WhenToBird

Melanitta perspicillata · Anatidae

When Do Surf Scoters Arrive in Nevada?

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

Surf Scoters mostly pass through Nevada: they arrive in mid October, peak in early November (1.3% 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 1.3% of Nevada checklists.

  1. Janrare
  2. Febrare
  3. Marnot usually seen
  4. Aprnot usually seen
  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%Jan 1-7: 0.2% of 5121 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.1% of 3908 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.1% of 4000 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.1% of 4991 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.1% of 3377 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.1% of 3747 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.1% of 4852 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.1% of 3712 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.1% of 3745 checklistsMar 8-14: 0% of 3763 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.1% of 4188 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.1% of 6027 checklistsApr 1-7: 0% of 4679 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.1% of 4609 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.1% of 4709 checklistsApr 22-30: 0% of 6984 checklistsMay 1-7: 0% of 5702 checklistsMay 8-14: 0% of 5928 checklistsMay 15-21: 0% of 5353 checklistsMay 22-31: 0% of 7352 checklistsJun 1-7: 0% of 4360 checklistsJun 8-14: 0% of 4183 checklistsJun 15-21: 0% of 3751 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 4126 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 3231 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 3024 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 2967 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 4212 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 2828 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 3036 checklistsAug 15-21: 0% of 3076 checklistsAug 22-31: 0% of 4345 checklistsSep 1-7: 0% of 3369 checklistsSep 8-14: 0% of 3728 checklistsSep 15-21: 0% of 3535 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.1% of 5028 checklistsOct 1-7: 0% of 3976 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.1% of 3781 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.3% of 3577 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.3% of 4986 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.3% of 3592 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.4% of 3685 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.8% of 3399 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.5% of 4544 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.2% of 3162 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.2% of 3191 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.2% of 3615 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.2% of 5101 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 Nevada 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 Nevada

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Storey CountyBest the second week of November · 18 checklists that week, 1,593 in all9.7%
  2. Elko CountyBest early November · 132 checklists that week, 8,844 in all2.4%
  3. Washoe CountyBest early November · 950 checklists that week, 53,497 in all2.3%
  4. White Pine CountyBest mid November · 41 checklists that week, 5,465 in all1.4%
  5. Clark CountyBest the second week of November · 1712 checklists that week, 80,458 in all1.3%
  6. Carson CityBest mid October · 106 checklists that week, 6,992 in all0.7%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Swim BeachClark County, best early November · 52 checklists that week, 1,198 in all39%
  2. Pitch Fork CoveClark County, best late November · 88 checklists that week, 1,958 in all1.0%

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

Best time of day

In Nevada, the Surf Scoter is most often listed on checklists started between 12 and 2 pm (0.3% of those checklists).

0%0.5%12 am: too few checklists (114) to judge1 am: too few checklists (99) to judge2 am: too few checklists (71) to judge3 am: too few checklists (108) to judge4 am: too few checklists (459) to judge5 am: 0% of 4313 checklists6 am: 0.2% of 17070 checklists7 am: 0.1% of 27389 checklists8 am: 0.1% of 24858 checklists9 am: 0.1% of 22012 checklists10 am: 0.2% of 19284 checklists11 am: 0.2% of 15592 checklists12 pm: 0.2% of 12432 checklists1 pm: 0.3% of 11386 checklists2 pm: 0.2% of 11262 checklists3 pm: 0.2% of 10721 checklists4 pm: 0.1% of 9090 checklists5 pm: 0.1% of 6397 checklists6 pm: 0.1% of 5012 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (3026) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (905) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (271) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (164) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (120) 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%0.1%
February0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
March0.1%0%0.1%0.1%
April0%0.1%0.1%0%
May0%0%0%0%
June0%0%0%0%
July0%0%0%0%
August0%0%0%0%
September0%0%0%0.1%
October0%0.1%0.3%1.3%
November1.3%1.4%0.8%0.5%
December0.2%0.2%0.2%0.2%

Neighboring states

  • California: arrives the second week of October, 1 week earlier than Nevada
  • Utah: arrives mid October, in the same week than Nevada
  • Idaho: arrives the second week of October, 1 week earlier than Nevada
  • Oregon: arrives late June, 15 weeks earlier than Nevada

Common questions

When do Surf Scoters arrive in Nevada?
Surf Scoters mostly pass through Nevada: they arrive in mid October, peak in early November (1.3% of checklists), and most are gone by late November.
When do Surf Scoters leave Nevada?
Most Surf Scoters have left Nevada by late November, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Surf Scoter in Nevada?
The Surf Scoter is reported most often in early November, on about 1.3% of Nevada checklists.
Where in Nevada are Surf Scoters seen most often?
By county, Storey County, Elko County, and Washoe County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Surf Scoter (counties with at least 200 checklists).