WhenToBird

Egretta rufescens · Ardeidae

When Do Reddish Egrets Arrive in California?

Adult Reddish Egret
Photo: John Rosford, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Reddish Egrets arrive in California in late June, peak in early August (1.0% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of March.

When to look

First arrivalsJun 22-30late June
Common byJun 22-30late June
PeakAug 1-7early August
Most gone byMar 8-14the second week of March

Best: early August. First arrivals late June; most are gone by the second week of March. Peak: on about 1.0% of California checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Jununcommon
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%0.5%1%1.5%Jan 1-7: 0.8% of 112336 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.6% of 85518 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.6% of 86488 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.5% of 116174 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.5% of 75171 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.5% of 84467 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.5% of 105683 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.7% of 83396 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.4% of 77470 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.3% of 75180 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.4% of 80770 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.2% of 114116 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.2% of 84057 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.2% of 83692 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.1% of 89242 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.2% of 114289 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.2% of 85728 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.2% of 91984 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 75478 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 106250 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.2% of 70051 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.3% of 67485 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.2% of 66269 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.4% of 79172 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.5% of 62877 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.7% of 60328 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.9% of 59705 checklistsJul 22-31: 1.0% of 83796 checklistsAug 1-7: 1.1% of 60215 checklistsAug 8-14: 1.0% of 60172 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.9% of 59877 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.8% of 89107 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.7% of 72000 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.7% of 71228 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.5% of 76808 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.5% of 100204 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.5% of 76571 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.7% of 80874 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.7% of 74581 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.7% of 97498 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.7% of 70851 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.8% of 72431 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.6% of 66767 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.7% of 94737 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.7% of 65393 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.7% of 67449 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.5% of 83421 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.7% of 124993 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 California 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 California

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Orange CountyBest early August · 3735 checklists that week, 244,559 in all7.4%
  2. San Diego CountyBest mid August · 5612 checklists that week, 405,465 in all3.9%
  3. Santa Barbara CountyBest late July · 2615 checklists that week, 120,616 in all3.3%
  4. Imperial CountyBest the second week of August · 229 checklists that week, 24,551 in all3.3%
  5. San Luis Obispo CountyBest early August · 2097 checklists that week, 124,667 in all2.3%
  6. Ventura CountyBest mid August · 1448 checklists that week, 94,391 in all1.1%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Bolsa Chica Ecological ReserveOrange County, best the second week of August · 144 checklists that week, 7,437 in all80%
  2. Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve (southeast)Orange County, best early September · 103 checklists that week, 5,000 in all74%
  3. Quivira BasinSan Diego County, best mid December · 145 checklists that week, 10,306 in all61%
  4. Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve (Sunset Beach)Orange County, best the second week of August · 24 checklists that week, 827 in all59%
  5. Talbert MarshOrange County, best early August · 22 checklists that week, 476 in all54%
  6. Bolsa BayOrange County, best the second week of October · 32 checklists that week, 1,598 in all53%

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

Best time of day

In California, the Reddish Egret is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (0.6% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%12 am: too few checklists (1688) to judge1 am: too few checklists (1451) to judge2 am: too few checklists (1402) to judge3 am: too few checklists (1743) to judge4 am: too few checklists (4647) to judge5 am: too few checklists (32158) to judge6 am: 0.7% of 186053 checklists7 am: 0.6% of 444086 checklists8 am: 0.6% of 535846 checklists9 am: 0.5% of 486061 checklists10 am: 0.5% of 411130 checklists11 am: 0.5% of 325798 checklists12 pm: 0.5% of 269132 checklists1 pm: 0.5% of 244762 checklists2 pm: 0.5% of 235420 checklists3 pm: 0.5% of 232365 checklists4 pm: 0.4% of 208688 checklists5 pm: 0.3% of 146104 checklists6 pm: 0.3% of 96867 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (50942) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (14803) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (5561) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (3546) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (2092) 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
January0.8%0.6%0.6%0.5%
February0.5%0.5%0.5%0.7%
March0.4%0.3%0.4%0.2%
April0.2%0.2%0.1%0.2%
May0.2%0.2%0.1%0.1%
June0.2%0.3%0.2%0.4%
July0.5%0.7%0.9%1.0%
August1.1%1.0%0.9%0.8%
September0.7%0.7%0.5%0.5%
October0.5%0.7%0.7%0.7%
November0.7%0.8%0.6%0.7%
December0.7%0.7%0.5%0.7%

Neighboring states

  • Texas: year-round, peaks mid April
  • Louisiana: arrives late March, 12 weeks earlier than California
  • Mississippi: arrives late May, 4 weeks earlier than California
  • Alabama: arrives late February, 16 weeks earlier than California

Common questions

When do Reddish Egrets arrive in California?
Reddish Egrets arrive in California in late June, peak in early August (1.0% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of March.
When do Reddish Egrets leave California?
Most Reddish Egrets have left California by the second week of March, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Reddish Egret in California?
The Reddish Egret is reported most often in early August, on about 1.0% of California checklists.
Where in California are Reddish Egrets seen most often?
By county, Orange County, San Diego County, and Santa Barbara County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Reddish Egret (counties with at least 200 checklists).