WhenToBird

Melanitta perspicillata · Anatidae

Surf Scoter: When and Where to See It

Adult male Surf Scoter
Photo: Elliott Gordon, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

The Surf Scoter reaches Maine first, around the second week of September, and Virginia last, around early November.

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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0%1%2%3%Jan 1-7: 2.3% of 1114036 checklistsJan 8-14: 2.3% of 824708 checklistsJan 15-21: 2.3% of 825978 checklistsJan 22-31: 2.3% of 1105853 checklistsFeb 1-7: 2.0% of 779772 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.8% of 864504 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.6% of 1127933 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.8% of 840124 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.6% of 839610 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.5% of 870138 checklistsMar 15-21: 1.5% of 898456 checklistsMar 22-31: 1.2% of 1335637 checklistsApr 1-7: 1.0% of 1030617 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.9% of 1124024 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.8% of 1194575 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.7% of 1675723 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.6% of 1449080 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.5% of 1538353 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.4% of 1219898 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.4% of 1452282 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.3% of 900636 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.3% of 829907 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.3% of 773255 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.3% of 916255 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.3% of 717733 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.4% of 658223 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.4% of 638752 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.4% of 895727 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.4% of 655651 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.4% of 650038 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.5% of 654639 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.5% of 974928 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.5% of 765914 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.5% of 738674 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.5% of 750433 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.7% of 944196 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.9% of 760106 checklistsOct 8-14: 1.4% of 793131 checklistsOct 15-21: 1.7% of 728727 checklistsOct 22-31: 2.3% of 959954 checklistsNov 1-7: 2.5% of 709464 checklistsNov 8-14: 2.6% of 693424 checklistsNov 15-21: 2.5% of 653952 checklistsNov 22-30: 2.6% of 871137 checklistsDec 1-7: 2.4% of 627591 checklistsDec 8-14: 2.2% of 642427 checklistsDec 15-21: 2.0% of 775638 checklistsDec 22-31: 2.4% of 1132751 checklistsJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Share of complete checklists reporting it, by week (4 per month). Grey bars: fewer than 10 checklists, not counted.

Pooled across every state in the data, so it leans toward states with the most birders.

States, in order of first arrivals

StatePatternFirst arrivalsPeakMost gone byPeak %
MichiganPasses throughOct 1-7Oct 22-31Nov 22-301.6%
MontanaPasses throughOct 8-14Oct 22-31Nov 8-142.5%
IdahoPasses throughOct 8-14Oct 15-21Nov 1-71.1%
IllinoisPasses throughOct 8-14Nov 1-7Nov 22-301.2%
MinnesotaPasses throughOct 8-14Oct 22-31Nov 8-141.3%
North DakotaPasses throughOct 8-14Oct 15-21Oct 22-311.9%
VermontPasses throughOct 8-14Oct 22-31Nov 1-71.6%
NebraskaPasses throughOct 15-21Nov 1-7Nov 22-301.4%
NevadaPasses throughOct 15-21Nov 1-7Nov 22-301.3%
UtahPasses throughOct 15-21Nov 1-7Nov 15-211.1%
WisconsinPasses throughOct 15-21Nov 1-7Nov 22-302.3%
WyomingPasses throughOct 15-21Nov 1-7Nov 15-211.3%
Rhode IslandWinter visitorOct 1-7Feb 1-7Mar 15-217.8%
New JerseyWinter visitorOct 1-7Jan 1-7Apr 1-74.8%
DelawareWinter visitorOct 8-14Jan 8-14Mar 22-3111%
CaliforniaWinter visitorOct 8-14Nov 22-30Apr 15-217.3%
New HampshireWinter visitorOct 8-14Jan 1-7Mar 8-145.2%
IndianaWinter visitorOct 8-14Nov 22-30Jan 22-311.3%
New YorkWinter visitorOct 8-14Nov 1-7Mar 1-72.2%
South DakotaWinter visitorOct 8-14Nov 1-7Dec 1-71.1%
OhioWinter visitorOct 15-21Nov 8-14Dec 22-311.3%
ConnecticutWinter visitorOct 22-31Jan 15-21Apr 8-144.6%
MarylandWinter visitorOct 22-31Jan 1-7Apr 1-73.6%
VirginiaWinter visitorNov 1-7Jan 22-31Mar 8-142.2%
OregonWinter visitorJun 22-30Nov 1-7May 8-146.7%
WashingtonWinter visitorJul 22-31Nov 1-7Apr 22-3013%
MaineWinter visitorSep 8-14Nov 22-30Apr 8-148.2%
MassachusettsWinter visitorSep 22-30Jan 22-31Apr 1-77.9%
AlaskaYear-round–Mar 8-14–10%

Winter visitor in: Oregon, Washington