WhenToBird

Anarhynchus nivosus · Charadriidae

When Do Snowy Plovers Arrive in California?

Adult Snowy Plover
Photo: datadan, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Snowy Plovers reach California in the second week of June, are common by late June, peak in the second week of August (2.1% of checklists), and most are gone by early March.

When to look

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

Best: the second week of August. First arrivals the second week of June; most are gone by early March. Peak: on about 2.1% of California checklists.

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

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

0%1%2%3%Jan 1-7: 1.0% of 112336 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.1% of 85518 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.0% of 86488 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.0% of 116174 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.9% of 75171 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.8% of 84467 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.8% of 105683 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.9% of 83396 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.9% of 77470 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.7% of 75180 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.8% of 80770 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.8% of 114116 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.7% of 84057 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.7% of 83692 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.8% of 89242 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.8% of 114289 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.8% of 85728 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.8% of 91984 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.7% of 75478 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.6% of 106250 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.6% of 70051 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.7% of 67485 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.8% of 66269 checklistsJun 22-30: 1.0% of 79172 checklistsJul 1-7: 1.2% of 62877 checklistsJul 8-14: 1.6% of 60328 checklistsJul 15-21: 1.7% of 59705 checklistsJul 22-31: 2.0% of 83796 checklistsAug 1-7: 2.1% of 60215 checklistsAug 8-14: 2.0% of 60172 checklistsAug 15-21: 2.1% of 59877 checklistsAug 22-31: 2.0% of 89107 checklistsSep 1-7: 1.6% of 72000 checklistsSep 8-14: 1.3% of 71228 checklistsSep 15-21: 1.3% of 76808 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.1% of 100204 checklistsOct 1-7: 1.1% of 76571 checklistsOct 8-14: 1.1% of 80874 checklistsOct 15-21: 1.2% of 74581 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.3% of 97498 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.1% of 70851 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.2% of 72431 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.3% of 66767 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.3% of 94737 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.1% of 65393 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.0% of 67449 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.0% of 83421 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.0% 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. Imperial CountyBest mid July · 248 checklists that week, 24,551 in all18%
  2. Kings CountyBest early August · 70 checklists that week, 3,688 in all16%
  3. Santa Barbara CountyBest late July · 2615 checklists that week, 120,616 in all9.5%
  4. San Luis Obispo CountyBest the second week of August · 2076 checklists that week, 124,667 in all9.4%
  5. Ventura CountyBest late July · 1859 checklists that week, 94,391 in all5.4%
  6. Alameda CountyBest mid July · 2490 checklists that week, 161,052 in all4.4%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Estero Bluffs State ParkSan Luis Obispo County, best the second week of July · 63 checklists that week, 2,491 in all98%
  2. Coal Oil Point Natural ReserveSanta Barbara County, best late July · 117 checklists that week, 2,974 in all89%
  3. Wilder Ranch State Park (Laguna Creek)Santa Cruz County, best mid September · 127 checklists that week, 783 in all87%
  4. Malibu Lagoon State BeachLos Angeles County, best late August · 261 checklists that week, 4,904 in all87%
  5. Montaña de Oro State Park (Shark Inlet)San Luis Obispo County, best late July · 21 checklists that week, 393 in all84%
  6. Hearst San Simeon State Park (Oak Knoll Creek)San Luis Obispo County, best late September · 28 checklists that week, 592 in all83%

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

Best time of day

In California, the Snowy Plover is most often listed on checklists started between 7 and 9 am (1.3% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%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: 1.0% of 186053 checklists7 am: 1.2% of 444086 checklists8 am: 1.3% of 535846 checklists9 am: 1.2% of 486061 checklists10 am: 1.1% of 411130 checklists11 am: 1.1% of 325798 checklists12 pm: 1.1% of 269132 checklists1 pm: 1.1% of 244762 checklists2 pm: 1.0% of 235420 checklists3 pm: 1.0% of 232365 checklists4 pm: 0.8% of 208688 checklists5 pm: 0.8% of 146104 checklists6 pm: 0.7% 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
January1.0%1.1%1.0%1.0%
February0.9%0.8%0.8%0.9%
March0.9%0.7%0.8%0.8%
April0.7%0.7%0.8%0.8%
May0.8%0.8%0.7%0.6%
June0.6%0.7%0.8%1.0%
July1.2%1.6%1.7%2.0%
August2.1%2.0%2.1%2.0%
September1.6%1.3%1.3%1.1%
October1.1%1.1%1.2%1.3%
November1.1%1.2%1.3%1.3%
December1.1%1.0%1.0%1.0%

Neighboring states

  • Nevada: arrives the second week of July, 4 weeks later than California
  • Kansas: arrives early April, 9 weeks earlier than California
  • Louisiana: arrives early August, 7 weeks later than California
  • Mississippi: arrives mid March, 11 weeks earlier than California

Common questions

When do Snowy Plovers arrive in California?
Snowy Plovers reach California in the second week of June, are common by late June, peak in the second week of August (2.1% of checklists), and most are gone by early March.
When do Snowy Plovers leave California?
Most Snowy Plovers have left California by early March, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until mid May.
When is the best time to see a Snowy Plover in California?
The Snowy Plover is reported most often in the second week of August, on about 2.1% of California checklists.
Where in California are Snowy Plovers seen most often?
By county, Imperial County, Kings County, and Santa Barbara County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Snowy Plover (counties with at least 200 checklists).