WhenToBird

Gavia stellata · Gaviidae

When Do Red-throated Loons Arrive in Washington?

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

Red-throated Loons are winter birds in Washington: they arrive in late September, peak in the second week of January (2.9% of checklists), and most are gone by mid March.

When to look

First arrivalsSep 22-30late September
Common bySep 22-30late September
PeakJan 8-14the second week of January
Most gone byMar 15-21mid March

Best: the second week of January. First arrivals late September; most are gone by mid March. Peak: on about 2.9% of Washington checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marcommon
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Junrare
  7. Julrare
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%1%2%3%4%Jan 1-7: 2.8% of 41928 checklistsJan 8-14: 3.0% of 31152 checklistsJan 15-21: 3.0% of 31753 checklistsJan 22-31: 2.7% of 42530 checklistsFeb 1-7: 2.1% of 29739 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.8% of 32746 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.7% of 40328 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.6% of 28432 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.5% of 30758 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.1% of 29368 checklistsMar 15-21: 1.0% of 32580 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.8% of 45614 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.9% of 33997 checklistsApr 8-14: 1.0% of 34729 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.9% of 38474 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.8% of 52185 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.6% of 44236 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.3% of 48708 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.2% of 41742 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 57082 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 39193 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.2% of 36042 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.1% of 34003 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.1% of 39711 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.1% of 31949 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.1% of 29086 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.1% of 28045 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.2% of 38275 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.3% of 28846 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.4% of 28036 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.4% of 27614 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.8% of 40356 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.8% of 31214 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.9% of 27795 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.8% of 29677 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.0% of 35241 checklistsOct 1-7: 1.2% of 28605 checklistsOct 8-14: 1.5% of 28655 checklistsOct 15-21: 1.9% of 24643 checklistsOct 22-31: 2.6% of 34874 checklistsNov 1-7: 2.3% of 25658 checklistsNov 8-14: 2.2% of 25700 checklistsNov 15-21: 2.5% of 24331 checklistsNov 22-30: 2.6% of 32784 checklistsDec 1-7: 2.8% of 24099 checklistsDec 8-14: 2.4% of 23339 checklistsDec 15-21: 2.5% of 27666 checklistsDec 22-31: 2.6% of 42130 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 Washington 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 Washington

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Garfield CountyBest the second week of November · 36 checklists that week, 1,130 in all15%
  2. Grays Harbor CountyBest early November · 311 checklists that week, 28,443 in all12%
  3. Clallam CountyBest early November · 1414 checklists that week, 85,362 in all10%
  4. Island CountyBest mid January · 802 checklists that week, 46,092 in all9.7%
  5. Whatcom CountyBest the second week of January · 1354 checklists that week, 64,687 in all8.9%
  6. Jefferson CountyBest late October · 1299 checklists that week, 59,663 in all7.5%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Pacific Northwest National Scenic TrailIsland County, best mid January · 29 checklists that week, 1,049 in all75%
  2. OyhutGrays Harbor County, best early August · 42 checklists that week, 1,173 in all66%
  3. Sharpe CoveSkagit County, best mid January · 98 checklists that week, 2,369 in all66%
  4. Dungeness National Wildlife RefugeClallam County, best late December · 30 checklists that week, 993 in all53%

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

Best time of day

In Washington, the Red-throated Loon is most often listed on checklists started between 11 am and 1 pm (1.5% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%2%12 am: too few checklists (796) to judge1 am: too few checklists (776) to judge2 am: too few checklists (709) to judge3 am: too few checklists (901) to judge4 am: too few checklists (3221) to judge5 am: too few checklists (16576) to judge6 am: 0.7% of 56744 checklists7 am: 1.3% of 133294 checklists8 am: 1.3% of 184196 checklists9 am: 1.3% of 186303 checklists10 am: 1.4% of 177063 checklists11 am: 1.5% of 154936 checklists12 pm: 1.4% of 138061 checklists1 pm: 1.5% of 127449 checklists2 pm: 1.4% of 121511 checklists3 pm: 1.1% of 107793 checklists4 pm: 0.6% of 82862 checklists5 pm: 0.4% of 57183 checklists6 pm: 0.3% of 39886 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (26969) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (12427) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (3658) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1500) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (834) 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
January2.8%3.0%3.0%2.7%
February2.1%1.8%1.7%1.6%
March1.5%1.1%1.0%0.8%
April0.9%1.0%0.9%0.8%
May0.6%0.3%0.2%0.1%
June0.1%0.2%0.1%0.1%
July0.1%0.1%0.1%0.2%
August0.3%0.4%0.4%0.8%
September0.8%0.9%0.8%1.0%
October1.2%1.5%1.9%2.6%
November2.3%2.2%2.5%2.6%
December2.8%2.4%2.5%2.6%

Neighboring states

  • Oregon: arrives late August, 4 weeks earlier than Washington
  • California: arrives early November, 5 weeks later than Washington
  • Alaska: arrives late April, 20 weeks earlier than Washington
  • South Carolina: arrives early December, 9 weeks later than Washington

Common questions

When do Red-throated Loons arrive in Washington?
Red-throated Loons are winter birds in Washington: they arrive in late September, peak in the second week of January (2.9% of checklists), and most are gone by mid March.
When do Red-throated Loons leave Washington?
Most Red-throated Loons have left Washington by mid March, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Red-throated Loon in Washington?
The Red-throated Loon is reported most often in the second week of January, on about 2.9% of Washington checklists.
Where in Washington are Red-throated Loons seen most often?
By county, Garfield County, Grays Harbor County, and Clallam County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Red-throated Loon (counties with at least 200 checklists).