In Rhode Island, the Red-breasted Merganser is most often listed on checklists started between 1 and 3 pm (15% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%20%12 am: too few checklists (42) to judge1 am: too few checklists (58) to judge2 am: too few checklists (45) to judge3 am: too few checklists (69) to judge4 am: too few checklists (319) to judge5 am: too few checklists (3170) to judge6 am: 11% of 10493 checklists7 am: 11% of 17631 checklists8 am: 12% of 18834 checklists9 am: 13% of 17725 checklists10 am: 14% of 16696 checklists11 am: 14% of 14799 checklists12 pm: 14% of 12580 checklists1 pm: 15% of 12779 checklists2 pm: 15% of 12302 checklists3 pm: 13% of 11884 checklists4 pm: 8.4% of 9762 checklists5 pm: 5.2% of 6442 checklists6 pm: 3.6% of 3947 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (2119) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (452) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (105) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (69) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (53) 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
January25%28%26%27%
February29%25%23%30%
March28%26%25%24%
April22%18%16%9.0%
May4.7%2.6%1.8%1.4%
June1.3%0.7%0.9%0.8%
July1.1%1.1%1.1%0.9%
August1.1%1.5%1.1%1.3%
September1.1%1.2%1.1%1.0%
October0.8%1.2%1.7%4.7%
November6.2%13%14%18%
December22%23%21%26%

Neighboring states

  • Massachusetts: arrives the second week of October, 1 week earlier than Rhode Island
  • Connecticut: arrives late October, 1 week later than Rhode Island
  • New Hampshire: arrives mid October, in the same week than Rhode Island
  • Vermont: arrives mid October, in the same week than Rhode Island

Common questions

When do Red-breasted Mergansers arrive in Rhode Island?
Red-breasted Mergansers are winter birds in Rhode Island: the first arrive in mid October, they are common by mid November, peak in early March (28% of checklists), and most are gone by mid April.
When do Red-breasted Mergansers leave Rhode Island?
Most Red-breasted Mergansers have left Rhode Island by mid 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 Rhode Island?
The Red-breasted Merganser is reported most often in early March, on about 28% of Rhode Island checklists.
Where in Rhode Island are Red-breasted Mergansers seen most often?
By county, Newport County, Bristol County, and Washington County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Red-breasted Merganser (counties with at least 200 checklists).