WhenToBird

Arenaria interpres · Scolopacidae

When Do Ruddy Turnstones Arrive in California?

Adult Ruddy Turnstone
Photo: Utain Pummarin, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Ruddy Turnstones arrive in California in the second week of July, peak in mid August (1.2% of checklists), and most are gone by mid March.

When to look

First arrivalsJul 8-14the second week of July
Common byJul 8-14the second week of July
PeakAug 15-21mid August
Most gone byMar 15-21mid March

Best: mid August. First arrivals the second week of July; most are gone by mid March. Peak: on about 1.2% of California checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Junrare
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%0.5%1%1.5%Jan 1-7: 0.6% of 112336 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.5% of 85518 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.5% of 86488 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.4% of 116174 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.3% of 75171 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.3% of 84467 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.3% of 105683 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.4% of 83396 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.3% of 77470 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.3% of 75180 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.3% 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: 0.2% of 89242 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.4% of 114289 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.3% 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: 0.1% of 70051 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 67485 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.1% of 66269 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.1% of 79172 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.1% of 62877 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.2% of 60328 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.5% of 59705 checklistsJul 22-31: 1.0% of 83796 checklistsAug 1-7: 1.0% of 60215 checklistsAug 8-14: 1.2% of 60172 checklistsAug 15-21: 1.2% of 59877 checklistsAug 22-31: 1.1% of 89107 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.8% 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: 0.5% of 80874 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.5% of 74581 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.6% of 97498 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.6% of 70851 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.6% of 72431 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.5% of 66767 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.5% of 94737 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.5% of 65393 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.5% of 67449 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.4% of 83421 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.4% 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 the second week of August · 3566 checklists that week, 244,559 in all4.6%
  2. Alameda CountyBest the second week of August · 2561 checklists that week, 161,052 in all3.5%
  3. Imperial CountyBest early May · 550 checklists that week, 24,551 in all3.1%
  4. Monterey CountyBest late August · 3431 checklists that week, 132,505 in all2.8%
  5. Ventura CountyBest the second week of August · 1473 checklists that week, 94,391 in all2.4%
  6. Del Norte CountyBest mid August · 335 checklists that week, 16,363 in all2.3%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Malibu Lagoon State BeachLos Angeles County, best mid August · 108 checklists that week, 4,904 in all74%
  2. Bolsa Chica Ecological ReserveOrange County, best late August · 153 checklists that week, 7,437 in all61%
  3. Bodega Harbor (Bodega Bay)Sonoma County, best mid January · 20 checklists that week, 895 in all57%
  4. Shad ParkSan Mateo County, best late December · 61 checklists that week, 1,150 in all53%
  5. Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve (southeast)Orange County, best late August · 117 checklists that week, 5,000 in all52%
  6. Asilomar State BeachMonterey County, best late August · 116 checklists that week, 1,870 in all49%

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

Best time of day

In California, the Ruddy Turnstone is most often listed on checklists started between 1 and 3 pm (0.5% 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: 0.4% of 186053 checklists7 am: 0.5% of 444086 checklists8 am: 0.5% of 535846 checklists9 am: 0.5% of 486061 checklists10 am: 0.4% of 411130 checklists11 am: 0.5% of 325798 checklists12 pm: 0.4% of 269132 checklists1 pm: 0.5% of 244762 checklists2 pm: 0.5% of 235420 checklists3 pm: 0.4% of 232365 checklists4 pm: 0.3% of 208688 checklists5 pm: 0.3% of 146104 checklists6 pm: 0.2% 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
January0.6%0.5%0.5%0.4%
February0.3%0.3%0.3%0.4%
March0.3%0.3%0.3%0.2%
April0.2%0.2%0.2%0.4%
May0.3%0.2%0.1%0.1%
June0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
July0.1%0.2%0.5%1.0%
August1.0%1.2%1.2%1.1%
September0.8%0.7%0.5%0.5%
October0.5%0.5%0.5%0.6%
November0.6%0.6%0.5%0.5%
December0.5%0.5%0.4%0.4%

Neighboring states

  • Texas: arrives late July, 2 weeks later than California
  • North Dakota: arrives mid May, 7 weeks earlier than California
  • Minnesota: arrives the second week of May, 8 weeks earlier than California
  • Louisiana: arrives early March, 17 weeks earlier than California

Common questions

When do Ruddy Turnstones arrive in California?
Ruddy Turnstones arrive in California in the second week of July, peak in mid August (1.2% of checklists), and most are gone by mid March.
When do Ruddy Turnstones leave California?
Most Ruddy Turnstones have left California by mid March, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Ruddy Turnstone in California?
The Ruddy Turnstone is reported most often in mid August, on about 1.2% of California checklists.
Where in California are Ruddy Turnstones seen most often?
By county, Orange County, Alameda County, and Imperial County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Ruddy Turnstone (counties with at least 200 checklists).