WhenToBird

Melanitta perspicillata · Anatidae

When Do Surf Scoters Arrive in Nebraska?

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

Surf Scoters mostly pass through Nebraska: they arrive in mid October, peak in early November (1.4% of checklists), and most are gone by late November.

When to look

First arrivalsOct 15-21mid October
Common byOct 15-21mid October
PeakNov 1-7early November
Most gone byNov 22-30late November

Best: early November. First arrivals mid October; most are gone by late November. Peak: on about 1.4% of Nebraska checklists.

  1. Janrare
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marnot usually seen
  4. Aprrare
  5. Maynot usually seen
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepnot usually seen
  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: 0.1% of 4210 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.1% of 2891 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.1% of 2685 checklistsJan 22-31: 0% of 3834 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0% of 2803 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0% of 3134 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0% of 4508 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0% of 3238 checklistsMar 1-7: 0% of 3862 checklistsMar 8-14: 0% of 4894 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.1% of 5862 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.1% of 8598 checklistsApr 1-7: 0% of 5530 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.1% of 5528 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.2% of 6091 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.1% of 8661 checklistsMay 1-7: 0% of 9842 checklistsMay 8-14: 0% of 10044 checklistsMay 15-21: 0% of 8863 checklistsMay 22-31: 0% of 10207 checklistsJun 1-7: 0% of 4922 checklistsJun 8-14: 0% of 4054 checklistsJun 15-21: 0% of 3680 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 4349 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 3277 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 2803 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 2842 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 3920 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 2981 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 2819 checklistsAug 15-21: 0% of 3179 checklistsAug 22-31: 0% of 4599 checklistsSep 1-7: 0% of 3958 checklistsSep 8-14: 0% of 3460 checklistsSep 15-21: 0% of 3435 checklistsSep 22-30: 0% of 4975 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.1% of 3611 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.5% of 3605 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.8% of 3474 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.2% of 4352 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.2% of 3119 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.9% of 2887 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.7% of 2568 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.4% of 3506 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.4% of 2453 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.1% of 2756 checklistsDec 15-21: 0% of 3760 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.1% of 3746 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 Nebraska 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.

Embed this map on your site

Where in Nebraska

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Knox CountyBest late October · 74 checklists that week, 2,080 in all13%
  2. Keith CountyBest early November · 36 checklists that week, 3,876 in all13%
  3. Madison CountyBest early November · 31 checklists that week, 1,920 in all8.3%
  4. Cedar CountyBest mid October · 32 checklists that week, 1,691 in all7.8%
  5. Burt CountyBest early April · 17 checklists that week, 1,011 in all7.5%
  6. Harlan CountyBest late March · 59 checklists that week, 1,276 in all5.1%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Stagecoach LakeLancaster County, best the second week of November · 45 checklists that week, 937 in all30%
  2. Salt Lake (west)Lancaster County, best the second week of November · 44 checklists that week, 805 in all17%
  3. Conestoga LakeLancaster County, best late November · 52 checklists that week, 1,224 in all11%
  4. Ogallala LakeKeith County, best the second week of January · 23 checklists that week, 748 in all11%
  5. Wagon Train LakeLancaster County, best the second week of April · 21 checklists that week, 753 in all5.6%

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

Best time of day

In Nebraska, the Surf Scoter is most often listed on checklists started between 9 and 11 am (0.2% of those checklists).

0%0.5%12 am: too few checklists (60) to judge1 am: too few checklists (70) to judge2 am: too few checklists (74) to judge3 am: too few checklists (97) to judge4 am: too few checklists (318) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1382) to judge6 am: 0.1% of 6945 checklists7 am: 0.1% of 19066 checklists8 am: 0.1% of 24661 checklists9 am: 0.2% of 23438 checklists10 am: 0.2% of 20424 checklists11 am: 0.2% of 16727 checklists12 pm: 0.2% of 14774 checklists1 pm: 0.1% of 14443 checklists2 pm: 0.2% of 14830 checklists3 pm: 0.1% of 14445 checklists4 pm: 0.1% of 13353 checklists5 pm: 0.1% of 10506 checklists6 pm: 0.1% of 9208 checklists7 pm: 0.1% of 6334 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (2406) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (531) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (201) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (82) 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
January0.1%0.1%0.1%0%
February0%0%0%0%
March0%0%0.1%0.1%
April0%0.1%0.2%0.1%
May0%0%0%0%
June0%0%0%0%
July0%0%0%0%
August0%0%0%0%
September0%0%0%0%
October0.1%0.5%0.8%1.2%
November1.2%1.9%0.7%0.4%
December0.4%0.1%0%0.1%

Neighboring states

  • South Dakota: arrives the second week of October, 1 week earlier than Nebraska
  • Minnesota: arrives the second week of October, 1 week earlier than Nebraska
  • North Dakota: arrives the second week of October, 1 week earlier than Nebraska
  • Wisconsin: arrives mid October, in the same week than Nebraska

Common questions

When do Surf Scoters arrive in Nebraska?
Surf Scoters mostly pass through Nebraska: they arrive in mid October, peak in early November (1.4% of checklists), and most are gone by late November.
When do Surf Scoters leave Nebraska?
Most Surf Scoters have left Nebraska by late November, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Surf Scoter in Nebraska?
The Surf Scoter is reported most often in early November, on about 1.4% of Nebraska checklists.
Where in Nebraska are Surf Scoters seen most often?
By county, Knox County, Keith County, and Madison County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Surf Scoter (counties with at least 200 checklists).