WhenToBird

Gavia stellata · Gaviidae

When Do Red-throated Loons Arrive in South Carolina?

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

Red-throated Loons are winter birds in South Carolina: they arrive in early December, peak in the second week of January (2.3% of checklists), and most are gone by mid March.

When to look

First arrivalsDec 1-7early December
Common byDec 1-7early December
PeakJan 8-14the second week of January
Most gone byMar 15-21mid March

Best: the second week of January. First arrivals early December; most are gone by mid March. Peak: on about 2.3% of South Carolina checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprrare
  5. Maynot usually seen
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepnot usually seen
  10. Octnot usually seen
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%1%2%3%Jan 1-7: 2.0% of 15487 checklistsJan 8-14: 2.1% of 11691 checklistsJan 15-21: 2.8% of 11994 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.7% of 16225 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.7% of 12192 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.5% of 14044 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.9% of 18483 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.6% of 12045 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.3% of 11511 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.6% of 11704 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.9% of 11526 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.5% of 17386 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.2% of 13148 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.1% of 13193 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.1% of 13936 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.1% of 19002 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.1% of 14133 checklistsMay 8-14: 0% of 13668 checklistsMay 15-21: 0% of 11064 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 14461 checklistsJun 1-7: 0% of 10231 checklistsJun 8-14: 0% of 9417 checklistsJun 15-21: 0% of 8012 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 9720 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 7907 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 7338 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 7312 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 10877 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 7816 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 7655 checklistsAug 15-21: 0% of 7797 checklistsAug 22-31: 0% of 11246 checklistsSep 1-7: 0% of 8956 checklistsSep 8-14: 0% of 8929 checklistsSep 15-21: 0% of 9389 checklistsSep 22-30: 0% of 13028 checklistsOct 1-7: 0% of 11063 checklistsOct 8-14: 0% of 10968 checklistsOct 15-21: 0% of 10264 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.1% of 12917 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.1% of 8802 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.1% of 8339 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.2% of 8798 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.5% of 12925 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.7% of 8541 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.0% of 8609 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.8% of 9961 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.7% of 17541 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 South Carolina 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 South Carolina

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Georgetown CountyBest the second week of January · 666 checklists that week, 32,234 in all17%
  2. Horry CountyBest the second week of January · 653 checklists that week, 27,518 in all9.9%
  3. Colleton CountyBest the second week of January · 212 checklists that week, 8,909 in all5.7%
  4. Charleston CountyBest the second week of January · 2163 checklists that week, 102,218 in all2.1%
  5. Beaufort CountyBest mid January · 1308 checklists that week, 60,298 in all1.8%
  6. Abbeville CountyBest mid March · 111 checklists that week, 5,599 in all0.5%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Pawleys InletGeorgetown County, best mid January · 32 checklists that week, 446 in all63%
  2. Folly BeachCharleston County, best mid January · 30 checklists that week, 476 in all61%
  3. Huntington Beach State Park (Murrells Inlet)Georgetown County, best mid January · 85 checklists that week, 1,488 in all55%
  4. Myrtle Beach State ParkHorry County, best the second week of January · 60 checklists that week, 1,952 in all49%

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

Best time of day

In South Carolina, the Red-throated Loon is most often listed on checklists started between 1 and 3 pm (0.9% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%12 am: too few checklists (222) to judge1 am: too few checklists (160) to judge2 am: too few checklists (132) to judge3 am: too few checklists (212) to judge4 am: too few checklists (267) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1898) to judge6 am: 0.3% of 19280 checklists7 am: 0.7% of 66492 checklists8 am: 0.5% of 73941 checklists9 am: 0.6% of 63039 checklists10 am: 0.6% of 52652 checklists11 am: 0.6% of 41908 checklists12 pm: 0.6% of 36782 checklists1 pm: 0.9% of 33300 checklists2 pm: 0.8% of 32248 checklists3 pm: 0.7% of 35451 checklists4 pm: 0.5% of 34410 checklists5 pm: 0.2% of 27073 checklists6 pm: 0.1% of 17375 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (10313) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (2756) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (672) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (412) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (256) 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
January2.0%2.1%2.8%1.7%
February1.7%1.5%0.9%1.6%
March1.3%1.6%0.9%0.5%
April0.2%0.1%0.1%0.1%
May0.1%0%0%0.1%
June0%0%0%0%
July0%0%0%0%
August0%0%0%0%
September0%0%0%0%
October0%0%0%0.1%
November0.1%0.1%0.2%0.5%
December0.7%1.0%0.8%1.7%

Neighboring states

  • North Carolina: arrives early December, in the same week than South Carolina
  • Virginia: arrives the second week of November, 3 weeks earlier than South Carolina
  • Maryland: arrives early November, 4 weeks earlier than South Carolina
  • Delaware: arrives late October, 5 weeks earlier than South Carolina

Common questions

When do Red-throated Loons arrive in South Carolina?
Red-throated Loons are winter birds in South Carolina: they arrive in early December, peak in the second week of January (2.3% of checklists), and most are gone by mid March.
When do Red-throated Loons leave South Carolina?
Most Red-throated Loons have left South Carolina by mid March, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Red-throated Loon in South Carolina?
The Red-throated Loon is reported most often in the second week of January, on about 2.3% of South Carolina checklists.
Where in South Carolina are Red-throated Loons seen most often?
By county, Georgetown County, Horry County, and Colleton County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Red-throated Loon (counties with at least 200 checklists).