WhenToBird

Mergus serrator · Anatidae

When Do Red-breasted Mergansers Arrive in Virginia?

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

Red-breasted Mergansers are winter birds in Virginia: the first arrive in mid November, they are common by late November, peak in late January (4.4% of checklists), and most are gone by mid April.

When to look

First arrivalsNov 15-21mid November
Common byNov 22-30late November
PeakJan 22-31late January
Most gone byApr 15-21mid April

Best: late January. First arrivals mid November; most are gone by mid April. Peak: on about 4.4% of Virginia checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Junrare
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepnot usually seen
  10. Octnot usually seen
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%2%4%6%Jan 1-7: 3.1% of 32817 checklistsJan 8-14: 3.7% of 25111 checklistsJan 15-21: 4.6% of 25510 checklistsJan 22-31: 4.1% of 34492 checklistsFeb 1-7: 4.6% of 24950 checklistsFeb 8-14: 3.4% of 28224 checklistsFeb 15-21: 2.9% of 43578 checklistsFeb 22-28: 4.1% of 26467 checklistsMar 1-7: 4.0% of 25851 checklistsMar 8-14: 4.0% of 25901 checklistsMar 15-21: 4.1% of 26747 checklistsMar 22-31: 4.0% of 40819 checklistsApr 1-7: 3.8% of 31351 checklistsApr 8-14: 3.1% of 33239 checklistsApr 15-21: 2.3% of 37284 checklistsApr 22-30: 1.2% of 54364 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.8% of 47698 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.6% of 46174 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.4% of 36444 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.3% of 43203 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.2% of 28503 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.2% of 25485 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.1% of 23728 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.1% of 28785 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.1% of 22294 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.1% of 20481 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.1% of 18914 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.1% of 26976 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.1% of 19555 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.1% of 18744 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.1% of 18721 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.1% of 28763 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.1% of 23594 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.1% of 22581 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.1% of 23036 checklistsSep 22-30: 0% of 29687 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.1% of 24321 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.1% of 23946 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.1% of 22191 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.1% of 30161 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.3% of 21431 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.0% of 22758 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.3% of 19988 checklistsNov 22-30: 2.0% of 27665 checklistsDec 1-7: 2.2% of 19324 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.9% of 20316 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.9% of 25675 checklistsDec 22-31: 3.0% of 38677 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 Virginia 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 Virginia

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Hampton CountyBest the second week of March · 243 checklists that week, 9,881 in all32%
  2. Accomack CountyBest late March · 1081 checklists that week, 43,278 in all26%
  3. Northampton CountyBest early March · 352 checklists that week, 27,227 in all26%
  4. Poquoson CountyBest late January · 56 checklists that week, 2,669 in all23%
  5. Virginia Beach CountyBest late January · 2751 checklists that week, 70,485 in all22%
  6. Essex CountyBest late January · 107 checklists that week, 2,973 in all21%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Kiptopeke State Park (southwest)Northampton County, best late February · 27 checklists that week, 891 in all94%
  2. Ocean View ParkNorfolk County, best mid February · 29 checklists that week, 547 in all85%
  3. Lynnhaven InletVirginia Beach County, best mid February · 20 checklists that week, 238 in all83%
  4. First Landing State ParkVirginia Beach County, best the second week of March · 25 checklists that week, 1,768 in all82%
  5. Little Toms Cove (northwest)Accomack County, best late March · 64 checklists that week, 1,972 in all78%

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

Best time of day

In Virginia, the Red-breasted Merganser is most often listed on checklists started between 1 and 3 pm (2.0% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%12 am: too few checklists (485) to judge1 am: too few checklists (488) to judge2 am: too few checklists (423) to judge3 am: too few checklists (565) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1410) to judge5 am: too few checklists (10265) to judge6 am: 1.8% of 64788 checklists7 am: 1.7% of 169128 checklists8 am: 1.5% of 180748 checklists9 am: 1.6% of 153462 checklists10 am: 1.6% of 128966 checklists11 am: 1.9% of 104204 checklists12 pm: 1.9% of 91604 checklists1 pm: 2.1% of 85547 checklists2 pm: 2.0% of 82355 checklists3 pm: 1.7% of 82265 checklists4 pm: 1.6% of 76714 checklists5 pm: 1.1% of 56782 checklists6 pm: 0.7% of 40131 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (24290) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (7744) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2383) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1122) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (651) 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
January3.1%3.7%4.6%4.1%
February4.6%3.4%2.9%4.1%
March4.0%4.0%4.1%4.0%
April3.8%3.1%2.3%1.2%
May0.8%0.6%0.4%0.3%
June0.2%0.2%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%
October0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
November0.3%1.0%1.3%2.0%
December2.2%1.9%1.9%3.0%

Neighboring states

  • District of Columbia: arrives late December, 5 weeks later than Virginia
  • Maryland: arrives mid November, in the same week than Virginia
  • West Virginia: arrives mid November, in the same week than Virginia
  • Delaware: arrives the second week of November, 1 week earlier than Virginia

Common questions

When do Red-breasted Mergansers arrive in Virginia?
Red-breasted Mergansers are winter birds in Virginia: the first arrive in mid November, they are common by late November, peak in late January (4.4% of checklists), and most are gone by mid April.
When do Red-breasted Mergansers leave Virginia?
Most Red-breasted Mergansers have left Virginia by mid April, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until late April.
When is the best time to see a Red-breasted Merganser in Virginia?
The Red-breasted Merganser is reported most often in late January, on about 4.4% of Virginia checklists.
Where in Virginia are Red-breasted Mergansers seen most often?
By county, Hampton County, Accomack County, and Northampton County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Red-breasted Merganser (counties with at least 200 checklists).