WhenToBird

Gavia stellata · Gaviidae

When Do Red-throated Loons Arrive in Oregon?

Adult Red-throated Loon
Photo: Elizabeth Green, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Red-throated Loons are winter birds in Oregon: they arrive in late August, peak in the second week of November (1.4% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of May.

When to look

First arrivalsAug 22-31late August
Common byAug 22-31late August
PeakNov 8-14the second week of November
Most gone byMay 8-14the second week of May

Best: the second week of November. First arrivals late August; most are gone by the second week of May. Peak: on about 1.4% of Oregon checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Junrare
  7. Juluncommon
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%0.5%1%1.5%2%Jan 1-7: 1.1% of 34973 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.4% of 26807 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.4% of 26567 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.2% of 36019 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.2% of 24020 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.0% of 25765 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.6% of 31019 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.7% of 24582 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.6% of 24834 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.8% of 24642 checklistsMar 15-21: 1.0% of 27420 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.8% of 39913 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.7% of 28817 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.8% of 31221 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.7% of 34402 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.7% of 47144 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.6% of 37716 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.4% of 39651 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.4% of 37496 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.3% of 56967 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.2% of 35893 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 31880 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.1% of 30942 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.2% of 38478 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.2% of 27409 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.2% of 25161 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.3% of 25473 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.3% of 33920 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.4% of 24310 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.2% of 23675 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.3% of 23623 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.6% of 33762 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.7% of 25120 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.9% of 24458 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.7% of 25528 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.6% of 31631 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.7% of 25498 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.9% of 25161 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.9% of 23701 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.3% of 30996 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.3% of 21089 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.3% of 21880 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.7% of 21501 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.4% of 28930 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.0% of 19807 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.8% of 21022 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.2% of 24817 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.2% of 37592 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 Oregon 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 Oregon

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Lincoln CountyBest the second week of November · 1291 checklists that week, 66,994 in all12%
  2. Clatsop CountyBest the second week of January · 708 checklists that week, 44,300 in all8.5%
  3. Curry CountyBest the second week of November · 135 checklists that week, 12,513 in all8.4%
  4. Coos CountyBest mid December · 369 checklists that week, 24,368 in all7.6%
  5. Tillamook CountyBest early February · 765 checklists that week, 45,809 in all7.4%
  6. Douglas CountyBest late November · 255 checklists that week, 17,976 in all3.0%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Government PointLincoln County, best the second week of November · 109 checklists that week, 3,163 in all62%
  2. Hammond Boat BasinClatsop County, best the second week of January · 34 checklists that week, 507 in all49%
  3. Tokatee Klootchman State Natural SiteLane County, best late October · 36 checklists that week, 695 in all46%
  4. Cape Arago State ParkCoos County, best late October · 22 checklists that week, 473 in all46%
  5. Fort Stevens State Park (Clatsop Spit)Clatsop County, best early October · 25 checklists that week, 1,127 in all45%
  6. Fort Stevens State ParkClatsop County, best mid January · 28 checklists that week, 1,818 in all45%

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

Best time of day

In Oregon, the Red-throated Loon is most often listed on checklists started between 10 am and 12 pm (0.9% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%12 am: too few checklists (1505) to judge1 am: too few checklists (675) to judge2 am: too few checklists (626) to judge3 am: too few checklists (1641) to judge4 am: too few checklists (3696) to judge5 am: too few checklists (14524) to judge6 am: 0.6% of 50677 checklists7 am: 0.8% of 125347 checklists8 am: 0.8% of 163668 checklists9 am: 0.9% of 160351 checklists10 am: 0.9% of 148940 checklists11 am: 0.9% of 124743 checklists12 pm: 0.9% of 112537 checklists1 pm: 0.8% of 98999 checklists2 pm: 0.8% of 94690 checklists3 pm: 0.7% of 87923 checklists4 pm: 0.4% of 75235 checklists5 pm: 0.3% of 54504 checklists6 pm: 0.2% of 40469 checklists7 pm: 0.1% of 33675 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (18715) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (5839) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (2704) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (1549) 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
January1.1%1.4%1.4%1.2%
February1.2%1.0%0.6%0.7%
March0.6%0.8%1.0%0.8%
April0.7%0.8%0.7%0.7%
May0.6%0.4%0.4%0.3%
June0.2%0.1%0.1%0.2%
July0.2%0.2%0.3%0.3%
August0.4%0.2%0.3%0.6%
September0.7%0.9%0.7%0.6%
October0.7%0.9%0.9%1.3%
November1.3%1.3%1.7%1.4%
December1.0%0.8%1.2%1.2%

Neighboring states

  • Washington: arrives late September, 4 weeks later than Oregon
  • California: arrives early November, 9 weeks later than Oregon
  • Alaska: arrives late April, 16 weeks earlier than Oregon
  • South Carolina: arrives early December, 13 weeks later than Oregon

Common questions

When do Red-throated Loons arrive in Oregon?
Red-throated Loons are winter birds in Oregon: they arrive in late August, peak in the second week of November (1.4% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of May.
When do Red-throated Loons leave Oregon?
Most Red-throated Loons have left Oregon by the second week of May, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Red-throated Loon in Oregon?
The Red-throated Loon is reported most often in the second week of November, on about 1.4% of Oregon checklists.
Where in Oregon are Red-throated Loons seen most often?
By county, Lincoln County, Clatsop County, and Curry County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Red-throated Loon (counties with at least 200 checklists).