WhenToBird

Melanitta perspicillata · Anatidae

When Do Surf Scoters Arrive in Michigan?

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

Surf Scoters mostly pass through Michigan: they arrive in early October, peak in late October (1.6% of checklists), and most are gone by late November.

When to look

First arrivalsOct 1-7early October
Common byOct 1-7early October
PeakOct 22-31late October
Most gone byNov 22-30late November

Best: late October. First arrivals early October; most are gone by late November. Peak: on about 1.6% of Michigan checklists.

  1. Janrare
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Aprrare
  5. Maynot usually seen
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%0.5%1%1.5%2%Jan 1-7: 0.2% of 38160 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.1% of 24696 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.1% of 23771 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.2% of 31347 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.3% of 23225 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.1% of 27398 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.3% of 36606 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.5% of 27127 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.2% of 29700 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.2% of 31587 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.1% of 32118 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.2% of 47777 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.2% of 38557 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.1% of 42207 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.1% of 42759 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.1% of 64458 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.1% of 60998 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.1% of 72091 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 59058 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 64724 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 35990 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 32595 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.1% of 30017 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 33988 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.1% of 28708 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 25175 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 24084 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 33522 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 25098 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.1% of 24353 checklistsAug 15-21: 0% of 25059 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.1% of 37489 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.1% of 28410 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.1% of 27887 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.1% of 26614 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.2% of 32557 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.7% of 25844 checklistsOct 8-14: 1.1% of 27741 checklistsOct 15-21: 1.7% of 24693 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.7% of 32460 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.3% of 23660 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.0% of 21542 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.8% of 19922 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.6% of 25069 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.3% of 18272 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.3% of 18961 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.4% of 24171 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.4% of 30908 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 Michigan 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 Michigan

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Huron CountyBest late October · 304 checklists that week, 4,733 in all11%
  2. Iosco CountyBest late October · 465 checklists that week, 31,409 in all9.9%
  3. Chippewa CountyBest the second week of October · 789 checklists that week, 28,128 in all9.7%
  4. St. Clair CountyBest early November · 396 checklists that week, 24,098 in all8.8%
  5. Alpena CountyBest late October · 87 checklists that week, 3,793 in all8.4%
  6. Baraga CountyBest late October · 101 checklists that week, 3,662 in all7.6%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Versluis ParkKent County, best mid October · 29 checklists that week, 752 in all58%
  2. Bird Creek ParkHuron County, best mid October · 41 checklists that week, 365 in all53%
  3. Lighthouse ParkSt. Clair County, best early November · 49 checklists that week, 1,206 in all48%
  4. Tiscornia ParkBerrien County, best mid February · 110 checklists that week, 3,628 in all43%
  5. Founders LantingMarquette County, best late October · 29 checklists that week, 496 in all39%
  6. Douglas Beach ParkAllegan County, best the second week of November · 24 checklists that week, 358 in all37%

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

Best time of day

In Michigan, the Surf Scoter is most often listed on checklists started between 11 am and 1 pm (0.3% of those checklists).

0%0.5%12 am: too few checklists (712) to judge1 am: too few checklists (592) to judge2 am: too few checklists (532) to judge3 am: too few checklists (516) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1592) to judge5 am: too few checklists (6849) to judge6 am: 0.1% of 39298 checklists7 am: 0.2% of 120344 checklists8 am: 0.3% of 180109 checklists9 am: 0.3% of 171966 checklists10 am: 0.3% of 156332 checklists11 am: 0.3% of 134964 checklists12 pm: 0.3% of 120967 checklists1 pm: 0.3% of 113852 checklists2 pm: 0.3% of 110773 checklists3 pm: 0.3% of 105530 checklists4 pm: 0.2% of 100958 checklists5 pm: 0.2% of 80085 checklists6 pm: 0.1% of 62883 checklists7 pm: 0.1% of 44912 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (21062) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (5920) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1629) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (775) 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
January0.2%0.1%0.1%0.2%
February0.3%0.1%0.3%0.5%
March0.2%0.2%0.1%0.2%
April0.2%0.1%0.1%0.1%
May0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
June0.1%0.1%0.1%0%
July0.1%0%0%0%
August0%0.1%0%0.1%
September0.1%0.1%0.1%0.2%
October0.7%1.1%1.7%1.7%
November1.3%1.0%0.8%0.6%
December0.3%0.3%0.4%0.4%

Neighboring states

  • Ohio: arrives mid October, 2 weeks later than Michigan
  • Indiana: arrives the second week of October, 1 week later than Michigan
  • Illinois: arrives the second week of October, 1 week later than Michigan
  • Wisconsin: arrives mid October, 2 weeks later than Michigan

Common questions

When do Surf Scoters arrive in Michigan?
Surf Scoters mostly pass through Michigan: they arrive in early October, peak in late October (1.6% of checklists), and most are gone by late November.
When do Surf Scoters leave Michigan?
Most Surf Scoters have left Michigan by late November, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Surf Scoter in Michigan?
The Surf Scoter is reported most often in late October, on about 1.6% of Michigan checklists.
Where in Michigan are Surf Scoters seen most often?
By county, Huron County, Iosco County, and Chippewa County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Surf Scoter (counties with at least 200 checklists).