WhenToBird

Cerorhinca monocerata · Alcidae

When Do Rhinoceros Auklets Arrive in Washington?

Adult Rhinoceros Auklet
Photo: Pete Lypkie, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Rhinoceros Auklets reach Washington in late February, are common by mid March, peak in mid July (4.5% of checklists), and most are gone by early January.

When to look

First arrivalsFeb 22-28late February
Common byMar 15-21mid March
PeakJul 15-21mid July
Most gone byJan 1-7early January

Best: mid July. First arrivals late February; most are gone by early January. Peak: on about 4.5% of Washington checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Deccommon

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

0%2%4%6%Jan 1-7: 2.0% of 41928 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.8% of 31152 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.7% of 31753 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.6% of 42530 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.6% of 29739 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.3% of 32746 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.3% of 40328 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.5% of 28432 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.7% of 30758 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.9% of 29368 checklistsMar 15-21: 2.0% of 32580 checklistsMar 22-31: 2.0% of 45614 checklistsApr 1-7: 2.6% of 33997 checklistsApr 8-14: 2.7% of 34729 checklistsApr 15-21: 2.6% of 38474 checklistsApr 22-30: 2.4% of 52185 checklistsMay 1-7: 2.2% of 44236 checklistsMay 8-14: 1.9% of 48708 checklistsMay 15-21: 1.9% of 41742 checklistsMay 22-31: 1.7% of 57082 checklistsJun 1-7: 1.6% of 39193 checklistsJun 8-14: 2.0% of 36042 checklistsJun 15-21: 2.2% of 34003 checklistsJun 22-30: 3.4% of 39711 checklistsJul 1-7: 3.6% of 31949 checklistsJul 8-14: 4.4% of 29086 checklistsJul 15-21: 4.3% of 28045 checklistsJul 22-31: 4.6% of 38275 checklistsAug 1-7: 4.3% of 28846 checklistsAug 8-14: 4.1% of 28036 checklistsAug 15-21: 4.0% of 27614 checklistsAug 22-31: 3.2% of 40356 checklistsSep 1-7: 3.1% of 31214 checklistsSep 8-14: 4.0% of 27795 checklistsSep 15-21: 3.6% of 29677 checklistsSep 22-30: 3.6% of 35241 checklistsOct 1-7: 3.8% of 28605 checklistsOct 8-14: 4.5% of 28655 checklistsOct 15-21: 4.8% of 24643 checklistsOct 22-31: 3.8% of 34874 checklistsNov 1-7: 3.8% of 25658 checklistsNov 8-14: 3.6% of 25700 checklistsNov 15-21: 3.5% of 24331 checklistsNov 22-30: 3.0% of 32784 checklistsDec 1-7: 2.8% of 24099 checklistsDec 8-14: 2.6% of 23339 checklistsDec 15-21: 2.2% of 27666 checklistsDec 22-31: 2.1% 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. Jefferson CountyBest early April · 1193 checklists that week, 59,663 in all29%
  2. San Juan CountyBest late July · 1229 checklists that week, 35,337 in all16%
  3. Island CountyBest mid July · 927 checklists that week, 46,092 in all15%
  4. Pierce CountyBest mid October · 1407 checklists that week, 92,224 in all14%
  5. Clallam CountyBest early August · 1829 checklists that week, 85,362 in all12%
  6. Kitsap CountyBest the second week of October · 1317 checklists that week, 74,545 in all9.8%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. San Juan Islands National Wildlife RefugeIsland County, best the second week of June · 23 checklists that week, 403 in all100%
  2. Lighthouse Marine ParkWhatcom County, best the second week of July · 36 checklists that week, 1,449 in all83%
  3. Jakles LagoonSan Juan County, best the second week of July · 23 checklists that week, 783 in all83%
  4. Point WilsonJefferson County, best late July · 45 checklists that week, 1,948 in all82%
  5. Kayu Kayu Ac ParkKing County, best late June · 20 checklists that week, 284 in all77%

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

Best time of day

In Washington, the Rhinoceros Auklet is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (3.7% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%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: 4.2% of 56744 checklists7 am: 3.6% of 133294 checklists8 am: 2.9% of 184196 checklists9 am: 2.8% of 186303 checklists10 am: 2.7% of 177063 checklists11 am: 2.6% of 154936 checklists12 pm: 2.4% of 138061 checklists1 pm: 2.5% of 127449 checklists2 pm: 2.5% of 121511 checklists3 pm: 2.4% of 107793 checklists4 pm: 2.2% of 82862 checklists5 pm: 2.1% of 57183 checklists6 pm: 2.0% 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
January2.0%1.8%1.7%1.6%
February1.6%1.3%1.3%1.5%
March1.7%1.9%2.0%2.0%
April2.6%2.7%2.6%2.4%
May2.2%1.9%1.9%1.7%
June1.6%2.0%2.2%3.4%
July3.6%4.4%4.3%4.6%
August4.3%4.1%4.0%3.2%
September3.1%4.0%3.6%3.6%
October3.8%4.5%4.8%3.8%
November3.8%3.6%3.5%3.0%
December2.8%2.6%2.2%2.1%

Common questions

When do Rhinoceros Auklets arrive in Washington?
Rhinoceros Auklets reach Washington in late February, are common by mid March, peak in mid July (4.5% of checklists), and most are gone by early January.
When do Rhinoceros Auklets leave Washington?
Most Rhinoceros Auklets have left Washington by early January, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until early February.
When is the best time to see a Rhinoceros Auklet in Washington?
The Rhinoceros Auklet is reported most often in mid July, on about 4.5% of Washington checklists.
Where in Washington are Rhinoceros Auklets seen most often?
By county, Jefferson County, San Juan County, and Island County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Rhinoceros Auklet (counties with at least 200 checklists).