WhenToBird

Oxyura jamaicensis · Anatidae

When Do Ruddy Ducks Arrive in Oregon?

Adult male Ruddy Duck
Photo: Anne Parsons, CC0 1.0 via iNaturalist

Ruddy Ducks are winter birds in Oregon: the first arrive in mid August, they are common by late September, peak in late January (6.4% of checklists), and most are gone by late May.

When to look

First arrivalsAug 15-21mid August
Common bySep 22-30late September
PeakJan 22-31late January
Most gone byMay 22-31late May

Best: late January. First arrivals mid August; most are gone by late May. Peak: on about 6.4% of Oregon checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  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%2%4%6%8%Jan 1-7: 6.3% of 34973 checklistsJan 8-14: 6.2% of 26807 checklistsJan 15-21: 6.2% of 26567 checklistsJan 22-31: 6.5% of 36019 checklistsFeb 1-7: 6.4% of 24020 checklistsFeb 8-14: 5.5% of 25765 checklistsFeb 15-21: 5.4% of 31019 checklistsFeb 22-28: 6.1% of 24582 checklistsMar 1-7: 6.1% of 24834 checklistsMar 8-14: 6.1% of 24642 checklistsMar 15-21: 5.8% of 27420 checklistsMar 22-31: 5.8% of 39913 checklistsApr 1-7: 6.1% of 28817 checklistsApr 8-14: 6.1% of 31221 checklistsApr 15-21: 4.9% of 34402 checklistsApr 22-30: 4.5% of 47144 checklistsMay 1-7: 4.1% of 37716 checklistsMay 8-14: 3.6% of 39651 checklistsMay 15-21: 3.7% of 37496 checklistsMay 22-31: 3.4% of 56967 checklistsJun 1-7: 2.7% of 35893 checklistsJun 8-14: 2.0% of 31880 checklistsJun 15-21: 1.6% of 30942 checklistsJun 22-30: 1.4% of 38478 checklistsJul 1-7: 1.7% of 27409 checklistsJul 8-14: 1.7% of 25161 checklistsJul 15-21: 1.7% of 25473 checklistsJul 22-31: 1.7% of 33920 checklistsAug 1-7: 1.6% of 24310 checklistsAug 8-14: 1.8% of 23675 checklistsAug 15-21: 2.0% of 23623 checklistsAug 22-31: 2.3% of 33762 checklistsSep 1-7: 2.4% of 25120 checklistsSep 8-14: 2.7% of 24458 checklistsSep 15-21: 3.1% of 25528 checklistsSep 22-30: 3.2% of 31631 checklistsOct 1-7: 3.4% of 25498 checklistsOct 8-14: 3.7% of 25161 checklistsOct 15-21: 4.6% of 23701 checklistsOct 22-31: 5.5% of 30996 checklistsNov 1-7: 5.3% of 21089 checklistsNov 8-14: 5.5% of 21880 checklistsNov 15-21: 5.5% of 21501 checklistsNov 22-30: 5.1% of 28930 checklistsDec 1-7: 5.3% of 19807 checklistsDec 8-14: 5.0% of 21022 checklistsDec 15-21: 4.5% of 24817 checklistsDec 22-31: 4.7% 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. Klamath CountyBest late March · 619 checklists that week, 26,875 in all29%
  2. Crook CountyBest late March · 256 checklists that week, 9,466 in all25%
  3. Harney CountyBest early November · 206 checklists that week, 40,943 in all21%
  4. Union CountyBest mid October · 464 checklists that week, 33,301 in all21%
  5. Baker CountyBest the second week of October · 88 checklists that week, 6,705 in all19%
  6. Washington CountyBest early March · 2357 checklists that week, 110,376 in all17%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Middle Fork Ash CreekPolk County, best late December · 23 checklists that week, 355 in all98%
  2. Local Government 9Benton County, best mid February · 88 checklists that week, 6,965 in all97%
  3. Stone Quarry LakeMarion County, best late March · 35 checklists that week, 203 in all96%
  4. Nehalem RiverTillamook County, best late November · 20 checklists that week, 914 in all94%

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

Best time of day

In Oregon, the Ruddy Duck is most often listed on checklists started between 1 and 3 pm (5.0% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%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: 2.5% of 50677 checklists7 am: 3.7% of 125347 checklists8 am: 4.1% of 163668 checklists9 am: 4.8% of 160351 checklists10 am: 4.9% of 148940 checklists11 am: 5.0% of 124743 checklists12 pm: 4.7% of 112537 checklists1 pm: 5.0% of 98999 checklists2 pm: 5.0% of 94690 checklists3 pm: 4.6% of 87923 checklists4 pm: 3.7% of 75235 checklists5 pm: 2.8% of 54504 checklists6 pm: 2.1% of 40469 checklists7 pm: 1.2% 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
January6.3%6.2%6.2%6.5%
February6.4%5.5%5.4%6.1%
March6.1%6.1%5.8%5.8%
April6.1%6.1%4.9%4.5%
May4.1%3.6%3.7%3.4%
June2.7%2.0%1.6%1.4%
July1.7%1.7%1.7%1.7%
August1.6%1.8%2.0%2.3%
September2.4%2.7%3.1%3.2%
October3.4%3.7%4.6%5.5%
November5.3%5.5%5.5%5.1%
December5.3%5.0%4.5%4.7%

Neighboring states

  • Washington: arrives late July, 3 weeks earlier than Oregon
  • Idaho: arrives late December, 17 weeks later than Oregon
  • Nevada: arrives the second week of October, 7 weeks later than Oregon
  • California: arrives early November, 10 weeks later than Oregon

Common questions

When do Ruddy Ducks arrive in Oregon?
Ruddy Ducks are winter birds in Oregon: the first arrive in mid August, they are common by late September, peak in late January (6.4% of checklists), and most are gone by late May.
When do Ruddy Ducks leave Oregon?
Most Ruddy Ducks have left Oregon by late May, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until the second week of June.
When is the best time to see a Ruddy Duck in Oregon?
The Ruddy Duck is reported most often in late January, on about 6.4% of Oregon checklists.
Where in Oregon are Ruddy Ducks seen most often?
By county, Klamath County, Crook County, and Harney County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Ruddy Duck (counties with at least 200 checklists).